Cheese fondue

main
swiss
vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 800g of cheese (mix of two), grated and tossed with a little cornstarch
  • 350 ml of sour/dry white wine
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • Large shot kirsch
  • Pinch nutmeg
  • Pinch paprika
  • 1 loaf of bread
  • A mixture of vegetables

Directions

  • Slice the garlic cloves in half then rub all over the inside of the caquelon. Then, finely dice the cloves and chuck them back in the pot.
  • Add the wine, and heat the coquelon till the wine starts to simmer.
  • As soon is it’s bubbling, add the cheese and keep mixing till it forms a smooth mixture.

Fondue is a Swiss dish of melted cheese served in caquelon, sitting on a r’echaud, and eaten by dipping bread into the cheese using long-stemmed forks. It became the national dish from the 1930s, when it was promoted to this title by the Swiss Cheese Union (Schweizerische K”aseunion).

The cheese sauce is usually made up of 2 or more types of cheese. An aged Gruy’ere (at least 8 to 12 months) is usually one of them, since it has such a great flavour. Two popular cheeses to pair with Gruy’ere are Emmental, the stereotypical ‘Swiss cheese’ with the big holes, and Appenzeller. Vacherin fribourgeois is also good, and super creamy.

Traditionally it’s served just with cubes of bread, but Tina and I like to also add steamed vegetables.

Tossing the cheese with cornstarch helps make sure the mixture forms an emulsion easily. I also tried it with a tiny bit xantham gum instead, which helps to stabilise the sauce while keeping the texture more like melted cheese, rather than a very cheesy mornay sauce (which happens if you add too much flour).

Le coup du milieu can be loosely translated as “shot (or hit) at the halfway point”. In the context of fondue, le coup du milieu is a small glass of spirits, usually kirsch, that is drunk about halfway through the meal and is supposed to aid digestion and stimulate a faltering appetite.

At the end of the meal, if you’ve been stirring away as you eat and the fondue has been kept at a very low bubble, you should find a crusty, golden, unburnt layer of cheese forming at the bottom of the pot, known as la religieuse (the nun). When all of the cheese has solidified into this cracker-like crust, extinguish the flame of the burner, use a knife to pry off the crust, lift it out and share it with your dining companions.