Why it works: Gruyere cheese and emmental cheese share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓
Authentic Swiss Fondue
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the pot
Rub the cut side of the garlic clove inside a fondue pot and discard it.
Add the wine and lemon juice to the pot and bring it to a boil over medium heat.
Reduce the heat to low.
Make the fondue
Toss the Gruyère and Emmental cheeses in a bowl with the cornstarch.
One handful at a time, stir the cheeses into the wine, mixing until the cheeses melt before adding more.
Cook, stirring constantly, until the fondue just comes to a simmer.
Stir in the kirsch, and season with pepper.
If the fondue is too thin, add more cheese or stir in cornstarch dissolved in wine.
If the fondue is too thick, stir in a little warmed white wine.
Serve
To serve, transfer the pot to its stand on the table.
Spear the bread cubes onto fondue forks and dunk into the cheese.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 8 of 9 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Gruyere Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Emmental Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Wine | 2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml) | 25 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Brandy | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Gruyere cheese + emmental cheesetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
-
Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Clove + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together17,451 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
White wine + gruyere cheesetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together55 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl pentanoate (yeast, fruit).
-
Garlic + peppertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,090 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Gruyere cheese
- Melts into a smooth, stretchy base that gives the fondue its flavor and body.
- Emmental cheese
- Adds meltability and mild nutty flavor, helping the fondue stay smooth and cohesive.
- Dry white wine
- Provides the liquid that melts the cheese and keeps the fondue loose and smooth.
- Cornstarch
- Stabilizes the melted cheese so it stays smooth and resists separating when heated.
- Kirsch or brandy
- Adds aroma and flavor, and its alcohol helps keep the cheese from clumping.
The step that matters
Adding the cheese gradually over low heat. Adding cheese in small handfuls and keeping the heat low lets each batch melt fully into the wine. Too much cheese at once or high heat can cause the proteins and fats to seize and separate, leaving a grainy, oily texture.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (garlic, clove, white wine, brandy, gruyere cheese, emmental cheese, pepper):
- Plumfits about as well
- Applefits about as well
- Lemonthe original
- Pineapplefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against garlic, clove, white wine, brandy, gruyere cheese, emmental cheese, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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