serves
6
prep
10 minutes
cook
15 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
6
people
preparation
10
minutes
cooking
15
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
A well-made fondue should be silky-smooth and remain that way, even when heated. For surefire success every time, add cornflour (cornstarch) to the mix: it stops the proteins in the cheese from coagulating, guaranteeing your fondue stays smooth and silky.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 300 g gruyere, grated
- 300 g comte, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 300 ml lager
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
- 100 ml chilli oil (such as Lao Gan Ma chilli oil)
- fresh dill, parsley and chives, roughly chopped
- cracked black pepper
To serve
- pickled chillies
- bread, cut into cubes
- hot smoked sausages
- charcuterie
- boiled potatoes
Instructions
- Place the cornflour and cheeses in a bowl and toss to combine. Set aside.
- Heat the garlic and lager in a pan over low heat and bring to a simmer. Add a handful of the cheese mixture at a time to the simmering beer and whisk vigorously, ensuring each addition is completely melted and emulsified before adding more.
- Once all the cheese has been added and the mixture is thick and smooth, add the lemon juice, salt and white pepper and stir. If the mixture has turned into a blob of melted cheese with some separated liquid, don't worry. Simply increase the heat and whisk hard to bring it back together.
- Transfer the cheese mixture to a fondue pot or cast-iron skillet. Dress liberally with the chilli oil, fresh herbs and cracked black pepper. If the fondue starts to set, simply pop it back on the stove and warm it up over low heat.
- Serve the fondue with pickled chillies, bread, smoked sausages, charcuterie and boiled potatoes, for dipping.
Chinese-ish by Rosheen Kaul and Joanna Hu, published by Murdoch Books. (RRP $39.99). Photography by Armelle Habib.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
A well-made fondue should be silky-smooth and remain that way, even when heated. For surefire success every time, add cornflour (cornstarch) to the mix: it stops the proteins in the cheese from coagulating, guaranteeing your fondue stays smooth and silky.
