Annie’s Eats invited us to a virtual holiday party! What is a virtual holiday party, you ask? In this situation it is five other food bloggers posting a recipe or a picture of a dish they would bring to a real life holiday party. I was so excited to be invited to this event and “party” with some of my favorite foodies.
I signed up to bring an appetizer. Since Christmas time is such a hectic and busy time of year, I decided to go with something simple. Our virtual holiday get together was planned to be casual, yet we still have to impress! 🙂 My Baked Fontina appetizer is perfect in keeping it quick to prepare, impressive in presentation, yet casual in the way it is served (family style, dip right in!) Want to know what everyone else brought? Come on in and enjoy drooling over the following photos! You can click each link to find the recipe and hop over to the other blogs to say “hello!”. The Baked Fontina recipe is listed at the end of this post. Merry Christmas everyone!
On the Menu:
Cocktails:
Sparkling Pepper Berry Cocktail from Kelsey’s Apple a Day
Cranberry Lime Bellini from Smells Like Home
Appetizers:
Dolmades (Stuffed Grape Leaves) from Elly Says Opa!
Baked Fontina from Pennies on a Platter (Me!)
Dessert:
Candy Cane Macarons from Annie’s Eats
Raspberry Cream Puffs from Pink Parsley
Baked Fontina
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds Italian Fontina , cubed
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic , thinly sliced
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- crusty bread
Instructions
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Preheat the broiler on high. Position top oven rack 6 inches from the broiler.
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Evenly distribute the Fontina cubes in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet or oven safe dish. Drizzle with the olive oil. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, thyme and rosemary. Sprinkle over the cheese, along with the salt and pepper.
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Broil for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Serve family style by dipping into it with the crusty bread.
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Source: Made in Melissa’s Kitchen and Pink Parsley, originally from The Barefoot Contessa, How Easy is That?
yum yum YUM is all I can say about this dip! I seriously have been dying to try it for what seems like forever and now that you’ve reminded me about how amazing it looks, I’m putting it on my list of things to bring to my parents’ house for Christmas dinner. what a great party this was!!
Thanks for contributing Nikki! I’m so glad we did this, such fun! I know I told you already but your baked fontina looks amazing. I cannot wait to try it!
mmmmm baked fontina…. so freaking delicious. What a fun party this was!
Nikki, this looks so amazing! What a perfect contribution to the virtual party. I had so much fun doing this with you ladies and wish we could’ve had a real-life party. Maybe next year! Here’s wishing you and your family a merry and blessed Christmas.
Thanks for the virtual get together! The cheese looks sooo fantastic. I love the way fontina melts and I love it even more with crusty bread. 🙂
Whoa, this looks completely irresistible! If I had this as an appetizer, there’s a good chance I might not save room for the main course. I love when a few ingredients come together to form something so elegant and delicious. Merry Christmas! 🙂
I’ve found your blog through Annie’s a while back, and I love it! The baked fontina looks amazing. Do you have any recommendations for a substitute for rosemary? I’m actually allergic to it (which is so sad, because it is so delicious).
Thanks, Nicole! Maybe try using oregano instead of the rosemary. Otherwise, it might be fine just leaving it out all together. 🙂
-Nikki
So glad you made this! I told my mom she needs to make it when we visit for Christmas! SO good! 🙂
I just wanted to drop you a note that this dip is such a hit with some crusty bread…that it has been asked for over and over again, since Christmas Eve. Thank you very much!
Yum. You really know how to bring in the new year. Have a good 2011.
I honestly don’t think any recipe has excited me as much as this one! Fontina cheese is my absolute favorite cheese. I am eagerly waiting for cooler weather to share this with a few friends.