• 1 pound (400 g) moderately well seasoned Fontina (real fontina, of the sort that comes in a wheel,
• not the plastic-wrapped industrial surrogate one sometimes sees).
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 cups (500 ml) whole milk
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• Pepper
• A finely shaved white truffle (optional)

Dice or finely slice the fontina and marinate it in the milk for 4-5 hours. Once it has soaked, fill the bottom of a double boiler with water, but not so much that the water reaches the top half, and set it to heat

Combine the butter, egg yolks, cheese, and some of the milk in the top half of the double boiler, and when the water in the bottom half boils, set it over the steam and whip the contents energetically with a whisk. The total cooking time will be about a half hour, during which the cheese will melt, forming strings, and then thicken again: At this precise moment, remove it from the fire and serve it hot, with a grating of pepper, or, better yet, finely sliced white truffle. In either case, provide your diners with cubed bread and fondue forks with which to dip the bread in the fondue. Note: A teaspoon of flour whisked into the cream as it thickens makes life much easier, and consequently is often included today.