Italian Fontina Cheese Dip

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A velvety warm cheese dip from Italy's Alpine Aosta Valley, made by slowly melting aged Fontina with butter, milk, and egg yolks until silken. Traditionally scooped with crusty bread, grissini, or cubes of warm polenta, it is the Italian answer to French fondue.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (estimated)

• 660 kcalCalories
• 50 gFat
• 30 gSaturated Fat
• 10 gCarbs
• 0 gFiber
• 5 gSugar
• 40 gProtein
• 850 mgSodium
• 250 mgPotassium
• 750 mgCalcium
• 2 mgIron
• 1 mgVitamin C
• 400 mcgVitamin A

Ingredients

For the cheese dip

• 1 lb Fontina cheese (rind removed, cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• Pinch of white pepper
• Optional: 1 small white truffle, shaved, for serving

For serving

• 1 loaf crusty Italian or country bread, torn into chunks
• Handful of grissini (breadsticks)
• Optional: warm soft polenta cubes

Directions

1. Place the cubed Fontina in a bowl, pour the milk over it, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight so the cheese softens and mellows.
2. Set a heavy-bottomed saucepan or ceramic fondue pot over low heat and melt the butter until just foamy.
3. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, stirring, to form a pale blond roux that will help stabilize the dip.
4. Add the soaked Fontina and milk in three or four batches, stirring in a figure-eight motion with a wooden spoon, waiting until each addition is fully melted before adding the next.
5. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Temper them by slowly drizzling in a ladle of the hot cheese mixture while whisking constantly.
6. Pour the tempered yolks back into the pot and continue cooking over very low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until the dip is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not let it simmer or the eggs will scramble.
7. Remove from the heat and stir in the nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Transfer to a fondue pot or warm ceramic bowl set over a tea light to keep it fluid at the table.
8. Top with shaved white truffle if using, and serve immediately with bread, grissini, or polenta for dipping.

Cook’s Notes

• Use true Fontina Valdostana DOP when possible; its nutty, earthy flavor is the soul of the dish and imitations will taste rubbery.
• Keep the heat gentle and steady the entire time. Too hot and the cheese seizes into strings or the eggs scramble into curds.
• The traditional dippers in the Aosta Valley are rye or whole-wheat country bread and boiled potatoes; save the grissini for a quicker weeknight version.
• If the fondue tightens up as it sits, whisk in a tablespoon of warm milk at a time until it loosens to a dipping consistency again.
• For the most luxurious finish, shave fresh white truffle tableside; even a small amount transforms the flavor into something extraordinary.

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