This recipe is fast and easy and tastes SO fresh and yummy!
Here's the photo from Pinterest:
Looks HEAVENLY right?
Well, it comes pretty close to that. Here's the recipe and link to the person who posted it on Pinterest.
Baked Fontina w/Crusty Bread:
1 1/2 lbs. Fontina cheese in 1" cubes
6 Cloves of Garlic, chopped fine
1 Tbsp. Fresh Thyme, chopped fine
1 Tsp. Fresh Rosemary, chopped fine
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Pepper
Crusty Bread of your choice
I think I've mentioned this before, but when you have a recipe that only has 5 ingredients it's just makes for a simple and fresh result! I love it. You really can taste all the flavors and it's not just a bunch of flavors coming at you.
Now I will warn you that Fontina cheese is expensive. I made this three times during the Holidays and to cut the cost I used 1/2 Fontina and 1/2 Gouda. It still tasted great and everyone liked it but there was one problem. After about 20 minutes the whole thing globbed together and it was difficult to get just a little bit for your piece of crusty bread. I don't know if that would be the case no matter what cheese you used. The last time I decided to JUST use Fontina and it did the same things. So I looked up what other cheese are good MELTING cheeses and it said to try these:
Emmenthal, Gruyere, Monterey Jack
So I think I am going to give it a try next time with the Fontina and either Emmenthal or Gruyere. I will let you know how that works out. But I really think this is more about the overall taste of this "dip" than exactly which cheese you use.
Back to the recipe...
Preheat your oven to Broil. Make sure your top rack is within about 5-6: from the boiler units.
Next you want to cut up the cheese in 1" cubes and place in a cast iron skillet. Now I don't have one, so I used a non-stick skillet. Then you want to chop the herbs finely and add those on top of the cheese. Then drizzle the EVOO on top of all of that and add a bit of salt & pepper.
Pop the skillet with all the ingredients into the over and let it all melt together for about 6 minutes or until it's all bubbly and melted.
CAUTION: THIS IS WHERE YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL!!
The skillet is BURNING HOT, so DO NOT TAKE OUT UNLESS YOU HAVE YOUR HOT PADS/GLOVES ON!!!
Place this on a heat proof surface and serve with your crusty bread. I used a French Baguette but you could use your favorite crusty bread and it will be to your liking.
Here's a picture of how mine looked when I took it out of the oven:
Obviously not as pretty at the Pinterest picture, but just as tasty I'm sure!!
As a side note: I also made this one time for a class I taught and so after it came out of the oven I put it in a crock pot to take it with me. They ladies LOVED this appetizer and even though after time it did kind of glob together, it was worth trying to get a piece because the flavor is amazing!
I'm going to try this again this weekend with some of the "melting" cheese mentioned above and I will report back and let you know how it went.
My overall review is:
Preparation: EASY
Directions: TRUE TO WORD
Presentation: LOVE THE BISTRO LOOK & FEEL
Flavor: FANTASTIC
Would I make it again: YES and I have people asking me for the recipe
I highly recommend this recipe for a quick, easy and tasty appetizer. I would even have this with a salad and a nice glass of wine and call it a meal!
Enjoy,
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