Campfire Cheese Fondue
A real Swiss half-and-half cheese fondue — Gruyère and Vacherin Fribourgeois melted with wine and garlic — made for melting low and slow over campfire embers.
Equipment
- 1 enameled cast iron fondue pot (caquelon)
- wooden spoon
- fondue forks or long skewers
- 1 zip-top bag for prepping the cheese mixture at home
Ingredients
For the cheese mixture (at home)
- 300-350 g Gruyère cheese real, ideally cave-aged, not too dry, grated
- 300-350 g Vacherin Fribourgeois cheese not too dry, not too old, grated — in the US, raclette or Fontina Val d’Aosta melt the same way
- 1 tsp cornstarch or potato starch
- 1 tsp baking soda
For the fondue (at the fire)
- 1 garlic clove whole, peeled
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- Nutmeg and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Kirsch optional, for dipping
For serving
- 1 country loaf cut into large cubes
- Seedless grapes optional
- Cauliflower and broccoli florets blanched, optional
- Mushrooms sautéed, oyster mushrooms preferred, optional
- Green apples quartered, optional
Instructions
Make it ahead
- Grate both cheeses and toss with the cornstarch (or potato starch) and baking soda, in a bowl — or a zip-top bag if you are travelling. This is your fondue mix; keep it cold until you cook.
Over the fire (start 1-2 hours ahead)
- Rub the inside of the fondue pot all over with the raw garlic clove — this is what perfumes the whole pot, no chunks of garlic needed.
- About 1 to 2 hours before you plan to eat, tip the cheese mixture into the pot along with the wine, nutmeg, and a few turns of pepper.
- Stir gently with a spoon until the cheese has soaked up the wine, then set the pot aside to come to room temperature.
Over the fire
- Set the pot over medium-low heat — embers, never open flame. Heat gently, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon in a figure-8 pattern, until the cheese melts into a smooth, glossy sauce, 10-15 minutes.
- Pour a small ramekin of kirsch for each adult at the table. Dip a cube of bread in the kirsch first, then straight into the fondue.
Notes
Grate your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with anti-caking starch that keeps it from melting smoothly — grate it yourself, ideally the day before.
If it splits, don't panic. A grainy, oily fondue means it got too hot too fast. Pull it off the heat, stir in a teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with a splash of cold wine, and stir hard until it comes back together.
No caquelon? No problem. A small enameled cast iron pot works fine over low coals — just keep it farther from direct heat than you think you need to.
Rest time matters. Letting the cheese mixture sit for 1-2 hours before heating gives the starch time to hydrate, which is part of what keeps the fondue smooth.
Leftovers. Cooled fondue firms up in the fridge and reheats well in a saucepan over low heat with a splash of wine — great sliced cold on bread too.
See the frequently asked questions
- Making fondue without a fondue pot
- Fixing grainy or oily fondue
- Using pre-shredded cheese
- Choosing or skipping the wine
- Whether kirsch is necessary
- Prepping the mixture further ahead
- Reheating leftover fondue