People bought me a fondue set one Christmas recently. Now I make a cheese fondue for my birthday every year. I think people now hope I'll get sick of it soon enough, but I really don't think I will.

It really is a great warming winter treat (and we have it in summer - go figure). All you need is dipping forks and good friends who'll crowd around the flame with you and share the experience, but won't demand their portion of the beautiful cheesy crust that forms on the bottom of the pot!

There are many variations of ingredients and amounts to create fondue. Some people use Swiss cheese but I use Gruyere. Here are the basics, anyway.

Based on the recipe in Michael Field's All Manner of Food, with inspiration also from Pleasures of Cooking Vol VI No 1 and the Gourmet Cookbook Vol 1

Cheese Fondue

 3 packed cups shredded Gruyere (or Switzerland Emmenthal)
a little shredded Raclette
2-4 Tablespoons Kirsch
1 large clove garlic
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
2 Tablespoons potato flour / cornstarch
1 Tablespoon lemon juice (optional)

1 inch cubes dense rye bread
cherry tomatoes
1 inch pieces blanched zucchini, carrot or broccoli flowerets
baby steamed potatoes
little meatballs

Toss the shredded cheese with the flour and set aside. Rub your fondue pot with the garlic clove and retain the clove. Light the burner under your fondue pot and add the wine, garlic and lemon juice, if you're using it. It is apparently the acidity that prevents the cheese in a fondue from stringing and turning rubbery, which is why lemon juice is often recommended in addition to the wine. Once the wine is boiling, reduce the heat and add the cheeses a handful at a time. Aged cheeses are preferable for a good fondue, but are not always possible to find. The mixture should rapidly become a slow-bubbling smooth cheese sauce. Taste, and add salt and pepper if you desire, and discard the clove of garlic. Stir in the Kirsch, and bring up the heat slightly to return the mixture to a simmer.

Spear your fork into a piece of bread or vegetable, swirl it in the fondue to coat it in cheese, and eat, straight from the pot. Late on in the feast, scrape off the crust of golden cheese that has accumulated on the bottom of the pot. It's best if you don't have to share it!