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Fontina Cheese Dip
Fontina gained a special place in my heart when I was going to college at Indiana University. Anyone who went to IU knew about the amazing pizza place called Pizza Express. Best pizza ever – at that point in life I didn’t know that, but now I do. They had a pizza called Eve’s Garden with spinach, tomatoes, sauce, and FONTINA cheese. I was hooked. I must say fontina is still my favorite cheese. If you ever head down to Bloomington to see the Hoosiers, get a pizza from Pizza X (that is their new name) and go to their other restaurant Lennies. You won’t be sorry!
So I wanted to make a cheese dip with my favorite cheese.
The Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Whole Natural Almonds
- 1 block Fontina Cheese – 8 oz
- 1 block of Lite Cream Cheese – 8 oz
- 1/3 cup Lite Mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers
- Nutmeg
The Directions
1. First thing is use your stand mixer to crush some almonds. Take about a half of cup of almonds and add them to the mixer bowl. Using the splash guard, mix the almonds on high for about 1.5 minutes. This will crush the almonds until they will make a good topping for the Fontina Cheese Dip. These crushed almonds will be set aside until the end of the recipe. Remove the crushed almonds from the bowl and save for later. Also as a side note, it is best to buy the whole almonds and crush them so you do not get all the salt and other added ingredients you might get from sliced or crushed almonds.
2. Now add the warmed Fontina (either microwave for 20 seconds or leave on the counter) to the bowl. Using a high speed mix until the cheese is crumbled. Add to the crumbled Fontina cheese the block of cream cheese. Again mix on high until the the dip looks smooth. Now add the Mayonnaise and mix one more time to get the perfect smooth cheese dip texture.
3. Roasted red peppers have a dominating taste and flavor. This dip can be great with or without the peppers. If you like this flavor, add a 1/2 cup of red peppers to the cheese mix and mix on a medium-low setting for about one minute.
4. For a final seasoning touch add a little nutmeg – about 4 swipes down a microplane is perfect. Lastly, scoop the dip out of the mixer bowl into a serving dish and add the almonds that you crushed earlier to top off the dip.
Serve the Fontina cheese dip with crackers, vegetable assortments, or tortilla chips. 
- ½ cup Whole Natural Almonds
- 1 block Fontina Cheese – 8 oz
- 1 block of Lite Cream Cheese – 8 oz
- ⅓ cup Lite Mayonnaise
- ½ cup roasted red peppers
- Nutmeg
- First thing is use your stand mixer to crush some almonds. Take about a half of cup of almonds and add them to the mixer bowl. Using the splash guard, mix the almonds on high for about 1.5 minutes. This will crush the almonds until they will make a good topping for the Fontina Cheese Dip. These crushed almonds will be set aside until the end of the recipe. Remove the crushed almonds from the bowl and save for later. Also as a side note, it is best to buy the whole almonds and crush them so you do not get all the salt and other added ingredients you might get from sliced or crushed almonds.
- Now add the warmed Fontina (either microwave for 20 seconds or leave on the counter) to the bowl. Using a high speed mix until the cheese is crumbled. Add to the crumbled Fontina cheese the block of cream cheese. Again mix on high until the the dip looks smooth. Now add the Mayonnaise and mix one more time to get the perfect smooth cheese dip texture.
- Roasted red peppers have a dominating taste and flavor. This dip can be great with or without the peppers. If you like this flavor, add a ½ cup of red peppers to the cheese mix and mix on a medium-low setting for about one minute.
- For a final seasoning touch add a little nutmeg – about 4 swipes down a microplane is perfect. Lastly, scoop the dip out of the mixer bowl into a serving dish and add the almonds that you crushed earlier to top off the dip.
Missy
Aug-31-2012
11:01 AM
Too bad Miracle Whip is not organic. I have loved chseee toasts for YEARS, and often prepared similar variations in my early college years, just for myself. One of my favorites, and more nutritious (and now my 12yo’s as well), is just simply spreading some organic peanut butter on a Wheatine (Barbara’s Bakery) and adding organic apple slices. My son was starving’ one day last week, saw the small plate I had prepared for myself and, instead of snubbing his nose at them as usual with a complaint about not liking peanut butter, took a bite. Now I have to experiment with making my own wheat-saltine crackers so I do not have to hoard the Wheatines for myself. You can also add a small slice of organic mild cheddar chseee between the apple and PB, but I find that I do not miss it when I skip it. Well, now I know what I am having for lunch today