The easy night, done well
Fondue and Raclette, Properly
The night the kitchen rests and the table works. Two cheeses, the right wine, three pickles and an order of service that keeps it from becoming heavy.
Preparation
What happens when
- The day beforeCheese grated, bread bought and left out, pickles and meats arranged.
- The dayNothing. This is the evening that requires no kitchen at all.
Service
How to serve it
One pot per six guests, kept at a low simmer, stirred in a figure of eight. Serve the salad at the same time, not after, and stop the cheese before anybody has had too much. Kirsch, not water, with it.
At home
Fondue for six
The ratio matters more than the recipe: 200 g cheese and 100 ml wine per person.
- Rub a heavy pot with a cut garlic clove, add 600 ml dry white wine and heat until steaming, not boiling.
- Add 1.2 kg grated cheese in three handfuls, half firm and half creamy, stirring in a figure of eight until each handful melts.
- Slake 2 tsp cornflour in 40 ml kirsch and stir it in to stabilise the emulsion, then season with pepper and nutmeg.
- Serve over a low flame with day old bread, cornichons, pickled onions and a very sharp green salad.
Editor’s tip: Never let it boil and never add cold wine to a hot pot. Both split the cheese, and a split fondue cannot be rescued at the table.
Plan it
Quantities and timing
How much to buy
Quantity Calculator
Guest count, service style and menu shape turned into a shopping list in kilos, litres and pieces.
OpenDoes this menu work?
Menu Composer
Build a menu course by course and see the balance: weight, technique, temperature, colour, repetition, oven conflicts and a wine suggestion for each course..
OpenWhat happens at 19:40
Service Timeline
A backwards plan from the minute your first course leaves the kitchen: crew arrival, prep, table setting, briefing, doors, courses, speeches, coffee and strike..
OpenFormats
Where this menu belongs
Format
Four services a day, at altitudeChalet Season
The Alpine week: breakfast, packed lunch, afternoon tea and dinner for up to sixteen, in a house where the supermarket shuts at seven and water boils at ninety three degrees..
Read on
Format
Boat, vineyard, mountain, bonnet of a carThe Travelling Lunch
Lunch where there is no kitchen at all: a boat, a vineyard row, a mountain hut, a beach at the end of a track.
Read onMarkets
