Christmas came with a very nice gift from my parents-in-law: A Cheese Fondue Set. Since one of my favorite Fondue restaurants in Hamburg, Schweizweit, is sadly permanently closed down, I thought it is about time to start experimenting with the Fondue at home. Why not try this delicious dish for New Year’s Eve.
A Cheese Fondue in Albanian context is very exotic or in other words insignificant, unknown. In order to survive the XXL Albanian New Year’s Eve dinner more in Thanksgiving style, with huge turkey and numerous salads, you have to fulfill a couple of criteria:
1. You have to have a strong stomach in the literal meaning. Even if your stomach is strong enough, you still have to consider that you might feel sick for the next couple of days. The menu is enormous, delicious and heavy to digest.
2. You have to be a skilled and an excellent cook to impress the circle of family or friends invited to celebrate with you. Which means no matter how much you try there’s no way you can compete with your mom’s or your in laws cooking skills. You are and still remain an amateur.
3. There is no option as such as screwing up the New’s Years Eve dinner. You better be good at cooking and there’s absolutely no place for experimenting a new recipe.
Knowing I’m usually blessed with beginner’s luck, I took the risk and decided to try Fondue this New Year’s Eve. Just in case it didn’t work out, I had a back up plan, a ready make Fondue from REWE. Before starting with the Cheese Fondue I prepared the dipping ingredients, such as cubes of white bread, champignons, boiled patatoes, dill pickle, grapes, etc. So I finally start stirring on medium heat the grinded cheese of Emmenthaler and aged Gruyère with white whine and 40% alcohol Kirschwasser. A strange chemical reaction to me appeared. I freaked out at first as the cheese appeared sticky and not melting down, but I kept stirring the sauce. In the end it turned to be just fine, smooth and creamy. But while cooking it, I felt already tipsy from the alcohol and strong smell of Gruyère.
My husband was very impressed with the results and did enjoy it. I proudly couldn’t resist sharing my little Fondue success story, so I start sending photos to my family and friends. The reactions were from – nice, looks good, you’re brave experimenting with it, to” A soup!!! That’s all what you cooked for the New Year? If my wife cooked this “Cheese Soup” for this sacred day to the tummies, I would have seriously considered breaking up with her…” Well, different countries different customs. Cheese Fondue was great for a change. As for the next time guests are welcome 🙂
Albania Reloaded 