A communal pot of Alpine cheeses melted into dry white wine with a hint of garlic and kirsch, kept warm over a tabletop burner. Diners spear cubes of crusty bread and twirl them through the silky, stretchy cheese. A convivial winter ritual of the French Alps.
From the Savoie region of the French Alps, where farmers melted leftover hard mountain cheeses with wine; it is distinct from but related to the Swiss fondue tradition.
The cheese pulls into long, glossy threads and coats the bread in a warm, nutty, faintly winey blanket. There is a gentle sharpness from the Beaufort and a clean alcoholic lift from the kirsch. It is rich and endlessly moreish, meant to be eaten slowly among friends.
The wine's acidity and the dusting of cornflour keep the melted cheese proteins emulsified and smooth instead of seizing into a stringy clump. Constant figure-eight stirring and gentle heat prevent the fat from separating out.
Variations
Cheese blends vary by valley — Reblochon, Abondance or Tomme often join in; some add a clove of grated garlic to the pot, and the crusty caramelised layer at the bottom (la religieuse) is a prized treat.
On the Palate
Where Fondue Savoyarde sits in the French flavor cloud
Keep the heat low and add the cheese in handfuls, stirring in a figure-eight, so the proteins melt into a smooth emulsion instead of seizing into a stringy, oily clump.
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 20 min
- 11 min
Rub the inside of a heavy fondue pot with a halved garlic clove.
- 26 min
Grate the Beaufort, Comté and Emmental and toss the cheese with a little cornflour.
Watch outGrate the cheese and coat every shred with cornflour; clumps of bare cheese melt unevenly.
- 34 min
Pour dry white wine into the pot and warm it gently over low heat.
- 45 min
Add the cheese in handfuls, stirring in a figure-eight until each melts.
Watch outStir in a steady figure-eight and wait for each handful to melt glossy before the next.
- 52 min
When smooth and glossy, stir in a splash of kirsch and season with pepper and nutmeg.
Watch outIt should look smooth and glossy and coat the spoon; if it looks oily or grainy the heat is too high.
- 61 min
Transfer the pot to a lit tabletop burner to keep it just bubbling.
- 73 min
Cube day-old crusty bread, leaving some crust on each piece.
- 82 min
Spear the bread and swirl it through the cheese, scraping the pot as you go.
