This comforting Savoyard dish is perfect for the winter season.
When the thermometer displays the zero degree, Cis the time to warm up in a friendly atmosphere around a comforting dish. If we only have the words “raclette” or “Savoyard fondue” in the mouth, there is however another treasure of Savoyard cuisine, just as comforting and delicious to warm our cold winter evenings. We share the recipe for you, once jealously guarded as a family secret.
This specialty comes from Haute-Savoie, more precisely from Chablais, born in a bistro from Thonon-les-Bains, in the 20th century. Its principle is the same as for the Savoyard fondue: the tasting is done by soaking pieces of stung bread then soaked in a mixture of wine and melted cheese. However, if the cheeses incorporated into the fondue are a mixture of beaufort, abundance, county or even Emmental de Savoie (the Swiss have their own mixture), this recipe is made exclusively based on abundance cheese Mettled AOP, and two additional aromas invite the receive!
As the tradition of the region wants, Berthoud must be baked in the oven and served in an individual porcelain container: “The Berthoud plate” specially designed to serve and maintain the preparation at the right temperature. This material also has the particularity of preserving the taste and olfactory qualities of Berthoud throughout the tasting. Nothing serious if you don’t have one, opt for a caquelon, the traditional terracotta or cast iron pan used for the fondue, but “individual”. A casserole close to those used for crème brûlée can also do the trick.
Preparation of the recipe, extremely easy and inexpensive, will only take you 10 minutes of your time. Ready to test? For 4 people, count around 700 grams of AOP farmer abundance to raw milk, 2 cloves of garlic, 6 centilitres of Madeira wine, 15 centilitres white wine from Savoy type after old vines, butter, Country bread or rye cut into small squares, a pinch of nutmeg, pepper and salt.
Start by preheating the oven to 180 ° C. Peel your cloves of garlic, then rub them at the bottom of your individual caquers or your plates in Berthoud. Finely chop the remaining garlic and distribute it in your Caquelons or Plates. Then you will add your abundance cheese cut into thin strips which you have taken care to remove the crust. Lightly pepper and season with grated nutmeg all then sprinkle wine. Divide a few dice of butter and let the oven go between 8 and 15 minutes, to obtain a melted cheese with a golden crust. Serve immediately at the end of cooking, soaking the pieces of bread in the melted cheese.
You can accompany your dish with a dry white wine from Savoy, land potatoes and cold meats from Savoie, or to choose from a crunchy green salad for those who want to limit calories … Good tasting!