Truffle fondue is the most direct way to understand what the truffle of Molise really is — a land that has turned this tuber into a matter of identity. There is nothing to hide behind: Fontina steeped in milk for three hours, butter melted in a bain-marie, egg yolks folded in one at a time until the cream takes body. The truffle comes last, shaved at the table over a steaming earthenware dish so the heat releases its aroma in front of the guest.
This is a cold-weather starter, generous and sociable, which Molise cooks serve in small individual pots. Patience is the unwritten ingredient: the bain-marie must never reach a boil and the yolks must go in slowly, or the fondue will split. The finished texture should be creamy and firm, never runny.
Served as the opening course of an important dinner, fondue calls for a structured white or a young, low-tannin red. If you don't have fresh truffle, a black truffle cream or carpaccio gets you very close: add it off the heat, never at a boil, so the volatile aromas are not lost. The vessel matters too — preheated earthenware keeps the fondue at the right temperature to the last spoonful.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Fontina Cheese: 500 g
- Milk: 2 l
- Butter: 50 g
- Egg Yolks: 6
- Black Truffle: 50 g
- Salt: to taste
- Pepper: to taste
Preparation
Steeping the Fontina
Finely slice the Fontina, place it in the milk with a little salt and leave to steep for 3 hours.
Melting in a bain-marie
Melt the butter in a bowl over a bain-marie, add the Fontina with its milk and raise the heat. Stir with a wooden spatula until fully combined: the fondue should be creamy and firm.
Adding the yolks
Add the egg yolks one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Keep stirring for about 10 minutes so the eggs give the mixture its density.
Serving
Serve in individual earthenware pots and shave the black truffle over each one at the table.
Serve piping hot with toasted country bread: the earthenware keeps releasing the truffle aroma right down to the last spoonful.