Cheese Fondue

A rich and tasty Cheese Fondue recipe that’s easy to make.

I learned to make this fondue when I was a teenager. My father-in-law’s friends made it when we would visit and I loved the whole environment it created: friends sitting around a pot of cheese and wine talking and enjoying a good bottle of wine. What could be better on a cold evening.

Although it calls for Swiss Emmental and Gruyere cheeses, when I started making this dish in college, I could not afford them and couldn’t find them in Philly in the 1970s. So, I changed the recipe for regular Swiss and Monterrey Jack Cheese. I also couldn’t afford to buy Kirsch liqueur, so I omitted it. It was still the best fondue ever.

Cheese Fondue

Ingredients

  • 2 – 2 1/2 cups Swiss Emmental cheese (or regular Swiss cheese in a pinch), shredded
  • 2 – 2 1/2 cups Gruyere cheese (in a pinch I use Monterrey Jack), shredded
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 1 cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio, chardonnay. Choose a wine you would like to drink with this)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3 tbsps Kirsch (liqueur) (optional)
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • black pepper, freshly ground
  • Cut up apples, broccoli and/or french baguette

 

Tips

A good cheese fondue pot is made out of ceramic and has a nice big handle that doesn’t get hot. The stand should be able to hold a small Sterno container. I have always found great sets at the thrift shops, as well as the fondue forks. Don’t pay top dollar for them. I have around 30 of them that I have collected over the years.

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1

Combine cheeses in a large container. Add flour and mix to coat the cheese.

Step 2

Rub the fondue pot with the garlic to coat the whole inside, discard the garlic. (This prevents the cheese fondue from sticking to the pot and adds just a little hint of garlic.)

Step 3

In an enameled pot, over moderate heat, heat the wine and lemon juice until it starts to bubble.

Step 4

Add the cheese in small handfuls at a time and cook stirring constantly until cheese begins to melt.

Step 5

Once it is all melted add the pepper and nutmeg. If you are using Kirsch, add too.

Step 6

Cook stirring until creamy and smooth. Don’t overcook.

Step 7

Transfer to fondue pot and place on fondue stand with lit Sterno.

Step 8

Arrange cut baguettes in 1 inch chunks, cut apples, broccoli or anything you like to dip into fondue.

People pierce the bread with the fondue fork and dip in the fondue. I like to put mine back on my plate to let it cool a little. It can get quite hot.