The Cheese of Fondue
* Appenzeller. From eastern Switzerland. Adds sharp, spicy, herbal accent to fondues, as a second or third cheese. Ivory to yellow interior depending on age with a scattering of medium holes.
* Comte. From Franche-Comte, the French side of the Jura Mountains. Considered a French Gruyere. Gray-brown pebbled rind, yellowish ivory interior, smooth nutty taste. Mellows and smooths a sharp crumbly cheese in a fondue. Look for brands with Haut-Jura Comte on the label, meaning it is made with Alpine milk.
* Emmentaler. The Swiss cheese with the big holes, widely imitated and mass-marketed. From the Emme Valley near Bern, Switzerland, an area of rolling hills, not alpage Sandy brown rind (made in such huge wheels, a customer might never see the rind), yellowish-tan interior has mild, nutty taste, with characteristic savory finishing note. Artisanal Emmentaler can be aged 16 months, two to three times longer than the usual “top quality” Emmentaler.
* Fontina d’Aosta. From the Val d’Aosta region of Italy near the Swiss and French Alpine borders. Reddish-brown rind, semi-firm beige interior, delicate, earthy, herby flavor. Look for brands with a stenciled purple circle with a mountain in the center and the word “Fontina” or “Val d’Aosta.”
* Aged Gouda. The Netherlands’ answer to Parmigiano-Reggiano. Sharp and sweet, aged at least six months. Hard orange-gold interior with wax rind. The best are marked “Boerenkaas,” indicating a farmer’s artisanal cheese.
* Gruyere. The best artisanal Swiss Gruyere is from the Jura Mountains, from a plateau of extreme temperatures, winds, icy long winters and hot short summers. These are darker than the usual creamy beige color. More assertive than Emmentaler, with hints of fruit and nuts, and saltier, although without a salty finish. The best has sweet creamy overtones. Look for Gruyere Reserve--longer aged, at least 18 months.
* Aged Provolone. From southern Italy. Premium brand is Auricchio. Light yellowish-ivory interior, wax rind, a real workhorse. Firm, oily and crumbly texture, sharp flavor. Adds punch to a creamy fonduta.
* Vacherin Fribourgeois. An alpage semi-soft cheese the color of butter with many small holes like Champagne bubbles. Creamy yet strong character; made in small dairies in the Jura Mountains of Switzerland. This is the cheese that can save any fondue.
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Sources:
Good Southern California cheese shops include the Cheese Shop of Beverly Hills, 419 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills (310) 278-2855; Say Cheese, 2800 Hyperion Ave., Silver Lake, (323) 665-0545; and La Brea Bakery, 624 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 939-6813.
Quality Cheese, a Fort Myers, Fla.-based importer of artisanal Swiss cheeses (shown above), sells cheese locally through La Brea Bakery. Large orders of the company’s artisanal Swiss cheeses may be purchased directly from Quality Cheese. Phone and fax: (941) 561-5744. E-mail: pressbho@olsusa.com.