Swiss Cheese Fondue (Moitié-Moitié)

Method

1. Cut the bread into 2.5 cm cubes, crust on. Every cube should have a bit of crust so it grips the fork and doesn't get lost in the pot. Spread them out so the outsides dry slightly.

   Add in this stepDay-old baguette or rustic white bread 300 g

2. Put the potatoes in a 18 cm pot, cover with cold water and add the salt. Bring to the boil over high heat, then turn down to medium heat and cook for 22 min in total, counting from the start. When a knife slides in easily, drain them and keep them warm under a lid.

   Add in this stepSmall waxy potatoes, skin on 300 gSalt (for the potato water) 1 tsp

   high heat→medium heat

3. Trim the rinds off the Gruyère and Vacherin and grate them on the coarse side of a box grater, or cut them into pieces no bigger than 1 cm. Vacherin is soft and easier to chop than to grate. The smaller the pieces, the faster and more evenly they melt.

4. Halve the garlic and rub it all over the inside of a 18 cm fondue pot (caquelon) or heavy-based pan; for more flavour, chop the garlic and leave it in. Pour in the wine and lemon juice and warm over medium heat for 3 min, until it steams and small bubbles appear at the edge. Don't let it boil hard.

   Add in this stepGarlic clove 1Dry white wine (such as Chasselas) 150 mlLemon juice 1 tsp

   medium heat

5. Turn the heat down to medium-low heat and add the cheese a handful at a time, stirring constantly in a figure-of-eight with a wooden spoon. Wait until each handful has melted before adding the next; it takes about 7 min in all. Never let it boil: if the fondue gets too hot, the cheese separates into oil and lumps.

   Add in this stepGruyère 200 gVacherin Fribourgeois (or Emmental) 200 g

   medium-low heat

6. In a small cup, stir the cornflour into the kirsch until smooth, pour it into the fondue and keep stirring over medium heat for 2 min, letting it barely simmer. Once the fondue is creamy and coats the spoon smoothly, season with nutmeg and pepper. No salt needed; the cheese has plenty.

   Add in this stepCornflour (cornstarch) 1½ tspKirsch (cherry brandy) 1½ tbspGround nutmeg 1 pinchFreshly ground black pepper 1 pinch

   medium heat

7. Move the pot to a fondue burner (réchaud) on the table and keep it on a low flame so only the odd small bubble rises. Spear bread on a long fork, dip it to the bottom, swirl it once in a figure-of-eight and lift it out; serve the potatoes and pickles alongside. Set the burner on a flat, heatproof surface and never refill the fuel while it is lit. The golden crust that forms at the bottom, 'la religieuse', is the prize scraped out at the end.

   Add in this stepCornichons and pickled silverskin onions 60 g