Cheese Fondue

Cheese Fondue: Cheese Fondue is a Swiss, Italian, and French dish of melted cheese served in a communal pot (caquelon) over a portable stove (réchaud), and eaten by dipping long-stemmed forks with bread into the cheese. It was promoted as a Swiss national dish by the Swiss Cheese Union (Schweizerische Käseunion) in the 1930s.

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 300 gms Swiss-style cheese (such as Jarlsberg or Emmenthaler), shredded
• 300 gms Gruyere cheese, shredded
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 garlic clove, halved crosswise
• 1 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp kirsch (cherry brandy)
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• Assorted dipping foods such as:
  • Cubed day-old French bread
  • Cubed ham
  • Blanched broccoli
  • Blanched carrots
  • Blanched cauliflower
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Chopped green bell peppers
  • Peeled and chopped apples or pears

Special equipment recommended:

• A fondue pot

Method:

• Rub the inside of a 4 liter pot with the cut garlic and then discard the garlic.
• Place the shredded cheese and cornstarch in a plastic freezer bag.
• Seal, shake to coat the cheese with cornstarch.
• Set aside.
• Add the wine and lemon juice to the garlic coated pot.
• Bring to a low simmer on medium heat, do not let it boil.
• Bit by bit, slowly stir the cheese into the wine.
• Stir constantly in a zig-zag pattern to prevent the cheese from balling up.
• Cook until the cheese is melted and creamy.
• Do not let boil.
• Stir in kirsch, mustard and nutmeg.
• Transfer the cheese to a fondue serving pot, set over a low flame to keep warm.
• Arrange various dipping foods around the fondue pot.
• To eat, spear dipping foods with fondue forks or small forks.
• Dip to coat with the cheese, and eat.

Note:

• If your fondue pot is thin-bottomed, a lit candle will probably do. If thick-bottomed, you can use a small Sterno.

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