Gruyeres Days Re-Revisited

For the chunk of Gruyere cheese in the fridge, it began as any other day. The door opened some time in the morning; eggs and milk were plucked from around it, the milk placed back not long after. Then all was quiet for hours. Dark and cold, the Gruyere rested, keeping its pungent odor to itself for the most part. Little did it know that this particular Wednesday was fondue night!

Later that night, the hefty chunk of Gruyere would be committed to the molten pot of funky, cheesy goodness and devoured by a group of friends engrossed in a shark-like feeding frenzy. Within minutes, every drop of cheese was gone, every crumb of bread, each chunk of crisp vegetable, devoured.

It's so simple and so delicious, and quite possibly the easiest way to eat a half pound of cheese in one sitting.

Swiss Cheese Fondue

1 1/2 pounds mixed Swiss cheeses (Gruyere and Emmenthaler are a classic duo), shredded
1 c dry white wine
splash of Kirsch (optional)
1 clove garlic
black pepper
nutmeg (optional)

The cheese can easily be shredded in a food processor. Shred it and have it near room temperature. Rub the fondue pot with a cut clove of garlic and pour in the wine. Slice the garlic very thinly and add to the wine if you want a little extra garlic punch. Heat the wine over low heat to a simmer. Add the cheese, a handful at a time, and stir until melted and smooth before adding the next. Once the cheese is completely melted and bubbling slightly, add the Kirsch and season to taste. Set over the fondue burner and feast. Great with bread, carrots, peppers, apples, just about anything.

What better to go with a molten pot of cheese than freshly baked bread? I tried my hand at the French loaf, with some success and lots to learn. A lot has been written about the subject (Julia Child committed 20 pages to the subject in "Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume Two,") so I won't go into too much detail here. I followed a method that requires moistening the crust every few minutes during the first half of baking, and I think I lost too much heat in the process since my crust was a little soft. And the interior was a little dense, which I take to mean the loaves didn't rise enough before baking. Things to try for next time. In any case, they were beautiful.