Risotto alla Valdostana — Risotto with Fontina and White Truffle

Valle d'Aosta — the risotto alla valdostana is the Italian formal restaurant version of the Fontina-in-everything Valdostana tradition. The white truffle version is associated specifically with the autumn season when Piedmont truffles reach the Aosta market.

Risotto alla valdostana is the Aosta valley's interpretation of the Italian risotto — made with Carnaroli rice, cooked in a good meat broth, and finished with a generous quantity of Fontina d'Aosta DOP stirred in at the mantecatura stage, which melts through the rice to create a preparation of extraordinary richness and string. In the most luxurious version (autumn, October-November), shaved white truffle from the Piedmont side of the valley is added at the table. The Fontina mantecatura distinguishes this risotto from all others — the cheese's mountain-herb character and its exceptional melting quality produce a consistency that butter alone cannot approach.

Risotto alla valdostana plated and shaken shows the all'onda movement — the Fontina has made the risotto silky and slightly stringy; the mountain-herb character of the cheese runs through every grain. If truffle is present, it arrives last at the table in fragrant curls. The combination of alpine cheese, mountain wine, and white truffle is one of the great expressions of northern Italian mountain cuisine.