AliLarter.com

February 10, 2014

Digging through my recipes this weekend, seeking inspiration for what I’ll be cooking up for my sweetie on Friday, I came across this old favorite that I shared with Food & Wine back in January.  This fondue is beyond sinful – eschewing the traditional sharp-cheese-only bend, my recipe adds brie for a softer, more complex flavor.  I serve it with baguette, roasted sunchokes (for how to get these as creamy and divine as the fondue itself, click thekitchn), and champagne – all things gold and glamorous.

When I prepare this, I don’t even bat an eyelash toward a second menu item – what else could you want?  Melt some hearts, and dip into decadence!

CHAMPAGNE FONDUE WITH SUNCHOKES

Ingredients:

½ pound Gruyère cheese, shredded
½ pound Emmentaler cheese, shredded
2 ounces Brie—rind discarded, cheese cut into small chunks
1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 garlic clove, halved
1 ¼ cups dry sparkling wine
2 teaspoons kirsch
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Cubed bread and Sunchokes, for serving

 

Directions:

In a bowl, toss the cheeses and flour. Rub the inside of a fondue pot or an enameled cast-iron casserole with the cut sides of the garlic. Add the sparkling wine and simmer over moderately low heat for 3 minutes. Add the cheese in small handfuls, stirring constantly until melted before adding the next handful. Stir in the kirsch and nutmeg. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot with cornichons, bread and fennel.

Make ahead:

The fondue can stand at room temperature for 4 hours. Let cool slightly, then press plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Remove the plastic before reheating.

Serves: 8

Cook Time: 30 minutes