Name: Cheese Fondue
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Ingredients: 1 garlic clove, halved crosswise; 1 1/2 cups dry white wine (preferably Swiss, such as Fendant); 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 2 teaspoons kirsch; 1/2 lb Emmental cheese, coarsely grated (2 cups); 1/2 lb Gruyère , coarsely grated (2 cups); Accompaniment: cubes of French bread on fondue forks or long wooden skewers; a fondue pot

Cheese FondueRomulo Yanes

Active Time
30 min
Total Time
30 min

If you wanted to entertain in the '60s, a fondue pot was de rigueur, presenting a casual alternative to the formal dinners of earlier eras. Some of us still have the dregs of that original bottle of kirsch in the back of the liquor cabinet. This is fortunate because, with the current and unprecedented cheese renaissance in this country, it's time to unearth that old fondue pot and light up the Sterno.

Ingredients

Makes 6 servings

1 garlic clove, halved crosswise

1 1/2 cups dry white wine (preferably Swiss, such as Fendant)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons kirsch

1/2 lb Emmental cheese, coarsely grated (2 cups)

1/2 lb Gruyère , coarsely grated (2 cups)

Accompaniment: cubes of French bread on fondue forks or long wooden skewers

Special Equipment

a fondue pot

Preparation

Step 1
Rub inside of a 4-quart heavy pot with cut sides of garlic, then discard garlic. Add wine to pot and bring just to a simmer over moderate heat.
Step 2
Stir together cornstarch and kirsch in a cup.
Step 3
Gradually add cheese to pot and cook, stirring constantly in a zigzag pattern (not a circular motion) to prevent cheese from balling up, until cheese is just melted and creamy (do not let boil). Stir cornstarch mixture again and stir into fondue. Bring fondue to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thickened, 5 to 8 minutes.
Step 4
Transfer to fondue pot set over a flame and serve with bread for dipping.

Leave a Review

Reviews (82)

This is a simple and tasty recipe for cheese fondue. We use it every year on Christmas eve. It's the best.
- candylc
- Seattle, WA
- 12/21/2015
Fantastic, we used gruyere and emmentaler cheeses and soaked the garlic in the wine for about a half and hour before and then boiled the garlic with the wine. C'est magnifique!
- scorpsf
- San Rafael CA
- 2/28/2014
Being Swiss, I have a few ideas for improvement: 1) I use a mixture of Gruyère and Vacherin Fribourgois - creamy yet sharp 2) I leave the cheese and wine about four hours at room temperature before I start 3) I chop at least four cloves of garlic and soak them with the cheese and wine in advance 4) A splash of lemon juice improves the flavor 5) I also put herbs such as chives and parsley in the fondue - looks really nice and tastes great too 6) I always offer a mixture of whole wheat bread and French bread
- sallygschwend
- Switzerland
- 2/4/2014
Made it the first time following the recipe and method/prep. Made it subsequently with a few alterations (improvements): adding several finely-chopped garlic cloves to the wine; dividing the cornstarch between the cheese and Kirsch; and adding a little freshly grated nutmeg. Very satisfying on a cold winter night.
- Anonymous
- Edmonton, AB
- 1/23/2012
Authentic Swiss fondue, although I prefer to use all Gruyere (my favorite food of all time) and add a little nutmeg on top.
- selway
- 12/31/2010
Best fondue recipe EVER! I've made it many times. And it gives me 60's flashbacks.
- robimc
- San Jose
- 11/20/2010
This is the perfect, authentic cheese fondue recipe. I've tried others and always come back to this. I serve with french bread, crisp green apples, broccoli and mushrooms.
- victoriaa
- San Jose, CA
- 10/19/2010
This is great. If you replace the wine with apple cider, it tastes great.
- Anonymous
- 2/5/2010
Fantastically easy and tasty. We added some Appenzeller cheese to this at the recommendation of the folks at our local cheese shop, and served with cubed crusty bread and sliced apples that we picked earlier in the day. Substituted brandy with a splash of maraschino juice for the kirsch. After we got to the 8 minute mark of simmering the consistency was a little loose so we added another handful of cheese... that did the trick. Will definitely make again. Will find a way to use more garlic next time, either by rubbing it on the bread or throwing a few cloves in the pot with the wine. Or both....
- Anonymous
- Hamptons, NY
- 11/8/2009
Ah. Sorry to all you folks who had trouble with this one, but it is absolutely authentic in every detail (even down to the garlic rub and Fendant). I've had hundreds of these from my Swiss relatives and this it the Real McCoy! Make sure the wine it very hot before you add the cheese, and allow all the cheese to melt (it will get stringy at first) before adding the cornstarch mixture. Substitute emmenthaler cheese with raclette cheese for a real treat!
- poiano
- SoCal
- 2/25/2009
Eh, dissapointed. The cheese came out stringy and never fully dissolved in the wine mixture - like glue. Not that much fun. The taste could have also been MUCH richer for me, maybe we would like the garlic clove simmer method suggested by another reviewer. I made it exactly as written, to a tee, and was just a little dissapointed. For all that fat and calories, it better be darn near orgasmic for pete's sake!
- brittydear_cook
- 11/16/2008
Our combined family gathered today to watch the Redskins game, so I thought it would be nice to enjoy this great sounding fondue while we cheered on our team. I added caramelized shallots (from "Gruyere Fondue With Caramelized Shallots" on this site) to this recipe. It was outstanding! Wow! I'm always a little nervous cooking for my husband's kids. They repeatedly exclaimed that this was even better than their mother's cheese fondue. High praise indeed for a "step" mom!
- Anonymous
- N. Arlington, VA
- 10/26/2008
I let the garlic clove in the mixture while cooking. It tastes great. I didn't have any swiss cheese, so I used old white cheddar, and it was simply delicious.
- Anonymous
- 9/25/2008
This is my second time making this fondue - great flavour but my cornstarch/kirsch just wouldn't dissolve into the cheese. The cheese was sort of stringy too, but we didn't mind that so much as it really tastes fantastic.
- barbmia
- Hespeler, ON
- 1/1/2008
To temper the strong wine flavor, try letting it simmer longer. This will cook off the alcohol. Although, don't go too long. It will reduce the liquid and actually intensify it. Also, a milder wine like a Sauvignon Blanc would be great. The slight flavor of garlic around the pot's never quite enough for my family. I always throw in 8 or 10 whole cloves of garlic and simmer it in the wine before adding the cheeses. Even the kids fish for the soft delicious garlic cloves with their bread cubes at the table.
- lesgomojo
- North Carolina
- 12/21/2007