A pot of bubbling hot cheese, bread for dipping –– fondue is one of those foods that’s incredibly easy to fall in love with. Just ask Natalie Horwath. While living abroad in Switzerland, the San Francisco Bay Area pastry chef found herself drawn to the lively environment of the fondue restaurants she frequented, as well as the simplicity of the meal. “It just became my favorite thing,” says Horwath. Horwath has worked at some of the Bay Area’s most beloved European-inspired bakeries (20th Century Cafe and Kantine), as well as running her own Swiss-influenced pastry shop, Berner Rosen Baking.

In Switzerland, she also worked at a couple of bakeries in Geneva, which focused on bread-making. The pastry chef became so smitten with the whole concept of fondue that upon returning to the Bay Area, Horwath started hosting fondue pop-ups at Stow Lake Boathouse in Golden Gate Park to see how people would receive her traditional style of Swiss fondue. She sold out each time.

Servings: 2

INGREDIENTS

200 grams shredded Gruyère cheese (about 7 ounces)
200 grams shredded Vacherin Fribourgeois (about 7 ounces)
2 tablespoons organic cornstarch
1 clove garlic
200 milliliters dry white wine (about 7 ounces)
10 milliliters Kirsch liqueur (about 2 teaspoons)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Country bread, cut or torn into bite-size pieces, for serving

STEPS

1) Instructions: In a medium bowl, toss the cheese with the cornstarch. Peel and cut the garlic in half crosswise. Rub the inside of a medium ceramic or cast-iron with garlic, then discard the clove.

2) Pour the wine into the pot and cook over medium heat until bubbles start to form on the sides of the pot. Do not let boil. Add the shredded cheese in 3 additions, stirring until each addition is completely melted before adding the next.

3) When the cheese is fully incorporated and the fondue is thick and creamy, let the mixture start to boil and add the kirsch. Mix until well-blended; season with salt and pepper.

4) Place the pot over a lit fondue burner and serve immediately with pieces of bread for dipping. Stir the pot as needed to keep the cheese nice and smooth.