5 hours ago
6
Five years ago, I was worried that the pandemic had killed off fondue for ever. And, while it wasn’t my biggest concern back in February 2020, a world that couldn’t come together over molten cheese still seemed a bleak prospect. Clearly I wasn’t alone, because Swiss public health experts were later forced to issue reassurance – thankfully, the only risk here is overindulgence.
Prep 10 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 4
320g emmental, or similar (see step 1)
480g gruyère, or similar
¼ reblochon (about 150g), or similar
1 garlic clove, peeled and very finely chopped (see step 5)
300ml high-acid white wine (see step 6)
2 tsp kirsch (optional)
Nutmeg, to grate to taste, or a pinch of cayenne pepper
Baguette, or stale bread, cubed, to serve
Boiled potatoes, to serve (optional)
Cornichons and pickled onions, to serve (optional)
Charcuterie, to serve (optional)
Green salad, to serve (optional)
1 A note on the cheese …
In the course of testing this recipe, I went through a number of different cheeses, and while the combination above is my favourite – emmental for its melting properties, gruyère for its nutty flavour and reblochon, now sold in some supermarkets and all good cheesemongers, for its creaminess – feel free to vary it according to availability and budget.
2 … and on the right mix of cheese
The only tricky thing about fondue, apart from gluttony, is preventing it from splitting, which is more likely if you use only hard cheeses such as gruyere (or beaufort, comté or abondance) that have a low moisture content. To make life easier for yourself, I’d suggest including something younger such as emmental or edam in the mix, too.
3 … and on the creamy cheese
I also like to add a creamy cheese – taleggio, raclette, port salut, brie or even, dare I say it, cheese triangles are all options, but you may prefer to ring the changes with blue cheese, goat’s cheese or even a flavoured cheese, or simply use only equal parts of gruyère and emmental if you prefer.
4 Prepare the cheese
Trim off and discard the rinds from the hard cheeses (they’re not poisonous, but they won’t add anything to the flavour of your fondue), then coarsely grate the cheeses. Please avoid those tempting bags of ready-grated cheese, though, because their starchy, anti-clump coating will give your fondue an unpleasantly floury consistency. Cut off and discard the skin of the reblochon and chop the rest into cubes.
5 A note on the garlic
Traditionally, a cut garlic clove is wiped around the insides of the fondue pot, but because I make mine in a pan and transfer it to a bowl, I prefer to add the garlic to the cheese mix (if you’re using a bespoke fondue pot, however, you may wish to revert to the old way). Put the minced garlic in a deep, heavy-based saucepan.
6 Add the wine
Add the wine to the pot – traditional Swiss and Savoie whites aren’t that widely stocked in the UK, so if need be go for a high-acid and fairly fruity alternative, because, somewhat counterintuitively, the acids in the wine will help stabilise the emulsion of melted cheeses and help to prevent them separating. Picpoul de pinet, riesling or muscadet are all good bets.
7 Now melt the cheese
Set the pan over a very low heat (ideally, with a heat diffuser underneath, if you have one) and bring the wine to a simmer. Gradually add the emmental or melting cheese a little at a time, whisking or stirring vigorously and leaving it to melt fully before adding more. Repeat with the gruyère, followed by the reblochon. Keep stirring until the mix is very smooth.
8 Add the remaining flavourings
Stir in the kirsch, if using (some recipes prefer herbal liqueurs such as génépi), followed by a good grating of nutmeg, or a pinch of cayenne pepper, if you prefer. Transfer the cheese mix to a fondue set, a heatproof bowl set over tea lights or a slow cooker – anything that will keep the fondue warm and liquid for the time it takes you to eat it.
9 And, finally, the accompaniments
At their simplest, cheese fondues are served simply with cubes of baguette or slightly stale bread for dipping (a fork works well if you don’t have a fondue set), but I’d recommend also supplying small boiled potatoes (skin-on) and a selection of cornichons and pickled onions, some charcuterie and a green salad alongside. Plus the remaining wine, naturally.
