I am all for buying two or three wedges of nice cheeses, plopping them on a cutting board, surrounding them with grapes and nuts and maybe something exotic like quince membrillo, and crossing “make-hors d’oeuvres” off my to-do list.
But every so often it’s nice to present something a teensy more special, more awe-inspiring, more spectacularly delicious. This baked fontina is the favorite party trick of my aunt — not the one that introduced me to salsa di parmigiano, the other one. She serves this bubbling fontina-herb-and-garlic-filled cast-iron skillet just as instructed with lots of crusty bread and swears that not a morsel ever remains. Because it is quite decadent, her other offerings consist of crispy kale chips and radishes with sea salt. My aunties are just full of good ideas.
This is definitely another good one to know this time of year — it’s super easy to put together and a guaranteed crowd pleaser. And if you are starting to feel anxious about how you might keep guests out of the kitchen this holiday season, here’s your solution: just plop down this cast-iron skillet in a nice cozy spot as far from your kitchen as possible — you’ll be sure to find some peace. But work quickly, because it won’t last long.
Baked Fontina
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Source: Barefoot Contessa: How Easy Is That?
Note: I made a half recipe (using slightly less than half the amount of cheese) and baked it in one of these mini Lodge cast-iron skillets. It worked beautifully.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds fontina*, rind removed and 1-inch-diced
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 crusty French baguette
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler and position the oven rack 5 inches from the heat. (If you can’t get it exactly 5 inches, don’t worry — mine was more like 10.)
- 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 (or longer if your pan is farther from the heat source), 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.
Notes
*Suggested brand: Italian Fontina Val d’Aosta (I could not find this…just used what I could find at the grocery store)
Sue says
Good grief but that looks gorgeous. You certainly have been blessed with aunties of good taste.
alexandracooks says
Sue and Alicia — thank you!
Alicia (foodycat) says
Oh god – amazing. Definitely melted cheese weather!
Liz says
I agree with Alicia! Amazing. How many inches wide are the mini-pans?
alexandracooks says
Liz — the pans are 6 3/8 inches in diameter. I love them! A recent purchase and I couldn’t be happier.
Connie says
Yum! I think I’m making this for dinner tonight
Tonia says
Oh my word – that looks so good! (and rich… and decadent…) I really like the mini-cast iron!
Kankana says
Oh my! That is one cheese yummy goodness, I can never stop eating.
garrett mccord says
Love. This.
Lollie ~ The Fortuitous Housewife says
You’re killing me with all this cheesy deliciousness!
Another recipe to print out & try ASAP! And this one gives me an excuse to go to my favorite, funky, locally-owned, kitchenwares warehouse to get a new piece of cast iron (I only have a 12″ skillet).
alexandracooks says
Lollie — you can totally use your 12-inch skillet if you can’t find these smaller skillets — I only just picked these up this past weekend because I happened to be at an outlet mall and couldn’t resist picking up a few more “essentials”. This baked fontina is to die for. I hope you like it!
Roz says
I found this recipe pinned on pinterest and clicked on through to find your beautiful blog! I not only will make this recipe of Ina Garner’s for certain, but I wll also be following your wonderful foodie blog as well so that I never miss a post! I would also like to invite you to stop by my blog as well when you have a moment. Your photography is outstanding by the way! Just outstanding!
alexandracooks says
Roz — thank you for your nice comment! I’m so happy to hear you are liking what you see. This baked fontina is a must-make this holiday…people will go crazy. I will check out your blog right now!
Lori @ RecipeGirl says
I hate you right now because I’ve been avoiding cheese like the plague in order to fit into my skinny jeans. I’m in my skinny jeans now, but I think I’d be happier if I dove into this melted madness!!
alexandracooks says
RecipeGirl — you crack me up! I wish I were fitting into skinny jeans right now…I think these most recent cheese-dip discoveries have done me in.
