Savoyard cheese fondue

Name: Savoyard cheese fondue
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: Serves 6-8
Cuisine: French recipes
Ingredients: 1 fat garlic clove, halved; 2 tsp cornflour; 350ml Savoie white wine, such as crépy or apremont, plus 50ml extra (see Know-how); 700g mixture beaufort, abondance and comté cheese, grated; 1-2 tsp kirsch (optional); 1 large stale country loaf, cut into chunks, for dunking; Cornichons and charcuterie, to serve; You’ll also need; Methylated spirit; Cast iron or stainless steel fondue set (see tips) or 2 litre fondue pan or heavy-based casserole; Spirit burner and trivet (see tips); 6-8 fondue forks (from cook shops)

Portion size: Serves 6-8
Hands-on time 25 min
Difficulty: easy

Rebecca Woollard

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This Savoyard cheese fondue by food writer Rebecca Woollard is the ultimate sharing meal: get your friends over and serve it with charcuterie, cornichons and crusty bread.

“I love all things Alpine, which stems from winters working in chalets in the Savoie region of France,” says Rebecca. “Savoyard cookery is as generous as it is good to eat – with serious crowd appeal. I wasn’t a particular fan of fondue until I tried it at an Alpine dairy in the area. It was made with local cheeses rather than the traditional gruyère and emmenthal, and the result was fantastic. I’ve based by recipe on that dish, confident that anyone who thinks fondue is passé will be instantly converted.”

Use the right cheeses. Some cheeses have a tendency to turn stringy when heated, but we’ve used a combination of excellent melting cheeses; see Tips for which ones work.
Perfect flavour balance. We’ve used a mix of three Alpine cheeses with different flavour profiles – some are nutty and others fruity. If you can’t get hold of the cheeses we’ve used find alternative suggestions in Tips (below). The wine and a teaspoon of kirsch help to cut through the richness.
Heat matters. Don’t be afraid to increase the heat – the trick is the keep the fondue at a high enough temperature to keep it liquid.

Chocoholics: behold this incredible recipe for dark chocolate salted caramel fondue.

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Ingredients

1 fat garlic clove, halved
2 tsp cornflour
350ml Savoie white wine, such as crépy or apremont, plus 50ml extra (see Know-how)
700g mixture beaufort, abondance and comté cheese, grated
1-2 tsp kirsch (optional)
1 large stale country loaf, cut into chunks, for dunking
Cornichons and charcuterie, to serve

You’ll also need

Methylated spirit
Cast iron or stainless steel fondue set (see tips) or 2 litre fondue pan or heavy-based casserole
Spirit burner and trivet (see tips)
6-8 fondue forks (from cook shops)

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Method

Put the fondue pan/casserole on the hob over a medium heat. Rub the cut sides of the halved garlic clove all over the inside. Be generous.
In a small bowl or jug, mix the cornflour with just enough wine to form a loose paste.
Pour the paste into the pan along with the rest of the wine, stirring with a wooden spoon. Stir in the grated cheese, then cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth – the cheese should steam but not boil.
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The fondue is done when it’s liquid but thick; the best way to check is to stir with a wooden spoon with a hole in the middle (known as a risotto spoon) – if the cheese covers the hole when the spoon is lifted, the fondue is ready. If the mixture thickens too much, add the extra 50ml wine to bring it back to the correct consistency. Add the kirsch if you like the extra kick (we do!).
Transfer the fondue pan/casserole from the hob to the trivet, set over the lit spirit burner – keep it at a medium-low heat. Stir every so often with a clean wooden spoon so the cheese doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan. Serve with the bread for dunking using the fondue forks, and with cornichons and charcuterie alongside for a true Alpine feast.

FAQs

Turn up the heat and stir rapidly with a balloon whisk. Play around with the heat while stirring, to find the right temperature. The wine in the mixture helps keep the cheese liquid.

Nutrition

609kcals Calories
32.2g (19.3g saturated) Fat
29.8g Protein
42.9g (2.8g sugars) Carbs
2g Fibre
3g Salt

For 8 servings

Quick wins & tips

You can pick up a cheap second-hand fondue pot or set in charity shops or on eBay, or buy a new one from Argos or John Lewis. If you don’t have a fondue set or the pot that comes with it is too small for all the cheese, use a small flameproof casserole instead.

When the fondue is ready, sit the dish on the trivet and spirit burner that come with the set, or buy them separately from a camping shop or from millets.co.uk.

While eating the fondue, keep stirring and adjusting the heat of the spirit burner. The cheese should drape itself evenly over the bread without becoming stringy – if it gets too stringy, turn up the heat on the spirit burner and keep stirring. If the fondue is too runny to cover the bread properly, it’s too hot – turn the heat down and leave it for a few seconds.

You should be able to find the recommended cheeses at a good cheese shop or supermarket. If you can’t get hold of them, a mix of gruvère, emmenthal, appenzeller or reblochon will work well – or ask your cheesemonger for alternatives. You can use just two cheeses but we think three gives a deeper balance of flavour.

Don’t throw away any solidified cheese left at the bottom of the pan. Leave to cool, put in a sealed bag and chill, then slice and use to make an amazing cheese toastie.

Buy good quality country bread or sourdough, then slice it and let it get quite stale. It will soak up the cheese much better.

Try dipping other veg – cauliflower florets, broccoli spears etc.

If you want to follow the traditional rules of fondue, anyone that drops their bread into the cheese has to kiss someone round the table. Anyone who does it twice has to buy everyone a drink. Tradition states you shouldn’t drink water with fondue as it causes the cheese to solidify in the stomach. Wine, cider or kirsch are the Alpine drinks of choice. We don’t anticipate complaints…

Cook smarter

Savoie wines are dry, minerally and tend to be lower in alcohol than those from warmer climates. If you can’t find one, use a dry Austrian grüner veltliner or dry Portuguese vinho verde instead.