Why it works: Cheese and parmesan cheese match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,041 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓
Fondue
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Weigh the eggs according to the number of guests.
Weigh out Gruyère cheese and butter based on the weight of the eggs.
Make the egg fondue
Break the eggs into a saucepan and beat them well.
Add the butter and grated or sliced cheese to the eggs.
Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is set but not too hard.
Season with salt and pepper according to the age of the cheese.
Modern twist
For a modern twist, melt butter in a saucepan, stir in flour, then add milk and Parmesan cheese, stirring on low heat until smooth.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
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.
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Cheese + parmesan cheesetop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,041 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Cheese + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Butter + parmesan cheesetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,163 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Cheese + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,426 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Provide the structure that sets into the soft, custardy body of the fondue.
- Gruyère cheese
- Melts into the eggs to add richness, flavour and a smooth, creamy texture.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a silkier texture as the eggs set.
- Flour
- Thickens the modern-twist sauce by forming a starch base with the melted butter.
- Parmesan cheese
- Adds savoury, salty depth and helps the modern-twist sauce become smooth and thick.
The step that matters
Stirring the eggs over medium heat. Eggs set quickly and turn grainy or rubbery if overheated, so stir constantly and stop once the mixture is just set but still soft.
“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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