When I was little my mother let me and my sisters and brothers pick our favorite food for our birthday dinner.  Mine was always fondue.  I never did make it as my kids were growing up.  I always had a fondue pot but never knew a good recipe or felt I had the time to prepare it.  So last night when the fondue pot was brought out I felt like a little kid!  Pat and Margie also let me write down her mother’s recipe for perfect fondue.  And oh my, it was delicious!  Since fondue is a special way to celebrate (their daughter flew in from New York to surprise Margie for her birthday) they let me share the recipe with you too!

Pour 2 cups of white wine (Pat used Chardonnay) into the fondue pot with 3 cloves of minced garlic and let simmer until fragrant.

My job was to cut up a day old baguette into chunks.

Pat poured just under a 1/2 cup of Kirschwasser (cherry brandy) into a measuring cup and whisked in 5 tablespoons of corn starch and set aside.

16 ounces of Swiss Emmentaler was sliced.

8 ounces of Swiss cheese slices were at the ready.

And the real treat was 7 ounces of Gruyere.

These were all slowly added to the pot.  A chopstick was used to blend.

The measuring cup of cornstarch and Kirschwasser was poured in and blended well.  This is stirred until thickened and bubbly.  A good dash of paprika and white pepper was added.

At the very end a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda is added to fluff up and perfect the fondue.

Serve with a fresh salad, wine, and good friends!