Cheese Fondue
Proper Swiss fondue: Gruyère and Vacherin melted into wine with kirsch and garlic, kept bubbling over a flame with a basket of bread.
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total
- 30 min
- serves
- 4
- level
- medium
Fondue is chemistry pretending to be a party. The wine’s acid and a spoonful of cornstarch are what keep a kilo of melted cheese smooth instead of split, and the garlic-rubbed pot is the quiet seasoning everyone forgets.
Low heat, cheese by the handful, stirred in figures of eight. Rush any of it and the fondue breaks; respect it and it forgives everything else.
Cheese Fondue is one of the world's classic dishes from 67 countries.
method
Rub the inside of the pot hard with the cut garlic and discard it.
Warm the wine and lemon juice until steaming, never boiling.
Add the cheese a handful at a time over low heat, stirring in figures of eight, letting each handful melt before the next.
Stir the cornstarch into the kirsch, add it, and stir 2 minutes more until the fondue is glossy and coats a cube of bread.
Season with nutmeg and pepper and move the pot to its burner at the table.
Everyone stirs as they dip; it keeps the fondue smooth. The toasted crust at the bottom, la religieuse, goes to the guest of honor.
chef's tips
- Grate the cheese rather than cubing it; it melts evenly and faster.
- If it splits, a splash of wine and hard whisking over low heat usually brings it back.
- Day-old bread holds the fork; fresh bread abandons it in the pot, and tradition fines you for that.