Madame Fromage says
Such a lovely post. You remind me that I do not do enough with Fontina. Thanks for recipe — I love the idea of loading on the garlic and fresh herbs here. And it’s so simple. Good to see you in the debut issue of Grate. Pair. Share. too!
alexandracooks says
Madame Fromage — thank you for letting me know! I hadn’t seen it yet. It looks really good. And, I was thinking the same exact thing re Fontina — I have forgotten how delicious it is! I have been grating it into my eggs every morning…also delicious. The garlic and fresh herbs really make this dish.
Mr. & Mrs. P says
LOVE FONTINA!!! We are going to make it this weekend for a small get together.
Explody Full says
I love your Aunts – they are clearly the best. I even have the perfect mini cast iron pan for this *gleeful laughter*
mjskit says
I’m chomping my lips looking at these pictures! Talk about ooey gooey – this defines that! I have to make this!
Esther says
I love trying out new cheese related recipes and this looks really good! Love it that its quite light and can go with crusty bread and crackers. Thanks for sharing!
alexandracooks says
Esther — It is wonderful with crusty bread and crackers…I can’t total say it is light, however, delicious for sure, but light might be a stretch 🙂
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Oh wow. I think I just let out an audible gasp.
alexandracooks says
Haha, I love it. This is a good little party trick to know 🙂
Anna says
This was incredible. I had a night without roommates and reduced the recipe to 1/3 of the original, opened a bottle of wine, and enjoyed the solitude. Maybe I’ll even share some with my boyfriend next date night 🙂
alexandracooks says
Anna, that sounds like the most incredible evening ever. My husband plays hockey on Tuesday nights and so we usually eat separately…I am SO looking forward to this dinner for one next week. I think I’m going to have to rent Before Midnight and call it a night 🙂
gina says
I just saw this exact recipe done by Ina Garten…Barefoot Congress show on food network…..is she your aunt? Lol
alexandracooks says
Haha, no, no, but funny, enough Ina and my aunt know each other! I have a photo of the two of them in a newspaper clipping from one of Ina’s book signings. so funny.
karyl henry says
This looks so amazing. I’ve just recently started cooking with fontina, and I love how well it melts into creamy deliciousness. I’ve pinned this to make soon.
Also, I’ve shared this on my Super Bowl Recipe Roundup: https://karylskulinarykrusade.com/recipe-roundup-super-bowl/
Veronica says
I love that mini cast iron skillet! Is it the deeper one or the wider, shallower one? I couldn’t tell from your photo.
alexandra says
Hi Veronica! I don’t think Lodge makes these anymore. I just looked at their webpage. But to give you an idea, these are 6 inches in diameter and 1 inch deep. Hope that helps!
Tsandi Crew says
The Fontina I’m able to get looks like Swiss cheese, and when heated gets rubbery.
It would be a disaster. What other cheese can I use?
alexandra says
Hi Tsandi,
I would suggest a Gruyere maybe or just try it with the Fontina. I’ve had success using pretty “unspecial” fontina from my “unfancy” market. Hope that helps!
Patti Vernon says
When I couldn’t find Fontina, I used Gruyere and smoked gouda. I was delicious, but at the end it sorta clumped together.
Does that happen with the fontina as well?
Deliciousness!!!
alexandra says
It does actually… this one is best served immediately! So glad to hear these other cheeses worked well for you. Happy holidays!
Mandy Keane says
OMG! The first thing I saw when I looked at the main photo was a bird! and I could not unsee it!
Frank Curtiss says
I made this recently and it was soooo delicious and simple to make. I followed the instructions on the distance from broiler and it started to over-brown so turned the broiler to low. I’m sure every broiler is different so just watch it closely. I also grilled the bread like crostini which seemed better to me and it was a huge hit!
★★★★★
alexandra says
Awesome, so happy to hear this, Frank!!
Kim says
Can I add smoked Gouda to this?
★★★★★
alexandra says
Yes, and yum!