Name: Fondue Moitie-Moitie (home recipe)
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Swiss
Ingredients: 200g Gruyere AOP, grated; 200g Vacherin Fribourgeois AOP, grated; 1 garlic clove, halved; 200ml dry white wine (e.g. Fendant); 1 teaspoon cornflour; 1 tablespoon kirsch; Black pepper, fresh nutmeg; 300g day-old bread, cubed

History

Fondue began as a winter survival dish in the Alpine canton of Fribourg, melted with whatever cheese ends and stale bread were available. The moitie-moitie ratio of half Gruyere and half Vacherin Fribourgeois was codified in the early twentieth century as the Vacherin-producing region around Bulle pushed it into national menus. In Zurich it became a tourist-old-town staple after the Second World War, when fondue cellars like Swiss Chuchi (opened 1953) gave visitors something distinctly Swiss to eat under low ceilings. The kirsch finish is the German-Swiss touch; the French-Swiss often omit it.

Common allergens: Milk, Gluten, Sulphites

Make it at home

Yield 2Hands-on 20 minTotal 20 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

200g Gruyere AOP, grated
200g Vacherin Fribourgeois AOP, grated
1 garlic clove, halved
200ml dry white wine (e.g. Fendant)
1 teaspoon cornflour
1 tablespoon kirsch
Black pepper, fresh nutmeg
300g day-old bread, cubed

Method

Rub the inside of a cast-iron caquelon with the cut garlic, then discard the garlic.
Pour in the wine and warm over low heat until steaming but not boiling.
Whisk the cornflour into the kirsch, then stir into the wine.
Add the cheese in three batches, stirring constantly in a figure-eight motion until each batch melts before adding the next.
Once smooth and glossy, season with black pepper and a grating of nutmeg.
Transfer to the table burner; keep at a low simmer. Dip bread cubes on long forks, stirring the pot each time.

Tip from the editors. If the fondue separates, whisk in a teaspoon of cornflour slurried with cold wine; bring back to a gentle simmer.