Instructions
Bring 1.4 liters of water plus the milk to a boil in a heavy pot with the salt.
8 minRain in the cornmeal, whisking constantly so no lumps form. When it returns to a blip-blip simmer, switch to a wooden spoon.
4 minCook at the laziest simmer for 45 minutes, stirring every few minutes and scraping the bottom. The polenta is ready when it pulls cleanly off the sides of the pot.
45 minOff the heat, fold in the Fontina cubes a handful at a time, beating until the cheese melts into long elastic ribbons.
4 minIn a small pan, cook the butter until its foam subsides and it smells toasted, the color of dark honey.
4 minMound the polenta into warm bowls, pour the sizzling butter over, and serve at once, pepper on the table.
Chef's Tips
- Coarse meal, long simmer: The 45 minutes are not negotiable with bramata cornmeal; undercooked polenta tastes raw and grainy no matter how much cheese follows.
- Fold, do not stir to death: Once the Fontina goes in, fewer strokes are better. Overworking breaks the strings that make concia concia.
- Some valleys add cubes of Toma alongside the Fontina for a sharper edge. If you do, keep Fontina at least two thirds of the cheese.
