Traditional Swiss Cheese Fondue

To serve a Fondue you will need a Fondue Set: the ceramic pot (Caquelon) with the special forks and burner, and having spend the day outdoor skiing and feeling all toasty…. A fondue evening reflects a space of patience, sharing a cozy evening with friends.

We serve pearl pickling onions and "petite dill pickles" (Cornichons) with it, and black tea or dry white wine to drink.

Important: continuously stir the cheese mixture, also when serve it is important that always someone is slowly stirring with one's bred chunk on the fork so the cheese doesn't split.

Ingredients (4 portions: 200g cheese per person)

• 1 loaf of white bred (Italian bred or baquette)
• 1 clove garlic
• 400 g Gruyère
• 400 g Emmentaler (or Vacherin cheese, a Swiss cheese from Fribourg)
• 3 1/2 dl dry white wine
• 1.5 Tbs (16g) cornstarch
• 1 shot of Kirsch
• Nutmeg and freshly grated pepper

Directions

Prepare the table and cut the bred into 1-inch cubes. Prepare everything since the fondue takes only 5 min to cook.

Rub the garlic on the inside of fondue pot (Caquelon).

Grate the cheeses into the fondue pot. Mix the wine with the cornstarch and add to the fondue pot and stirring slowly and continuously heating it so it bubbles gently, till it is creamy and smooth, all cheese melted. Add the kirsch while stirring. Season with nutmeg and pepper – while stirring.

Bring the fondue pot (Caquelon) to the table on the lit chafing dish (réchaud)

Serving

The fondue pot is on the lit chafing dish and needs a continuous stirring! Everybody takes some bread chunk on the long fork and stirs the bred inside the pot, to keep a continuous flow of stirring happening. Serve some cocktail gherkins (cornichons) and onion pickles, add pepper from a pepper mill, one can also serve small shot glasses of Kirsch besides black tea and dry white wine.

Tip: Gruyère & Vacherin cheese fondue is called "moitié-moitié" and is the best! If Vacherin cheese is not available use Emmentaler or half Emmentaler and half Appenzeller.

Tip: adding a pinch of baking soda to the fondue makes it lighter - and lighter to digest.