Cheese Fondue

I am pleased to say the cheese fondue has never fallen out of fashion in our house. So many of the sturdy enameled cast iron pots were discarded in the 80s and 90s, but ours has seen good service over the years. Partly due to the fact that it is one of my daughter's all time favourite things to eat. We have over the years introduced other things to dunk, small new potatoes remains the favourite and if only barely cooked cauliflower was easier to keep on the fondue fork, it too would get a more regular slot on the dinner table.

For this recipe you will need;
250g of grated Gruyere cheese
250g of grated Emmenthal cheese
350ml of dry white wine
1 clove of garlic, smashed with a blunt instrument
1 teaspoon of cornflour
1 tablespoon of Kirsch
1 teaspoon of marigold bouillon powder or 1/2 teaspoon of salt
 white pepper to taste

Bread and whatever else you fancy to dunk.

Begin by simmering the clove of garlic in the white wine in a heavy based saucepan, ideally a fondue pan, for 10 minutes. Meanwhile you can grate the cheese. Remove the garlic, add the cheese and slowly stir on a low heat for 10 to 15 minutes until all the cheese has melted. Finally add the cornflour, slaked with the kirsch and you'll find the liquid and the soft melted cheese become one. I find it's best to whisk the fondue at this point for a minute to ensure the nature of the finished dish is stringy. Everyone who enjoys cheese fondue, enjoys the stringiness of the cheese.

Notes:
This dish is far simpler to make than you would expect considering what a joyous end result you have to share. Stopping eating is a tough thing to do, I always hear, from myself as well as the guests, "I'll just have one final chunk of bread". We rarely get to the bottom, where after being on the heat, the base gets toasty and delicious. What remains in the pan is without doubt the very best filling for a toasted cheese sandwich, the following day, I know, so I am happy!