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Not the summer hiking season and not the brilliant snow for skiing, Switzerland still has much to offer in November especially for American travelers looking for alternatives to Thanksgiving. Our trip to Switzerland included a magic memory of seeing the Alps while eating fondue!
You’ll hear of our hot and cheesy adventure and tell you everything you need to know to get hot and cheese too by making fondue!
Our November Switzerland Itinerary
After spending our first night in Schaffhausen with the Munot Monastery and early Christmas Market, we headed through the countryside to balance our city-centric Swiss sojourn. We drove into the Thal Regional Park and got on the Passwangstrasse out of Ramsil heading northwest. I knew Switzerland had beautiful scenery but the low clouds of November threatening rain put a damper on spotting the Alps.
The drive itself wasn’t disappointing. The paved road curved through perfect farms, wooden cabins, meadows. the speed limit way faster than we felt comfortable, we just pulled over as the local drove by with a friendly wave. The gray clouds made the color of the green grass and evergreens pop. Around every corner was a misty mystery, little waterfalls one after another.
We have two reasons why we love traveling when the weather isn’t great: less tourists and lower prices. We feel that we get a lot more value for the trip. Points of interests are more enjoyable without the crowds. And we enjoy upgraded rooms. Read about our stay at the Hotel Mirabeau Best Western in Lausanne on Lake Geneva where we rented a gorgeous suite with two balconies!
Swiss Alp Road Trip
With less tourist cars and less tour buses, we enjoyed our slow drive up , up, up the alps. The Alps have cloud cover all year around. What time and where those clouds parted, if at all, depended on the season and the day and location. The Alps cover eight countries and 80,000 square miles and top out at 13,000 feet. Shoo-wee! Bound to be a myriad of local weather systems any time of year!
Then something magical occurred.
The overhanging clouds were actually a low band that we were able to conquer! Once we popped up through the clouds, the view opened wide up. The weather went from splittly rain to bright sunshine as if it was midday in late summer.
We looked for a pull-out to admire the view and found something better: The Alpenblick restaurant with outdoor seating to enjoy the view of the magnificent landscape. Perfect.
Switzerland in November: Getting Hot and Cheesy
As we neared the entrance, the A-frame board read: “Celebrate Fondue Appreciation Month with us.” Fondue? (The C in CT does stand for cheese.) Fondue!
I don’t know, should we stop and get out of the car?
Travel changes you.
And travel *should* change you. We travel to experience new things, to expand our thinking, to get beyond ourselves. After returning from a trip, you might find yourself with a craving for flavors, sights, or sounds from the trip.
For us, fondue night has become our go-to for “At Home Date Night”, especially in the RV Camper. Here’s my opportunity to get you to fondue, whether you’ve been to Switzerland or want to, or if you just love cheese!
How to Fondue
The Swiss take their fondue as seriously as their watches. Order for the number of people eating, divided by two. Tradition says the only bread is dunked into the pot but I knew that was going to be too rich for me. I ordered a little bowl of steamed veggies and did get looks when I dunked them but the taste was marvelous.
The pot is brought out with a can of heat. What better way to enjoy a brisk fall day that was easily in the high 50’s with a perfectly clear view of the Alps.
Here’s what you need for to do fondue:
Fondue is about the easiest “Fancy Meal” you can make. And undoubtably the most fun and easiest way to please a variety of tastes. The initial outlay will run you less than a dinner out at a nice restaurant. And repeat meals of fondue are super cheap (you can buy a new dress for what you save!).
Cookware:
A fondue set comes with the cooking pot, forks, a heat stand. and a damper. I have included two sets to get you started. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. At no extra cost to you! (Thank you for supporting the blog!)
And I’ll often tell you ways to save money, because you gotta think in terms of saving up for the next trip. You can often find fondue sets at thrift stores. That’s where I got mine, but looking at those well-priced options above–I’m really thinking I might need a new fondue set!
For the pot, I prefer stainless steel because it is so easy to clean. Ceramic and cast iron are also popular. Whichever material you buy, take note of the inside surface. I recommend against non-stick surfacing inside the pot, Here’s why: the fork tines are sharp and inevitably a tine will be sticking out of the dunked bread. This will scratch and mar the non-stick surface, especially when you get down to mopping up the cheese at the bottom of the pot.
