Travel back with me to 1991. I graduated from college and am living with my college roommate and great friend, Elisabeth R, in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. It bears repeating that my mom said I’d learn to cook when I needed to.

She was right but little did she know that one of the first recipes I’d master (or rather, we’d master) was traditional cheese fondue made with Gruyère and Emmentaler (also called Emmental or Emmenthal) cheeses. We took the best of a few recipes to create one that worked for us. It was a true team effort with one of us stirring while the other added the cheese. We’d serve this with bread and sliced Granny Smith apples and call it a meal. 

The summer that Ed and I married, Elisabeth and her fondue pot moved back home to California, but we did get our own fondue pot in hunter green (a popular color in 1995!) as a wedding gift. We used it occasionally but it was never in a regular rotation like it had been when Elisabeth and I were roommates.

Fast forward to November 2020 and we can’t dine out at one of our favorite restaurants for my birthday given the pandemic. What can we do at home to celebrate? Bring back cheese fondue! Ed very sweetly suggests that I get a new fondue pot to replace our 25 year old one – this one is in cobalt blue, my current favorite kitchen color. 

We made the fondue together and enjoyed it with French bread, Granny Smith apple slices and Prosciutto di Parma (aged 24 months). The meat was a new addition to make it a bit more of a meal for Ed. I’m able to eat bread from La Baguette Magique in West Chester, Pennsylvania, as they bake using non-GMO/small batch flour. This has been a great discovery – while I enjoy making bread at home, it’s also nice to have an option to purchase some really good bread. Even going into the boulangerie (bakery) is a treat as it smells like France.

While the holidays aren’t what many of us are used to this year, there are still ways to make them special at home. Bringing back cheese fondue allowed me to reminisce about happy memories from my early 20s and also create a new tradition of a fun meal at home. When was the last time you used your fondue pot?

Nicole & Elisabeth’s Cheese Fondue

 

Nicole & Elisabeth’s Cheese Fondue
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Recipe type: Main Dish
Author:
Serves: 2 to 3 as a main dish or 6 to 8 as an appetizer
Ingredients
  • ½ pound Gruyère cheese, shredded
  • ½ pound Emmentaler (also called Emmental or Emmenthal) cheese, shredded
  • 1 tablespoon of flour
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 2 cups of white wine
  • 3 tablespoons kirsch (cherry liqueur)
  • 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon of paprika
  • Serve with: French bread cubes, apple slices and/or thin slices of prosciutto or serrano ham
Instructions
  1. Shred cheese using the grating disk in a food processor or by hand. Place in a bowl and toss with flour, using a little more, if necessary, to lightly coat.
  2. Rub a heavy 2 to 3 quart sauce pan (not fondue pot - see Notes) with the clove of garlic and discard.
  3. Place wine in pan over high heat. As the wine heats it will begin to show tiny bubbles.
  4. When it almost covered with this foam, but not yet boiling, add the cheese gradually, while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Adjust the heat, if necessary, as you do not want the fondue to boil. Continue to add the cheese until you feel a very slight resistance to the spoon as you stir.
  5. While stirring vigorously, add the kirsch and lemon juice.
  6. Continue to cook until the fondue begins to thicken.
  7. Add paprika and salt and pepper to taste at the end of the cooking time.
  8. Transfer the cheese fondue to a fondue pot set over a sterno flame. Serve immediately.
  9. Serve with cubes of French bread, apple slices and/or thin slices of prosciutto or serrano ham.
Notes
* I prefer to shred my own cheese. Often shredded cheese from the grocery store has been coated to prevent it from clumping.
* Depending on how heavy your fondue pot is, you may be able to use it on the stove and for serving.
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