Preparation time 20 mins - Cooking time 15 mins - Serves 4

Ingredients

1 garlic clove, halved                                   450g Comté, grated

250g Gruyère, grated                                  300ml dry white wine

1 tablespoon cornflour                                1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons kirsch or brandy                   Freshly ground black pepper

Freshly grated nutmeg

You will also need a fondue pot or an enamelled cast iron casserole, measuring about 24cm.

Method

 Rub the inside of the fondue pot with the halved garlic cloves, disposing of them when you’re done.

1. Add the wine and lemon juice to the pot, and place over a moderate heat. As it warms, gradually add handfuls of the cheese mixture, continually stirring and allowing each handful to melt before adding the next. Do this until all the cheese has been added and melted. Don’t be tempted to rush this part. It will take around 5-10 minutes.
2. Reduce the heat. Combine the kirsch and cornflour and add it to the pan, along with a good amount of black pepper and grated nutmeg.
3. Continue to heat and gently stir for a few more minutes until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Don’t be tempted to over-cook the fondue as it will become too thick and start to get stringy.
4. Serve immediately.

Serving

Fondue is traditionally served with boiled potatoes, crusty bread, cornichons and large croutons, but you can serve it with whatever you wish. Fresh vegetable crudités work well, particularly more bitter vegetables like radishes or chicory, as does fruit such as apples and pears.

Drinks

Fondue pairs best with wine, as it helps with the digestion of the meal. Crisp dry whites are ideal. Whatever you enjoy is best, but we’d suggest a Muscadet, Chablis or a young Grüner Veltliner. For a red wine we would suggest fresh, light-bodied wines like a young red Burgundy or Gamay.

Etiquette

The proper method for dipping your bread in cheese is to scrape the bread on the bottom of the pot in a slow zig-zag or figure eight motion. Each person who dips should help to stir the pot a little and get the full flavour of the cheese. Once you lift your bread above the cheese, let the excess cheese drip a little back into the pot to prevent wasting cheese while allowing it to cool for a moment before eating. Don’t double dip! When eating your bread directly off the fork, just grab the bread with your teeth without touching the fork, or you can slide the bread off your fork and onto your plate and use a regular fork to stab and eat your bread.

Once you have eaten most of the cheese, you will find a film of hardened cheese at the bottom. It is called “la religieuse” (the nun) and according to aficionados, is the best bit. Let it caramelise slightly and harden a bit further. It gets really crispy. Scoop it out with a wooden spoon and enjoy!