Creamy Grits With Fontina Fonduta And Mushroom Stew

Name: Creamy Grits With Fontina Fonduta And Mushroom Stew
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: italian, southern
Ingredients: 1 cup Anson Mills coarse yellow or white grits; 1 teaspoon fine sea salt; 1 to 2 tablespoons cold butter; Freshly ground black pepper; 1/4 pound fontina cheese, diced; 1/4 cup whole milk; 2/3 cup heavy cream; 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; 1 egg yolk; 6 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil; 3/4 pound assorted mushrooms, cut into 1/4-inch slices; 2 shallots, minced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tablespoon chopped thyme; 2 ounces cabbage, shaved paper thin

Recipe from Rialto restaurant

Adapted by Kay Rentschler

Creamy Grits With Fontina Fonduta And Mushroom Stew — Daniel van Ackere for The New York Times

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Rating: 5(8)
Notes: Read community notes

Featured in: A Grits Revival With the Flavor Of the Old South

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

For the Grits

1cup Anson Mills coarse yellow or white grits
1teaspoon fine sea salt
1 to 2tablespoons cold butter
Freshly ground black pepper

For the Fonduta

¼pound fontina cheese, diced
¼cup whole milk
⅔cup heavy cream
½cup Parmesan cheese
1egg yolk

For the Mushrooms

6teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
¾pound assorted mushrooms, cut into ¼-inch slices
2shallots, minced
3cloves garlic, minced
1tablespoon chopped thyme
2ounces cabbage, shaved paper thin

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Place grits in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add 2½ cups cold water, and stir once. Allow grits to settle in saucepan, then skim off chaff and hulls that float to surface. Turn heat to medium-high, and bring grits to low simmer, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to lowest setting, and cover saucepan. Heat 2 cups water in a small saucepan. Keep hot.
Step 2
Cook grits, covered, over very low heat, stirring every 10 minutes or so with wooden spoon, and adding ¼ cup hot water to pan when grits become thick. Cook grits until creamy and tender but not mushy, about 90 minutes. Stir in salt after 45 minutes. At end of cooking, stir in butter, and season to taste with black pepper. Keep warm. (Grits can be served at this point, as a side dish.)
Step 3
While grits cook, make fonduta. In a small stainless steel bowl, combine fontina with milk and let sit 30 minutes. In a small saucepan, combine cream with Parmesan cheese. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until parmesan has melted. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, but keep warm.
Step 4
Set bowl with fontina over a pot of simmering water, and stir constantly to melt cheese into threads. Transfer both cheese mixtures to a blender, add egg yolk, and blend until smooth. Taste, and adjust seasonings. Return to saucepan. Keep warm.
Step 5
To prepare mushrooms, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add half the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook until seared, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add 2 more teaspoons oil to pan, and cook remaining mushrooms. Transfer to plate. Add remaining olive oil to pan, add shallots and garlic, and cook 3 minutes. Return mushrooms to pan, cover, and cook about 4 minutes. Stir in thyme.
Step 6
To serve, distribute shaved cabbage evenly over 4 warm plates. Put a spoonful of grits on top. Pour fonduta over grits. Top with mushrooms. Serve immediately with lots of freshly ground black pepper.