Cheese Fondue

Ingredients

• Gruyère · grated200 g
• Emmental · grated200 g
• Garlic · halved1 clove
• Dry white wine200 ml
• Lemon juice1 tsp
• Cornstarch · tossed with the cheese1 tbsp
• Kirsch (cherry brandy) · optional1 tbsp
• Nutmeg & pepper1 to taste
• For dipping
• Baguette · cubed, slightly stale1
• Boiled potatoes, veg, apple · optional1 to serve

Steps

1. Grate all the cheese and toss it with the 1 tbsp cornstarch (it stops the cheese from splitting).

   ⏲ 5 min

2. Rub the inside of a pot (or caquelon) with the cut garlic for aroma.

   ⏲ 30 sec

3. Add the wine and lemon juice and warm over low heat (don't boil).

   ⏲ 2 min

4. Add the cheese a handful at a time, stirring in a figure-eight until fully melted (don't dump it all in at once).

   ⏲ 5 min

5. When smooth, season with kirsch, nutmeg, and pepper. Adjust with wine (to thin) or cheese (to thicken).

   ⏲ 1 min

6. Keep warm over a low flame (or warmer) and dip bread on forks, stirring in a figure-eight as you go.

   ⏲ 1 min

Tips & Variations

The basics behind this dish

• Browning and the Maillard ReactionMeat fails to brown for one of three reasons: it is wet, the pan is cool, or you put too much in at once. Plus how the brown film stuck to the pan becomes your sauce.
• Cooking Meat: Temperature, Resting, and Cutting Against the GrainDoneness is a core temperature, not a number of minutes. What resting actually does, how to handle a thick cut, and why the direction you slice changes the texture.
• Knife Skills: Grip, Cuts, and Why Size MattersHow you hold the knife matters more than how fast you cut. The pinch grip, the claw hand, and why uniform size is a cooking decision rather than a cosmetic one.