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Baked Fontina

Source of Recipe

From "Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That?" by Ina Garten


Recipe Introduction

"Red Cat is a wonderful restaurant in New York City and their cookbook contains many of their iconic recipes like this Baked Fontina. OMG, is this easy — and delicious! For a winter lunch, I serve this with a green salad and some fruit and cookies for dessert. It's like a fondue in a cast-iron pot — you throw everything in and it's ready in six minutes."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 ½ pounds Italian Fontina Val d'Aosta cheese, rind removed and 1-inch-diced
â—¦ ¼ cup good olive oil
â—¦ 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
â—¦ 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
â—¦ 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
â—¦ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
â—¦ 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ 1 crusty French baguette


Recipe

Preheat the broiler and position the oven rack 5 inches from the heat.

Distribute the cubes of Fontina evenly in a 12-inch cast iron pan. Drizzle on the olive oil. Combine the garlic, thyme, and rosemary and sprinkle it over the cheese and olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and place the pan under the broiler for 6 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling and starts to brown.

Serve the baked Fontina family-style — right out of the oven in the cast iron pan with crusty chunks of bread for everyone to dip.


Serves 4 to 6