Swiss cheese fondue

A great way to gather friends and family around the table, Swiss cheese fondue is winter comfort food at its best. If you don’t have a caquelon (fondue pot), a claypot or stainless steel pot can be used for this recipe instead.

Cheesy fondue for days. Credit: Alan Benson

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 garlic clove, halved
• 250 ml dry white wine
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 300 g Gruyère cheese, grated (see note)
• 300 g Emmental cheese, grated (see note)
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp kirsch (see note), or to taste
• 1 loaf day-old bread, cut into cubes, for dipping

The following recipe has been tested and edited by SBS Food and may differ slightly from the podcast.

Instructions

Rub the inside of the caquelon with garlic, then add the wine, nutmeg and pepper and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low. Gradually add the cheese, stirring constantly, until completely melted. Combine the cornflour and kirsch, mix into the cheese and stir until thickened.

Transfer the caquelon to the table and place over a small burner or tea light candle to keep warm. Serve with bread cubes for dipping.

Note

• Emmental and Gruyère are great melting cheeses available from cheese shops, European delicatessens and some supermarkets.

• Kirsch is cherry liqueur available from most liquor shops. If unavailable, simply omit.

Photography by Alan Benson

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.