• 400 g (1 lb) Gruyêre cheese, grated
• 400 g (1 lb) Emmenthaler cheese, grated
• 400 ml (2 cups) dry white wine
• 1 or more cloves garlic
• 4 tsp cornstarch
• 50 ml (¼ cup) kirschwasser
• Pepper, freshly ground
• Nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 lb or more baguettes (French bread), cut into bite-size cubes

Standard method

1. Rub a caquelon (fondue pot) with the clove of garlic. Alternatively, if one likes more garlic, chop finely and throw in the caquelon.
2. Add the dry white wine and warm slightly on the stove top, over a low flame.
3. Mix the cornstarch with the cheese so that the cheese particles are well dusted, and add to the warm wine.
4. Melt the cheese, stirring constantly in a figure eight pattern. Stir until the mixture has thickened and starts to boil up.
5. Away from the heat, add the kirschwasser and blend in. Traditionally, the cornstarch is mixed into a slurry with the schnapps and added with it at this point. However, adding the cornstarch with the cheese makes it less likely that the fondue will separate and this method is used in many recipes for fondue.
6. Season with nutmeg and freshly ground pepper (black or white as you prefer).
7. Bring to the boil another 1 or 2 times.
8. Bring the caquelon to the table and place on the stand over a spirit burner. The heat should be regulated carefully so that the fondue stays hot but does not boil.

Blitz method

9. If you are in a hurry, follow this method. As unconventional as it method is, it almost guarantees that your fondue will not separate because the stabilizing properties of the cornstarch are activated at the start.
10. Pour the wine into a cold caquelon with the garlic.
11. Mix the cornstarch to a slurry with the schnapps and add it to the wine.
12. Now heat rapidly while whisking until the wine boils up and thickens.
13. Lower the heat and add the cheese a handful at a time until it melts, stirring constantly.

Serving

14. Each diner has a dinner plate to hold bread cubes and accompaniments, and catch drips. Skewer cubes of bread with a fondue fork and dip into the cheese, turning the fork over to coat all sides. If you are especially hygiene conscious, agree between yourselves to slide the bread off onto your plates and eat it with a separate fork, resting the fondue fork in the caquelon while you are eating.