Crockpot Swiss-Style Fondue

Fondue is a famous melted cheese dish from Switzerland, where it is the center of social and familial gatherings, as the melted cheese is served in a large "communal" pot or dish, with each person having a fork to dip bread chunks (or other items, at times) into the melted cheese mixture. Hardcore capitalists will likely never eat fondue again, since it may represent "socialism" to them, but, "let 'em eat cake," to coin a phrase. The popularity of fondue has spread to other parts of the world, including to the United States. If you have a mini slow cooker/crock pot, that would be great for this, but an average size slow cooker is fine (6 to 8 quarts). Of course, if you own a fondue pot, you're set. The thing about slow cookers is, especially the smaller types (often 1.5 or 2 quart sizes in the U.S.), they do not always have more than one heat setting. So, you'll have to make the recipe according to the type of slow cooker you have. Whatever your options, you may still need to use a pan for the basic cooking, which will require you to be very attentive to the cooking process. The preparation "device" and the serving means are the most complicated parts of this dish. I do not own a fondue pot, nor do I own a mini slow cooker, so I used my slow cooker (6 quart), which has two settings, "high" and "low" (hm, very imaginative), and my fondues have come out very well. I'm giving my preparation method and you can determine how you want to proceed for yourself.

There are various regional recipes in Switzerland for fondue, often having to do with the types of cheese used, but in some areas they add mushrooms, while in other areas they add egg yolks. The most common cheeses used are a mixture of Emmentaler* and Gruyère.** There are also non cheese types of fondue, with melted chocolate or hot oil and meat, also having gained in popularity. "Kirschwasser" (literally German for, "cherry water") is a type of clear, unsweetened cherry brandy common in southwestern Germany and in the German-speaking areas of Switzerland. It is also called by the shortened form "Kirsch." It is available in many liquor outlets in the U.S., both in imported and domestic brands. Kirschwasser is important to the taste of the fondue, so do try to use it. Regular cherry brandy is not a substitute, because it is usually sweetened. It is worth your while to buy a brand of Kirschwasser/Kirsch. Some Swiss actually dip the bread into Kirsch, before dipping it into the fondue. And hey, don't forget to sample the Kirschwasser to make sure you have a good brand, although this might take more than one sample to determine. 

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded Emmentaler cheese
2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
1 clove garlic, halved
1 1/4 cup white wine
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup Kirsch (aka Kirschwasser)
1/2 teaspoon white pepper (black pepper is fine too)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Italian or French bread (better if a day old and not totally fresh)

The Swiss typically rub the cut garlic over the pan they will use to cook the fondue, and then discard the garlic. I put the garlic into the slow cooker with the wine and the lemon juice, which I set on "high." Put the lid on. When the wine begins to bubble, remove the lid, then begin adding handfuls of cheese to the hot wine, stirring constantly, until all of the cheese is melted. Mix the Kirschwasser and the cornstarch together well. Make sure the cheese is still bubbling, as it must be hot in order for the cornstarch to help thicken it. Gradually stir in the cornstarch/Kirschwasser mix. Maintain the heat and allow the fondue to thicken somewhat, which may take a minute or two. It should be thickened and smooth like a sauce, and not runny like soup. Stir in the nutmeg and pepper. Turn the slow cooker down to "low." If you have a mini slow cooker, you can use it for serving, of course, but I simply warm some small dishes and put a ladle of fondue into the warmed dishes for serving. You will need to stir the remaining fondue to keep it from becoming too thick or lumpy (keep the heat on "low"). In Switzerland, the people actually stir the cheese in the communal pot with the bread chucks when they dip. They use long forks for dipping the bread, and of course, they use a fondue pot for serving, kept warm by a little burner or candle. 

* "Emmentaler" (German meaning, "of the Emme valley") is what Americans call "Swiss cheese" (there are many domestic brands in the U.S.), but if you would say to them, "Emmentaler," they would say, "Huh?" The name "Emmentaler," also spelled both "Emmental" and "Emmenthal," in English, never caught on in the U.S., in spite of the large number of German-speaking immigrants to the United States. The neighborhood where I grew up saw a large influx of German immigrants, including my own relatives from Hessen in Germany, from the time around the Civil War until World War One. I believe I've mentioned this here before, but meatpacking companies and sales outlets in the neighborhood were all founded by German immigrants, and the name "Swiss cheese" was NEVER used. Everyone in the neighborhood called the cheese by the German form, "Schweitzer." I was a teenager before I remember hearing the term "Swiss cheese," and then I had to ask exactly what that meant (remember, no Internet back then to look something up with a couple of clicks). One of the bars in the neighborhood was somewhat famous for selling "Schweitzer cheese sandwiches," made with a nice slice of domestic Schweitzer, onion and mustard, on rye bread. In the mid 1960s they charged twenty-five cents for the sandwich. Nowadays, you couldn't even get to smell a sandwich like that for twenty-five cents.

** "Gruyère" is another type of firm whitish to light yellowish cheese produced in Switzerland, more so in the French-speaking areas, but like "Emmentaler," it is more of a national type of cheese, crossing the ethnic/linguistic areas of Switzerland. 

My preference: Italian bread chunks, Swiss fondue and a shot of Kirschwasser, not necessarily in that order ... 

WORD HISTORY:
Found-There are other words of this spelling in English, but this is the word meaning, "to melt (usually of metal), to cast/pour melted metal," and it is distantly related to "gush," a word of Germanic derivation with a form originally in English, but then likely influenced by its relative from Old Norse. It goes back to Indo European "gheud," which meant, "to pour, to let flow." Its Latin offspring had the altered beginning to "fundere," which meant, "to pour, to melt, to pour out melted substances." This passed into Latin-based Old French as "fondre," with the same general meanings. This was borrowed into English in the second half of the 1300s.