Fontal Cheese (Quarter Wheel)

Fontal Cheese

Fontal Cheese is an Italian semi-hard cheese made from pasteurized cow's milk. It comes from the Aosta Valley and is made exclusively with milk from alpine cows. Its dough is pale yellow, elastic, soft and has a few small holes.

Matured Fontal Cheese has an elastic, soft interior and a light brown bark with a slight mold. It matures for 40-60 days. Fontal fits on every cheese platter and is often offered in Italy as a dessert cheese with pears or grapes. However, it is also ideal for the kitchen, since it melts very well, whether for cheese sauces, fillings or fondue. The taste is milky with slight acidity and spice.

Fontal Cheese is similar to Fontina, but it is made from raw cow's milk. The Fontal does not have a protected designation of origin either. Otherwise the production process is identical.

Taste and appearance

Fontal Cheese  is a very mild cheese, suitable as a table cheese and tastes great with fresh green grapes and baguette. Fontal Cheese is a slightly melting whole milk cheese that is mainly produced in northern Italy. It tastes slightly milky with fine spice and is not very salty.The rind of Fontal is thin, smooth and elastic with an orange-red color. The paste is compact, soft and elastic, white in color, with sparse eyes. The ripening of this cheese is medium. Excellent eaten with warm bread and jams.The careful processing and traditional ripening give it a harmonious buttery milk aroma with a delicate spicy fragrance. You can recognize the Fontal Cheese by the trademark that is affixed to every Fontal Cheese as a seal of quality.

In addition to the round loaves of 10 kg, Fontal Cheese is also available in quarters of 2.5 kg.

Fontal Cheese is a soft and supple cheese. Its traditional production and maturing process gives it a soft and delicate taste and aroma with delicate fruity and aromatic notes.With natural skin, Fontal Cheese is recognizable thanks to the mark on the package, which is a guarantee of Fontal Cheese's selection.

Maturity

at least 6 weeks

Nutritional values per 100 g

Calorific value 1540 kJ/371 kcal

Fat 30 g

Carbohydrates 0.7 g

Sugar < 0.5 g

Protein 24.6 g

salt 1.8 g

Fontal Cheese is matured in a very humid environment. At temperatures of +4°/+8°C for at least 60 days. They are regularly smeared with warm water and salt to prevent the formation of mold.

Fontal Cheese in the kitchen

Its use in the kitchen is particularly suitable for baked dishes, where it melts easily when mixed with other ingredients.

Fontal Cheese is excellent eaten pure, or with jams. Recommended white wine Collio. Shelf life in the refrigerator wrapped in foil can last at least two weeks. Allow the cheese to stand at room temperature.

Production of Fontal Cheese

For the production of Fontal Cheese, raw milk obtained from a single milking is used, to which calf rennet is added. The curd obtained, rennet, is chopped and cooked at about 50 degrees. The paste that is obtained is inserted into the typical fascere by the concave heel. A pressing is carried out to eliminate the whey. This is followed by salting and brushing for a month which gives the rind its typical orange color and maturing.

Sample Recipe

Spinach donuts with Fontal cheese

The golden-brown baked donuts are always well received and are quite easy to prepare. The filling with spinach, fontal, onion and garlic is simple and delicious. They can also be well prepared and stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Before serving, they only need to be smeared with egg yolk and baked.

Ingredients (1 serving)

150g spinach leaves, 1 small onion, 1 small clove of garlic, 80g Fontal Cheese, 1 pc puff pastry approx. 32 x 14cm, 1 egg fried butter

Preparation

1. Thaw the spinach and squeeze it gently.

2. Chop the onion and garlic.

3. Braise the onion in fried butter for approx. 2-3 minutes

3. Add the garlic and braise for another minute. Add the spinach, season with herb salt and simmer on low heat for about 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally.

4. Let it cool down.

5. Separate egg yolk and egg white (one egg is enough for 3-4 donuts).

6.Place the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut to the desired size.

7.Cover half of the dough with about 2/3 of the spinach, leaving 1 - 1 1 / 2cm wide edges.

8.Cut the fontal into about 1 cm thick slits and place on the spinach.

9.Spread the rest of the spinach on top.

10.Brush the edges of the dough with egg white and fold the dough over the filling. Press the edges down lightly and cut them with a corrugated dough wheel.

Preheat the oven to 200 °.

Brush the donut with egg yolk just before baking and prick it a few times with a fork.

Bake in the lower third of the oven for about 20-25 minutes.

Named after the Italian valley from which it comes, this is one of Italy's greatest cheeses. Soft, mild & creamy, Fontal belongs to the Fontina-style family but is set apart by its versatility making it a great cheese to keep stocked in your fridge.

This is a cow's-milk cheese with about 45 percent milk fat. It has a dark golden orange rind with a pale yellow interior dotted with tiny holes. The flavor is full with a smooth texture. 

Suggestion: It is great for cooking (melts great), perfect with some snacks (crackers!) and serving on a cheese plate (soft yet keeps its shape at room temperature).

5.5 pound (2.5 kilogram) - WEIGHT APPROXIMATES

Ingredients: Pasteurized cow's milk, rennet, salt, enzymes

Packaging: Vacuum-sealed plastic

Flavor: Mild, nutty, strong, sweet, tangy
Texture: Semi-soft, creamy, dense, firm, smooth
Color: Pale yellow
Aroma: Aromatic, rich

Product of Italy