Oh. My. Goodness. This was so delicious, if I do say so myself. Nick and I recently dined at North, in Arcadia – it quickly became one of our faves. They have an appetizer called the “Bread and Cheese Plate” – when we ordered it we figured we would be getting a selection of cheeses, some olives, chutney and bread; but what we got would be so much better.
While sipping on a lovely red wine, our jaws dropped to the floor when we saw a cast-iron skillet of cheesy goodness and beautifully grilled artisan bread slices. Needless to say, we were in heaven. This dish was so delish, that I couldn’t stop thinking about it days after we had been there. Naturally, I took a stab at creating it at home and it was my favorite dish that I’ve made to date.
I borrowed this recipe from Ina Garten, but added some twists to it. My recipe is below.
- 1 pound Italian Fontina Val d’Aosta cheese, rind removed and 1-inch-diced
- 1 pound smoked mozzarella, 1-inch-diced
- 1/4 cup white truffle oil
- 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 crusty French baguette, grilled and sliced
Directions
Preheat the broiler and position the oven rack 5 inches from the heat.
Distribute the cubes of Fontina and Smoked Mozzarella evenly in a 12-inch cast-iron pan. Drizzle on the truffle oil. Combine the garlic, thyme, and rosemary and sprinkle it over the cheese and truffle 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 cheese family-style-right out of the oven in the cast-iron pan with crusty chunks of bread for everyone to dip.
fueled by vegetables 