Fondue must have a low-level heat source. Otherwise you are bouncing back and forth to the stove every two minutes to remelt the cheese. Fondue heating comes in two options: canned heat or electric. Since we camp in our RV often, we went for the canned heat option so we didn’t have to use the RV battery or generator. The canned heat sets tend to be smaller also which saves space in our RV. But the electric ones look easier to manage.
Fondue forks have sharp prongs to pierce bread, potatoes and more (list below). You can use regular forks in a pinch or for safety!
Cheese
You will find fondue cheese in the specialty cheese area of the grocery store. Fondue cheese should be a mix of rich, nutty cheeses like Gruyere, Gouda, and Raclette. Look for a ready-made mix from brands like Emmi, Mifroma, or Swiss Castle which are all fairly easy to find at the large supermarkets in the USA and online at Amazon.
I like Emmi the best. Since it’s just the two of us eating the fondue, I’ve found that half of a 14 oz Emmi pack is plenty. I cut right through the box and inner package with a bread knife and put one half in a zipper bag and right into the freezer. It can store for months.
Prepared fondue cheese will have some cornstarch to keep the cheese from separating and a little flavoring like wine and garlic. If you don’t finish, you can save and remelt the cheese later for either a 2nd visit to the fondue set or in a grilled cheese.
Dunkers
Any bread will be good. A crusty baguette works best but so will sourdough, a hefty seeded wheat or even crackers. Warm up the bread and cut it into bite-size chunks.
Cooked potatoes are probably the second most common for the fondue pot. The buttery taste of small golden potatoes is a treat with the nutty cheese. Sweet potato is also incredible. But even an Idaho carved into chunks would be great. Don’t overcook the potato or it’s likely to fall apart when extracting the laden fork from the cheese.
Other veggies that taste great with fondue cheese include: cooked green beans, cooked asparagus, and pearl onions raw or pickled. Beware of waxy vegetables like red peppers. While the taste is excellent with the cheese, but only IF you can get the cheese to stick on.
Meats can also be dunked. Sausages, steak, or pork work excellently. I have found that shrimp makes the rest of the fondue get fishy fast. And chicken doesn’t seem to hold up to the richness of the cheese. but i advise you to try for yourself (and share more ideas with us!)
Don’t forget the fruit! Strawberries, cherries, and apple slices are marvelous with fondue. No need to cook these, fresh is best, or even frozen!
Wine Paring
Disclaimer: I don’t know anything about pairing wine with dinner. But in my experience, any wine (or beer for that matter) seem to go with cheese and bread. We love a good Pinot Noir by Conscious or a white Malbec by Edmundo. Whatever wine you like best will pair wonderfully. And if there are more people, then open more bottles of wine! Got kids or non-drinkers? Martinelli sparkling juices will feel classy and look sophisticated.
Cooking Fondue is Easy-Cheesy
Using an electric fondue set, just turn the dial and add the cheese. With a canned heat fondue set, light up the canned heat and toss the cheese in the pot. WARNING: canned heat can spill or be elbowed off the table by a clumsy guest, especially those enjoying the fun and wine.
I put the fondue pot on the range to get the cheese melted and then transfer it to the canned heat stand. This way I can be gathering and plating the dunkers while the cheese is melting in a safer location.
Once the cheese is bubbly, set up the fondue set with the can of heat on a plate to protect your table. Keep a heat damper handy–it should have come with the fondue set. But if not, a large spoon will also work to regulate the heat by covering the flame progressively more as the cheese level progressively lowers.
“To your health!”
Prost! Viva! Salute! Cin Cin! Zum Wohl!
Mental health, physical health, travel health! Safe travels, even if only to your “At Home Date Night” Fondue-laden table!
Read more about our cheesey adventures in Gruyere, the castle of cheese and goodness.
Chocolate!
Of course you can also melt chocolate in your fondue pot and dunk awesome stuff in there like strawberries, cherries, banana, oranges, twinkies, peppermint sticks and more.
But if you are heading to Switzerland, Zurich, in particular, be sure to visit the Chocolate Museum, yes, the factory where Lindt Chocolate is made!
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