A traditional fondue from Piedmont in Italy’s north — a simple, homely recipe that features one of the region’s best assests, truffles. Fontina, egg yolks and milk are warmed together in a heavy based saucepan. The melting mixture is then laced with shavings of fresh, pungent truffle. White truffle is the most typical in Piedmont. Use black, if you can’t get white, but steer clear of truffle oil, which is usually a chemical concoction. Keep the fonduta warm. Then take a nice baguette or ciabatta bread and watch it happily disappear.

This recipe is the most traditional, simple recipe for fonduta con tartufi you could ask for, inspired by the cookbook, Nonna Genia by Beppe Lodi — a treasure of Piedmont’s cuisine, it holds a collection of typical dishes from the Langhe area.

• Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 pound Fontina cheese, diced
• Some milk
• 5 egg yolks
• ¹/₄ cup (2 tablespoons or 50 gr) butter
• 3 ounces fresh truffles, shaved

Directions

1. Place the diced Fontina cheese in a large bowl and cover with milk. Let rest in the fridge for several hours.
2. In a saucepan, place the butter, egg yolks and cheese, along with all the milk. Place the saucepan on top of another saucepan containing boiling water (a bain marie or double broiler) and mix energetically until the cheese begins to melt.
3. When you have a fondue with a dense, creamy consistency, remove from the bain marie. Keep the fondue warm and serve with the truffle scattered on top. Enjoy with plenty of grilled bread.