Cheese Fondue Recipe
This traditional cheese fondue recipe features both Emmental and Gruyère cheeses as well as Kirschwasser (also called Kirsch), which is a type of brandy made from cherries. If you can't find Kirschwasser, you can substitute brandy or cognac. But don't use cherry liqueur — it's too sweet.Also, if you can't find Emmental and/or Gruyère, you could substitute domestic Swiss cheese, Gouda or Fontina. But be careful of making too many substitutions, or what you end up with may not really resemble traditional cheese fondue.
You'll need a good heatproof fondue pot (compare prices) for this fondue recipe.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- ¼ lb Emmental cheese
- ¼ lb Gruyere cheese
- 2 Tbsp Kirschwasser (see note above)
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 cup dry white wine (like Chablis or Riesling or even a dry Champagne)
- Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 1 day-old French baguette
Preparation:
- Cut bread into bite-sized cubes.
- Roughly cut the cheeses into small chunks. This technique is preferable to grating it, as it will melt more smoothly.
- Combine cornstarch and Kirsch and mix to form a slurry.
- Peel the garlic clove and cut it in half, then rub the inside of a heatproof fondue pot with the cut garlic clove.
- Pour in the wine and bring it to a gentle simmer, but don't boil.
- Add cheese a handful or so at a time, stirring until it's melted before adding more.
- Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Adjust consistency with warmed wine if it becomes too thick. Serve bread cubes with skewers or long fondue forks for dipping into the cheese sauce.
