My social media streams are full of skiing and skating, making me want to follow suit and hit the trails/rinks/slopes, but equally wanting to chip away at that pile I felt sure I’d tackle in comfort over Christmas week, in slouchy socks with spiked coffee and a half-eaten Toblerone at my side. It’s nice to feel extra accomplished by getting work done while on holidays, with barely a trickle of email, when you don’t feel guilty getting distracted by twitter and Facebook and Instagram because hey, I’m on holiday.

But winter, she is long, and I anticipate many more opportunities to ski and skate and such, and many a cold, long evening well suited to gathering around a pot of cheese. It’s easy enough to make, and a good reason to gather a small crowd around the table, and it requires hardly any actual cooking. If you don’t have a fondue pot, a small cast iron pot will hold the heat well for quite awhile, and can go back onto the burner to warm if need be, and you can use bamboo skewers to impale and dip.

If you’re lucky, you might have a cheesemonger nearby who sells the cheeses already grated in the perfect combination for a fondue.

If not, pull out the grater, warm some wine (or even a not-too-hoppy beer), toss the cheese with a little cornstarch and toss it in by the handful, and in a few minutes you’ll have a nice pot of fondue, which makes it even more worthwhile to spend the day outdoors.

Classic Cheese Fondue

AuthorJulie

Yields1 Serving

1 garlic clove, halved

2 cups grated Gruyère

2 cups grated Emmenthal

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 1/2 cups dry, fruity white wine

Cubed bread, cured meats and lightly steamed veggies, for dipping

Rub the inside of a fondue pot with the garlic clove. Toss the grated cheese with the cornstarch, distributing it evenly.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the wine just barely to a simmer. Start whisking in the cheese in small amounts, adding more as each batch melts. Stir until the mixture is smooth then place the fondue pot over the burner, pour in cheese mixture and keep warm.

Serve with cubed bread and veggies. Serves eight.

Categoryappetizers, cheese

Ingredients