Fontina Cheese Sauce Recipes

FONTINA CHEESE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a sauté pot, whisk flour into melted butter.
• Slowly pour in milk, continuously whisking.
• Add Cajun seasoning through garlic salt and melt in the cheese. Keep stirring!
• This sauce thickens up quickly so feel free to add a bit more milk to thin it out a little - I will the next time I make it.

BAKED FONTINA

Steps:

• 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.

GNOCCHI IN FONTINA SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, and set aside.
• Once the gnocchi goes into the pot, start the sauce, as you want the gnocchi to be done first. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots, and cook for a few minutes, until tender. Stir in the cream, and heat to almost a boil. Gradually mix in the fontina and parmesan cheeses, being careful not to boil. Stir until smooth, then remove from the heat immediately, or the sauce may clump.
• Place gnocchi into serving dishes, and spoon the sauce over them. Garnish with chopped fresh basil.

MANILADAS WITH WHITE CHEESE AND ROASTED TOMATILLO SAUCES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Boil manicotti in salted water for 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water and set pasta aside.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more. Remove pan from heat and mix in chicken, tomatoes, cilantro and sour cream. Set aside.
• Place tomatillos, onion, jalapeno and garlic in a baking dish. Toss with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until tomatillos turn golden around the edges and are soft, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and blend ingredients together until smooth. Use reserved pasta water to thin sauce, if necessary. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• To make the cheese sauce: In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add flour and cook 2 minutes. Whisk in heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Add cheese and nutmeg and stir until melted. Season sauce with salt, to taste.
• To assemble: Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Stuff manicotti tubes with chicken mixture and assemble in a 9 by 12-inch baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over the top. Bake 30 minutes until cheese is bubbling. Drizzle tomatillo sauce on Maniladas before serving.

FONTINA PASTA

Steps:

• Cook pasta until just done. Don't overcook. Drain and place in large bowl.
• Over medium heat in medium sized pot melt the butter.
• Add the sliced mushrooms and saute until just browned.
• Stir in the flour and cook for approx 3 minutes or until the bitter taste of the flour is gone. Do not brown.
• Add the hot milk and cook until just thickened.
• Add the seasonings to your taste.
• Combine the sauce with 2 cups of the cheese until melted. Add to pasta in bowl and mix.
• Spray a large casserole dish with non stick coating and pour in the pasta mixture. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
• Cover and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes or until bubbling.

BAKED POLENTA WITH FONTINA CHEESE

Steps:

• Butter 9x13-inch baking dish. Combine 2 1/4 cups water, broth, shallots and marjoram in heavy large Dutch oven; bring to boil. Mix 2 1/2 cups cold water and cornmeal in bowl. Gradually mix cornmeal mixture into broth mixture. Return to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and boil gently until polenta is very thick, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Immediately spread 2 cups polenta in prepared dish. Top with 1 3/4 cups cheese. Drizzle with 1/4 cup cream. Repeat layering, using 2 cups polenta, 1 3/4 cups cheese and 1/4 cup cream. Top with remaining polenta. Spread remaining cheese over. Cover with foil. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before continuing.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake covered polenta until hot in center, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Uncover; continue baking until polenta bubbles at edges and top begins to brown, about 10 minutes.

VEGETABLE LASAGNA W/ FONTINA CHEESE & CREAMY PARMESAN SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 2 Tbs. butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet.
• Add onion; cook until soft and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Mix 1 1/2 Tbs. salt and 2 quarts very hot tap water in a 13-by-9-inch lasagna pan.
• Add noodles and soak until soft and pliable, 10 minutes.
• Drain and stack loosely. (Noodles tend to stick together as they dry, but pull apart easily.).
• Make Creamy Parmesan Sauce: Microwave milk, broth and garlic in a 1 quart microwave-safe container on high power until steaming hot, about 8 minutes. (Or slowly heat in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.)
• Fish out garlic; discard.
• Melt 2 1/2 Tbs. butter over medium heat in a large saucepan; when foaming subsides, whisk in flour and continue to cook, whisking constantly, until well blended.
• Pour in milk mixture all at once and whisk vigorously until sauce is smooth and starts to bubble and thicken.
• Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoons salt and pepper to taste.
• Remove from heat; place plastic wrap directly on the sauce's surface.
• Adjust rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees.
• Smear 1/4 cup of the sauce over bottom of baking dish.
• Assemble the next 4 layers in the following order: 3 noodles, 2/3 cup sauce, 1/4 of the onions, 1/2 of one of the cooked vegetables (alternating each layer), 1/2 cup fontina and 2 Tbs. Parmesan.
• Assemble final layer with remaining noodles, sauce and cheeses.
• Seal with foil and bake until bubbly, about 35 minutes.
• Remove foil, then broil until cheese is spotty brown, 5-7 minutes longer.
• Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.

FONTINA CHEESE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks and cream. Add the cheese and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes. Serve hot. From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.