I've been making quite a bit of fondue lately. Last week I made Fondue w/ Gruyère & Swiss Cheese and now I have leftover Fondue w/ Gruyère & Emmentaler Cheese. As I've been on this excursion, I've been contemplating what else I can do with fondue. After all, it's much simpler to make than a roux, like for macaroni and cheese, which is kind of my go-to for making most things with a cheese sauce. So, I've decided to be a little bit devious today and branch out into making fondue pasta sauce! Which may one day evolve into full-blown macaroni and cheese, so stay tuned if you want to see how ludicrous I can get with the fondue crave. For now, though, I'm entirely thrilled with this fondue-inspired pasta sauce! Hence, the emmentaler and gruyère pasta.
I also have to say that rigatoni might be my new favorite type of pasta. I think that I've traditionally been a shell person. There's something that I find kind of boring about penne. Bowties never quite cook right in the pinched center. I honestly have never been a fan of orzo; it's rice-like not to be rice. Fusilli always seems fussy. Macaroni is for children. And linguini, while solid, doesn't always hold the sauce in the way that I want it to. Which is likely why I have for so long preferred shells! Because some of the sauce gets trapped inside and you get these pockets of ooey gooey deliciousness. But rigatoni may have surpassed this in my pantheon of favorite pasta shapes. It looks distinguished while being absolutely massive. And, when it comes to an adult version of pasta? I'm going to go ahead and say that size matters here.
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Variations of Gruyère Pasta
There are plenty of ways to make pasta. It's hands down one of my favorite foods. From lasagna to macaroni and cheese to just noodles and sauce. As long as it's covered in cheese and delicious? I'm on board absolutely every single time.
Add about 4 inches of water to a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
Cook pasta according to the manufacturer's instructions. This typically entails boiling for about 8-12 minutes, or until barely al dente.
Remove the pasta from the water and set aside.You may want to stir it occasionally to keep the noodles from sticking together.
Sauce
Grate gruyère and Swiss cheese into a small bowl and toss with cornstarch. Make sure that all of the pieces are lightly coated.This will help the cheese from separating when you cook it. If you're having a tedious time getting the cornstarch coated without clumping, add the mixture to a large Ziplock bag and shake.
Meanwhile, heat a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Add wine and lemon juice to the saucepan and bring to a simmer.
Once the wine mixture begins to simmer, slowly stir in the cheese about 1/4 cup at a time. Make sure to stir constantly until fully incorporated.The key to a creamy fondue is adding in the cheese gradually. If it’s added too quickly, the mixture will separate!
Once all of the cheese is incorporated and the mixture is smooth, stir in the Kirsch and mustard.
Serve
Add rigatoni to the sauce and stir until combined.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
This is a great recipe to turn into a macaroni and cheese. I didn't want to wait that long today! So, I didn't bother. But you could easily lightly oil a large baking dish, pour the mixture inside, grate a little bit of extra cheese on top, and then cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-40 minutes, or until the top begins to brown. And voila! A little bit more time and you have fondue macaroni and cheese.
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