How to Create a Holiday Fondue Party

Fondue parties are not only a fun and delicious way to feed guests for the holidays, but there’s minimal cooking required! Plus, there aren’t many party foods better than a warm pot of melted cheese. Served with a variety of delicious foods for dipping—think bread, veggies, fruit—for a meal that’s sure to please everyone.

Take the stress out of your holiday entertaining by creating a festive fondue spread with our ready-to-serve Original Fondü.

The Fondü

Our ready-made Fondü means you’ve got to do just one thing: pour it straight into a pan. Bring the cheese sauce to a boil, stirring until smooth. Once it’s warmed through, place your pot on the fondue stand above a lit candle. If you don’t have a fondue set, no worries—place your pot over a pan of hot water. It’s important to keep the cheese warm while it’s being served so it maintains a smooth, creamy consistency for dipping.

The Pairings

Veggies

Fresh vegetables make some of the best dippers and help add a variety of flavors & textures to your fondue spread. We opted for broccolini (raw or blanched in hot water until slightly tender), roasted or steamed potatoes, and raw carrots.

Fruits

Fruit and cheese is a wonderful pairing. It adds a welcome sweetness to the savory cheese. Grapes, pears, and apples all taste deliciously good with the flavors of our Swiss cheese fondue. Fruit is also a lighter option amongst the heavier pairings of meats and breads, adding levity to the meal.

Carbs

Arguably the star of the show, nothing beats bread and melted cheese! Make sure your bread has a nice crust to it so it’s easy to dip in the fondue—brioche, sourdough and multigrain loaves all work great. Cubing the bread ahead of time will make it easier for guests to skewer, dip, and devour.

Meats

Adding protein to the spread is important if you plan on making this the main meal of your gathering. We included sliced sausage here, but cubed ham, meatballs, and steak tips also make tasty dippers.

Extras

Feel free to add any other items to your spread. Nuts and breadsticks are a great option as they give guests something to snack on. Mini holiday decorations, like ornaments and trees, add a festive touch. And of course, no holiday fondue party is complete without some wine! A red Cabernet or Merlot, and white Riesling pair perfectly with the cheesy fondue. For a non-alcoholic option, serve with spiced apple cider or a non-alcoholic hard cider.

Original Fondue

Pair With

Crusty Bread Cubed Ham, Boiled Shrimp, Meatballs Red And Green Bell Peppers

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Select Fondue

Pair With

Crusty bread Cubed ham, boiled shrimp, grilled steak Apples, pears, grapes

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6 Cheesy Appetizers for Your Next Holiday Party

Impress your family and friends this holiday season with six of our favorite cheesy appetizers. These snacks, sides, & bites are easy to make, don’t require a crazy number of ingredients, and boast deliciously complex and festive flavors thanks to Emmi’s award-winning cheeses.

Spinach Balls with Gruyère

Spinach Balls with Gruyère

A Midwestern classic, we’ve updated our Spinach Balls by adding nutty Le Gruyère cheese for an extra special holiday treat.

French Onion Cheese Ball

French Onion Cheese Ball

Everyone loves a cheese ball, especially when it’s a French Onion Cheese Ball. With Le Gruyère, wine-glazed caramelized onions, and crispy fried onions.

Mini Le Gruyère Tarts

Wow guests while saving time this holiday season with these super addictive Le Gruyère Tarts! They only take five ingredients and less than 30 minutes from start to finish.

Chocolate Gruyère Bark

Our traditional Le Gruyère has a nutty flavor that pairs wonderfully with chocolate. Top these mini cheese barks with caramel corn, crushed pistachios, and candied ginger.

Baked Gruyère Dip

This super simple recipe is a holiday crowd-pleaser. Warm Le Gruyère is melted with cranberries and rosemary, then served with toasted baguette rounds for dipping.

Peach, Caramel, & Gouda Bites

These no-bake bites feature our Kaltbach Gouda cheese, dried peaches, salted caramel sauce, marcona almonds, and rosemary. Completely unique and delicious.

LE GRUYÈRE® AOP

Notes

Candied Walnuts, Dried Fruit, Spice

Pair With

Fresh Apples, Pears And Grapes Almonds Figs

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Holiday Pairings with Kaltbach Le Gruyère AOP

Good things do indeed come to those who wait. After at least one year aging under the watchful café of the Kaltbach Master Affineur in the legendary caves, Kaltbach Le Gruyère AOP makes its way onto tables around the world. With its flavors of dried stone fruit, spice, black tea and hazelnuts, it’s the perfect cheese to feature on a holiday cheese board.

Kaltbach Le Gruyère AOP lends itself beautifully to both sweet and savory pairings, as well as a festive holiday punch (read on for the recipe).

It’s hard to go wrong sweet pairings to accentuate this versatile cheese that delights a wide range of palates. Choose a selection of accompaniments that add color as well as complementary flavors to your cheese board. For the holidays, we reach for deeply colored black grapes, fresh persimmons whenever they’re available, dried figs and a beautifully made jam. Cherry jam is a wonderful complement to the cheese, and if golden plum jam is available in your market, it makes for an extra special holiday treat. Finish your sweet pairings with a cookie – it is the holidays, after all! Ginger snaps, almond cookies or cranberry biscotti are all great choices.

On the savory side, there are many great options, as well. Hearty, rustic bread is a must, as are briny, buttery olives. Charcuterie is another wonderful pair with many possibilities. For our holiday board, we chose double smoked Canadian bacon (ham works wonderfully, too) and peppery soppressata.

It wouldn’t be the holidays without a cup of cheer, so don’t forget to include a festive beverage pairing or two. If you’re serving wine, choose a Cabernet Franc, red or white Burgundy, Grenache or Syrah to complement the Kaltbach Le Gruyère AOP cheese. Single malt Scotch also highlights the flavors of the cheese quite nicely. If a holiday punch is more your style, we have just the recipe to accentuate your beautiful cheese board, made with sparkling pear cider, ginger kombucha, port wine and club soda. Get the recipe below.

For something non-alcoholic, ginger kombucha and non-alcoholic pear cider are both great options. Whatever your beverage of choice, raise a glass to friends, family and good food, and have a wonderful holiday season!

Ginger Pear & Port Punch

1 bottle (750 ml) ruby port wine
1 bottle (16 ounces) ginger kombucha
1 bottle (750 ml) pear cider
1 pear, sliced
1 liter club soda
1 cup frozen cranberries (optional)

In punch bowl, combine port wine, kombucha and pear cider; mix. Top with ice and club soda to taste. Garnish with sliced pears and frozen cranberries.

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