Two things make this a true fonduta: Fontina soaked in milk before it meets any heat, and egg yolks, not starch, to thicken it. The soak lets the cheese melt into cream instead of splitting, and the bowl over barely simmering water keeps the yolks from scrambling. Stir slowly and keep the water below from boiling; that patience is the recipe.
Make ahead Slice the Fontina and set it soaking in milk the night before, in the fridge; the fonduta itself is made just before serving.
Fonduta Valdostana
Prep 15 min · Cook 20 min · Rest 2 hr · Serves 4 · Difficulty Medium
Method
Slice the Fontina thin, lay it in a bowl, and pour over the milk to cover. Rest 2 hours at cool room temperature (or overnight in the refrigerator).
2 hr
Set a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water and melt the butter in it.
3 min
Add the soaked cheese with about half its milk. Stir slowly with a wooden spoon as it melts into a thick, stringy mass. Patience: the water below must never boil.
8 min
Whisk the yolks with the remaining soaking milk, then stir into the cheese. Keep stirring gently until the strings relax into a glossy, pourable cream that coats the spoon.
8 min
Season with a whisper of pepper and, only if needed, salt.
1 min
Pour into warmed bowls and serve immediately with toasted bread, boiled potatoes, or soft polenta.
Kitchen notes
The soak is structural. Milk-soaked Fontina melts into cream; dry Fontina splits into oil and curd. If you skipped the soak, start over rather than fight it.
Yolks, low heat, slow hands. The yolks thicken at custard temperatures. If the bowl ever becomes too hot to touch, lift it off the water and keep stirring.
In late autumn, valdostano restaurants finish fonduta with shaved white truffle from neighboring Piedmont. A few drops of truffle-less honesty: it is glorious plain.
