400 g Gruyère*
400 g Vacherin
4 dl dry white wine
1 tbsp starch (cornflour)
1 clove of garlic
2 cl kirsch
Spices (pepper/paprika/nutmeg)
Bread (Parisian bread)
*Instead of the cheeses listed above, you can use other varieties, but it is important that the majority of the cheese is well matured.
First, cut the Parisian bread into bite-sized pieces. This bread is particularly suitable because each piece has a little crust, which keeps it stable when dipping. Alternatively, you can also prepare small cherry tomatoes or sliced Vienna sausages as a ‘dipping side dish’.
Grate the two types of cheese using a rösti grater or cut them into small cubes and add them directly to the caquelon. First rub the caquelon with a clove of garlic – the clove remains in the fondue and adds extra flavour later on. Many people therefore use several cloves so that everyone gets a piece at the end.
Mix the starch with a little white wine until smooth and add to the cheese. Pour in the remaining wine as well. Now melt the cheese slowly over low to medium heat, stirring regularly. Once the cheese has melted completely, add the glass of kirsch and season with pepper, paprika and a little nutmeg.
Try it with a piece of bread to see if the seasoning is right – depending on how mature the cheese is, you may need to add a little more or less seasoning. Once the fondue has reached the desired creamy consistency, you can stir in a pinch of bicarbonate of soda. This makes the mixture lighter and easier to digest. Then immediately place the caquelon on the rechaud and start dipping straight away.
For those who find this amount of cheese difficult to digest, we recommend using firm potatoes that are only just cooked instead of bread for dipping. This makes the fondue easier to digest.
