Recipes Appetizers Dips Cheese Dips Classic Swiss Cheese Fondue 5.0 (3,567) 19 Reviews Steamed red-skinned potato chunks, grilled or toasted Tuscan bread cubes, and pear slices are all great for dipping in fondue cheese. Be sure to stir the Swiss fondue as you dip. By Melissa Kelly Melissa Kelly Melissa is a two-time James Beard Award-winning chef/proprietor of Primo restaurant in Rockland, Maine. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on April 13, 2023 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Active Time: 15 mins Total Time: 15 mins Servings: 8 servings Fondue cheese is said to have originated on Alpine farms as a way to feed a family inexpensively; the original version was simply stale bread dipped in melted Gruyère. Swiss fondue became so popular that it was named the national dish of Switzerland in the 1930s. Now, this concoction of melted cheese is a decadent way to celebrate chilly winter nights. It features melted Gruyère along with other Swiss cheese; Emmentaler, Vacherin Fribourgeois, Appenzeller, and Raclette are blended in, depending on the region and personal preferences. Splashes of kirsch and wine and a bit of garlic are the traditional seasonings, but you can add a few chopped herbs, a swirl of mustard, or a spoonful of toasted spices if you like. Eat the cheese by dipping accompaniments like cubed bread, cooked potatoes, sliced apples, pears, cornichons, pickled pearl onions, and salami into the pot. Be careful when dipping: The person who loses their garnish in the pot usually has to pay a penalty to the rest of the people at the table, like buy a round of drinks or clean up after the meal. After you eat the melted fondue cheese, the layer at the bottom of the pot cooks into a crust called a religieuse, a reward for the table eaten at the end of the meal. Ingredients 1 garlic clove, halved 1 pound Gruyère cheese, grated 1/2 pound Emmentaler cheese or other Swiss cheese, grated 1 cup dry white wine 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 1 1/2 tablespoons kirsch Freshly ground black pepper Freshly grated nutmeg Directions Julia Hartbeck Gather your ingredients. Julia Hartbeck Rub the inside of a cheese fondue pot or medium enameled cast-iron casserole with the garlic clove; discard the garlic. Julia Hartbeck Combine the grated Gruyère and Emmentaler with the wine, cornstarch, and lemon juice in the fondue pot and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the cheeses begin to melt, about 5 minutes. Julia Hartbeck Reduce heat to low. Add the kirsch and a generous pinch each of pepper and nutmeg and cook, stirring gently, until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes; don't overcook the fondue or it will get stringy. Serve at once. Julia Hartbeck Serve at once. Rate it Print