Taleggio DOP in Tegame con Polenta e Porcini

Bring the salted water to a rolling boil in a heavy pot. Pour in the white polenta in a thin, steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Reduce to a gentle simmer and stir with a wooden spoon for the time indicated on the grain, until the polenta pulls cleanly away from the sides of the pot and no raw-flour smell remains. Pour into a lightly oiled tray to a depth of approximately 2 cm, smooth the surface, and allow to set. Cut into four even slabs.

Warm the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat with the crushed garlic. Add the sliced porcini in a single layer — do not crowd. Sauté without moving for the first minute, then turn. Cook until golden at the edges and any released moisture has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and discard the garlic. Set the mushrooms aside in a warm place.

Warm the polenta slabs in a dry non-stick pan or under a moderate grill until heated through and lightly coloured on the surface. Transfer one slab to each warmed plate.

This step is where the dish lives or dies. Place the Taleggio — rind removed, at room temperature — in a heavy terracotta or non-stick tegame with the butter over the lowest possible heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon from the moment the cheese begins to soften. The mass will loosen progressively into a copper-gold, slightly elastic pool. It must never bubble or spit; the instant any fat begins to separate at the edges, remove the pan from the heat immediately and continue stirring off the heat. The finished melt is fluid, glossy, and uniformly smooth — no lumps, no oily sheen.

Pour the molten Taleggio over the polenta slabs immediately — the cheese sets within 60 seconds of leaving the heat. Top at once with the sautéed porcini and bring to the table without delay.