Classic Cheese Fondue
Updated Feb. 9, 2021
- Total Time
- 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1small garlic clove, halved
- 1cup dry white wine
- ¾pound Gruyère cheese, grated
- ¾pound Emmenthaler, raclette or Appenzeller cheese, grated
- 1½tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 to 2tablespoons kirsch (optional)
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste (optional)
- Crusty bread cubes; steamed broccoli or cauliflower; carrot, celery or fennel sticks; cubed apple; seedless grapes; clementine sections; cubed salami, soppressata or kielbasa; roasted chestnuts and/or dried apricots, for serving.
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
504 calories; 36 grams fat; 22 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 32 grams protein; 861 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Rub cut side of garlic on inside of large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan, preferably cast iron, rubbing the bottom and halfway up the sides. Add wine and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss cheeses with cornstarch. Add a handful at a time to simmering wine, stirring until first handful melts before adding next. Reduce heat to medium and stir constantly until cheese is completely melted. Add kirsch, if using, and heat until bubbling, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, if desired. Serve with crusty bread and other accompaniments. (See variations below)
- Red wine-garlic fondue: Substitute red wine for the white, preferably a light-bodied wine like a Loire Valley red. Mince garlic used to season pot and add it to pot along with wine. Omit kirsch and nutmeg.
- Cheddar-whiskey fondue: Substitute 1½ pounds good extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, and Irish whiskey for the kirsch. Omit nutmeg.
- Raclette fondue with cornichons: Omit kirsch and nutmeg. Substitute 1½ pounds raclette cheese. Thinly slice garlic and bring to a simmer with wine. Just before serving, stir in 3 tablespoons finely chopped cornichons.
- Chipotle fondue with bacon: Omit kirsch and nutmeg. Substitute 1 pound mild Monterey Jack and ½ pound aged Monterey Jack (or use all mild). Just before serving, stir in 1½ to 2 tablespoons minced chipotle chili in adobo sauce and 4 slices crumbled cooked bacon.
- Seedy Gouda fondue: Substitute Gouda no older than 2 years old (older Gouda might separate). Stir in 1 teaspoon whole caraway or cumin seeds. Omit kirsch.
- Goat cheese herb fondue: Substitute half-and-half for the wine. Mince garlic used to season pot and add it to pot along with half-and-half. Substitute fresh goat cheese. Omit kirsch and cornstarch. Stir in 1 tablespoon each chives, parsley and tarragon.
- Dark beer caramelized onion fondue: Cook 1 sliced onion in 1 tablespoon butter until dark brown and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Substitute dark beer for the wine. Omit kirsch. Stir in caramelized onion.
Private Notes
Comments
Is the weather in New York City that bad that you already recommend Fondue?? We are still swimming in the lake of Zurich, so no Fondue, not yet! If you care for calories and digestion this little swiss tip may help: Instead of bread use cooked potatoes. And come and visit Switzerland. I bet a little vacation from your president will comfort you a lot. Greetings to your wonderful city.
For those who have not made fondue before: be sure to cut the bread so that each piece has some crust. This anchors the fondue fork, and makes it less likely that you will lose a piece in the pot. Bread cubes should be about an inch.
Nutmeg is not optional. Also, many Swiss will make this 2/3 Gruyère to 1/3 Emmenthaler, but that doesn't go over so well in the US as it makes it too "sharp" for lack of a better word for the American palette. Many Swiss will also eat this by dunking bread in the Kirschwasser first THEN into the cheese. :) (I was taught by a pretty famous Swiss chef who happened to be the stepfather of one of my exchange students.)
Maybe it is classic cheese fondue but the cheese was gritty and the flavor was bland. I made it as written.
Really good! Key was mixing in a figure 8 pattern. I used a triple boiler - placing the fondue pot on top of a pot of boiling water so it was really gentle but steady heat.
In the introduction to this recipe, the author suggested a use for the “vintage 1970s fondue pot you inherited from Aunt Charleen.” Tru Dat. My husband and I married in 1978. We received three fondue pots as gifts. Emblematic of a culinary trend, yes, but also of the very communal lifestyles of the boomer generation. Gosh we had fun, with our fondue pot…and life!
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