Whatever they teach you at school, I’m of the view that South Africa doesn’t really have four seasons. We have three: summer, autumn and spring. Let’s face it, that two-week cold front in July doesn’t really count as winter.
South African weather lacks a few things that would give it a legitimate claim to having a winter, most noticeably proper snow. So April is, in fact, the start of autumn. Summer runs till the end of March in my calendar, autumn is until the end of August and spring runs from 1 to 23 September. (National Braai Day is on 24 September and, according to Jan, that is the start of summer – ed.)
So how should we as braaiers deal with this horrible time of the year called autumn? This period of short days, relatively cold nights and, in some areas, water falling from the sky at inopportune moments. It’s simple, really. We should look north and deal with it the same way Europeans handle real winter. We should eat cheese fondue in front of the fireplace.
There’s no need to buy expensive fondue equipment in order to enjoy a traditional Swiss cheese fondue, though. Make the sauce in your cast-iron pot over the fire and, once the food is ready, it can be enjoyed right there. The pot should retain its heat long enough to keep the sauce from getting too sticky while everyone is feasting.
Cheese fondue
What you need:
- 125 g Brie
- 125 g Camembert
- 150 g mild Gouda
- 150 g Gruyere
- 2 tsp cornflour
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 tot brandy
What to do:
Remove the rinds from the cheese. Chop the soft cheeses (Brie and Camembert) into cubes and grate the hard cheeses. Mix together and toss with cornflour until dusted.
Place a small- to medium-sized cast-iron pot over coals or a few flames. Add the wine to the pot and heat, but don’t bring to the boil.
Slowly add the cheese, stirring continuously.
When the sauce is smooth, stir in the brandy (traditional Swiss cheese fondues call for cherry liquor, but this is South Africa and we’re preparing it over a fire, so brandy is the obvious choice).
Dip chunks of crusty bread on sosatie sticks into the sauce.
