The Dreamy Dessert You Can Only Try in Switzerland

Swiss chocolate is famous around the world for good reason. But on a recent visit to Switzerland, my most memorable sugar rush comes from a dessert that’s little-known outside of the country. At La Maison du Gruyère in the Alpine village of Pringy, our server brings out a plate of meringues and what looks like a wooden vat of whipped cream, explaining that it is something far more special: la crème de double de Gruyère, or Gruyère double cream. The spoon-thick cream is luxuriously rich and complex. 

Throughout the next few days, I will see the combination of meringues and double cream everywhere (and try it whenever I can): It is the finale of a fondue-making course at Le Chalet de Gruyères and served in miniature form at a breakfast buffet. I even see a double cream and meringue ice cream flavor. While it’s ubiquitous in Switzerland, this perishable treat is almost unheard of elsewhere. 

What is Gruyère double cream?

Gruyère double cream is simply a byproduct of making Le Gruyère AOP, the iconic semi-hard cheese that has been produced in the Fribourg region of western Switzerland since 1115 A.D. “It’s only the fat of the milk,” says historian Anne Philipona, author of the French-language book “La Crème Double” with Monique Durussel. “There’s no recipe needed to make it.”

Traditionally, producers would make Gruyère cheese from mid-May to mid-October in chalets on mountain pastures. “It was really a seasonal product,” explains Philipona. 

They’d milk the cows in the evening, let the milk rest, then skim off the top double cream layer in the morning. Some of that cream was transformed into butter, and the remainder was served to chalet guests along with fresh bread for breakfast.

I experience this phenomenon firsthand at Le Commun, a chalet on a ski slope in Moléson-sur-Gruyères where cheesemakers Alexandre and Charlene Murith still make Gruyère according to traditional processes in the summer months (this is called Le Gruyère d’Alpage AOP and is difficult to find outside of Switzerland).

On a June morning, I watch them heat milk over a woodstove in a giant copper cauldron before pressing it in cloth to make wheels of Gruyère. Next door in the tiny kitchen, I enjoy thick slices of bread dolloped with double cream from yesterday’s milk, along with jam and coffee. Outside the chalet, red Holstein and Simmental cows snack on plants like Queen Anne’s lace, the bells around their necks ringing like wind chimes.

Indeed, beyond its richness (it contains about 45-50% butterfat), the double cream’s deliciousness comes from the Alpine cows that make Swiss cheese and chocolate so beloved. “You taste what the cows are eating a little bit,” Philipona explains, noting hints of hazelnut and grass.

The scene I witness is the same one visitors might have stumbled upon in the 19th century, as alpinism became popular, says Philipona. “People traveling in the mountains said it was the best cream they had ever tasted.” Today double cream is also produced via centrifuge in modern dairies and then might be pasteurized to extend shelf life. 

It’s unknown when double cream was first paired with meringues — Meiringen in Switzerland is sometimes credited as the birthplace of meringues, which is one theory — and Philipona says the duo was also likely popularized in the 19th century.

With one bite it’s easy to see why: The barely sweet cream is the perfect complement to the crisp, sugary meringues. The treat is also associated with La Bénichon, a centuries-old festival that celebrates the end of the harvest in autumn, when the cows descend from the mountain pasture. 

Where to try Gruyère double cream and meringues

You can find double cream and meringues throughout Switzerland, and it’s especially popular in the Fribourg region. 

• La Maison du Gruyère, where I first tried the specialty, includes a cheese factory where you can learn about the history of Le Gruyère AOP, watch the modern cheesemaking process, and try various dishes that include Gruyère like salads, fondue, and quiche.

• If you want to try double cream in a traditional setting, head to La Fromagerie d’Alpage in Moléson-sur-Gruyères. This mountain restaurant and Alpine cheesemaker produces Le Gruyère d’Alpage AOP during the summer.

• In Gruyères, a storybook town that is home to an alien-themed museum and bar (special effects director H.R. Giger was born here), you’ll find the dessert duo everywhere. Beyond Le Chalet de Gruyères, where you can learn how to make your own fondue, Philipona recommends the version from Restaurant des Remparts.

• In nearby Bulle, try it at restaurants like Au Fribourgeois, known for its fondue moitié-moitié, and Le Gruyerien, where you can try malakoff: fried Gruyère balls that are irresistible with a glass of Chasselas, a Swiss white wine. 

• For a slightly more upscale experience, book the tea room at Le Pâtissier in Charmey, which is headed by award-winning pastry chef Nicolas Bertherin and serves a selection of teas and chocolates. Double cream and meringues are served as part of the brunch service, too. 

Just be warned that wherever you try this one-of-a-kind duo, you’ll be tempted to book a return flight immediately.