Fondue Valle Daosta Style Food

FONDUE VALLE D'AOSTA-STYLE

Steps:

• Heap the shredded fontina in a glass or glazed ceramic bowl, and pour the milk over it. Stir to make sure the cheese is submerged, seal the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
• To make toasts for dipping: Heat the oven to 350°. Slice the bread chunk or loaf lengthwise into big oval slabs about an inch thick. Cut these into small blocks, 3 to 4 inches long and 2 or 3 inches wide (the size of a BlackBerry or iPod!), that will afford a few good bites when dipped in the fondue. Lay the bread blocks flat on a baking sheet, and toast in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, turning now and then, until golden brown and crisp all the way through.
• To make the fonduta: Stir the milk and cheese shreds (now softened and crumbling) and scrape them into the saucepan. Heat slowly over a low flame, stirring often, as the cheese melts and blends with the milk, until smooth and steaming hot. Whisk in the butter, and keep the fonduta over low heat-but don't let it boil.
• Beat the egg yolks and pinch of salt in a heatproof bowl with the whisk. Ladle out 1/4 cup of the hot fondue and drizzle it very gradually into the egg yolks while whisking steadily (this tempers the yolks so they cook without coagulating), until thoroughly blended, then whisk in another 1/2 cup hot fondue, until smooth. Now slowly drip the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan of fonduta, whisking rapidly, until fully incorporated.
• Still over low heat, cook the fonduta slowly, without boiling, stirring often, for about 10 minutes, until smooth and thickened, easily coating the back of a spoon (or a bread toast).
• For serving, warm the small serving bowls (or the large one if serving communally), and pour in fonduta in equal portions. Give everyone a spoon and a fork to dunk in those last pieces of bread, and wipe up the fonduta from the bottom of the bowl.