Cheese fondue

This fondue is quite delicious, but I make it so infrequently that I forget how much work it is to clean up after making fondue. Next time I'm just going to The Melting Pot instead!

Update 9/19/2013: New recipe and new serving dishes and it has a great taste and wasn't nearly as hard to clean up from!

Serves 2.

1 small garlic clove, halved to make the largest cut surface possible 6 oz. dry white wine 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch 1 tsp. kirschwasser liqueur (kirch) 4 oz. Emmentaler Swiss cheese, coarsely grated 4 oz. Gruyère , coarsely grated

bread, cubed apple, cubed celery, large dice

Here's my cheese before and after grating:

Rub the inside of a saucepan with cut sides of garlic, then discard the garlic.

Add wine to pot and bring just to a simmer over moderate heat.

Gradually add cheese to pot and cook, stirring constantly, until cheese is just melted and creamy. Do not let boil.

I used the whole 6 oz. block of Emmentaler, which I think might have been a mistake because it was harder to get it to smooth out than usual. In retrospect, that's 50 % more, so that probably threw off the balance a little.

Stir together cornstarch and kirsch. Add to the fondue.

Cook, continuing to stir, until thickened, 5 to 8 minutes.

Transfer to fondue pot set over a flame and serve with bread for dipping. It's pictured above in a pre-heated ramekin on my plate. I should point out that this does not, in fact, work. I was trying to save washing out my fondue pan and my experiment was unsuccessful.

Scaled from this recipe: Gourmet, February 1966; reprinted September 2001

I should probably also note that I think I made the wrong recipe. I was flipping through a cookbook today and found a bookmark at the fondue recipe in Hors d'Oeuvre at Homefrom the Culinary Institute of America, and I think that's the recipe I made last time. The proportions are different, with twice as much Gruyère than Emmentaler and more Kirchwasser.