Cheese for Baked Rigatoni?

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Barb L.

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Want to try -Giada's- Baked rigatoni w/ Bechamel Sauce - never had Fontina cheese - is there a cheese comparable to it? Thanks !
 
If it's a young (unaged) fontina, an unaged provalone or gouda could sub. Unaged fontina is a semihard cheese with a very mild, almost sweet flavor.
 
It all depends upon what type of Fontina Giada is referring to. If it says "Fontina Val d'Aosta," it is NOT a mild cheese, but has considerably more character. Most of the Fontina that is available in US supermarkets is from Sweden or other parts of Scandinavia, and is pretty bland. The Val d'Aosta Fontina will be available in lots of Italian delis or at www.salumeriaitaliana.com (I know they carry it!) and has a hard, brownish rind and tastes a bit like other mountain cheeses such as Gruyere.
 
mudbug said:
Vera, I love both of these cheeses for the reasons you mentioned, but Jarlsberg Swiss is also quite nice.

And that is one of my favourite cheeses, especially with those hard pretzels!
 
Italian fontina = rich, nutty, deep almost sharp flavor. Swiss is harder and not as creamy as a fontina can be.
Danish/domestic fontina = domestic muenster,gouda, mild, bland
 
Another vote here for substituting Gruyere. I've used Gruyere in a number of different recipes when I couldn't find good Fontina, & the results were always delicious.
 
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