Tina Roth Eisenberg, Swiss Miss

by Admin

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FOR TINA ROTH EISENBERG, who has run her seminal design blog out of New York since 2005, making her favorite dish meant reaching out to her homeland: “For a second, I was afraid the cheese and white wine would separate. I called my sister in Switzerland for ‘fondue support.’ It all went well—she swears by stirring in the shape of an 8. That must have done the trick.”

Q&A

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Where did you buy your ingredients for this dish?
Fairway down in Red Hook, Brooklyn. They have an amazing cheese selection!

Is that the place you usually buy food, or did you make a special trip?

It’s usually Fairway, Trader Joe’s, or small shops on Smith Street [in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood in Brooklyn].

Is there something you really love about that store?

Fairway is a food lovers’ paradise. It’s gigantic! And the produce selection is impressive.

Is this your own recipe?

It’s my dad’s. He swears by it. He’s an avid cook!

After you prepared this meal for our photo shoot, did you share it with guests or anyone else? If so, what were their reactions to the dish?

I shared it with the photographer, my three- year-old daughter and my husband. Everyone gave it a thumbs-up.

Hans-Ruedi's (Swiss Miss's dad's) fondue recipe

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“I make this a lot in the winter. It’s perfect for entertaining, and my friends always love a little

touch of Swissness at casa Swissmiss.”

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4)

0.7 lbs gruyere cheese
0.5 lbs appenzeller cheese
0.5 lbs vacherin cheese (all cheeses should be from switzerland)
1 garlic clove, peeled
11/2 cups dry white wine
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 shot glass of kirsch
4 tsp. cornstarch
A few gratings of freshly ground pepper
nutmeg
For dipping: Crusty French bread, cut into bite-sized cubes (leave a piece of crust on each cube), soft-boiled new potatoes, or broccoli florets.

DIRECTIONS

Rub the inside of fondue pan with the garlic. Add the wine and lemon juice and bring to a bare simmer over medium heat.
Add shredded cheeses, stir, and melt slowly. The fondue can bubble gently, but do not boil. Mix kirsch with cornstarch and add to fondue while stirring. Season with nutmeg and pepper.
Transfer to table and keep warm over a fondue burner. Serve immediately with dipping ingredients.

Reader Comments

Dear Kurren Who told you that the "real" fondue comes from Val d'Aosta? As far as I know insists Switzerland, France and Italy that they were the first. So it's not really clear where the real version comes from and each version has it's own "raison d'etre" as far as my taste buds are concerned :-)

By tobiaslinder December 25, 2010

Nice recipe, with a Swiss twist. ;) The real fondue (fonduta) is only made with Fontina DOPG cheese from Val d'Aosta, tho. http://goo.gl/8CbBe

By kurren December 24, 2010