Baked Fontina at The Red Cat

One of our favorite places to visit in NYC was

The Red Cat in Chelsea. We fell in love with Jimmy Bradely's

baked fontina and the restaurant’s understated charm.

Time’s critic, Frank Bruni, called it a “place with sophisticated food

but not a whiff of arrogance about it".

Chef Jimmy Bradley closed The Red Cat in 2018. Though you

can no longer dine at the former Chelsea mainstay, you can

still enjoy the yummy baked fontina at home. Pair it with crusty Italian

bread and a bottle of wine for the perfect cool weather comfort meal.

For an easy company dinner with a wow factor, treat guests

to individual servings in small cast iron skillets. Our

approach is more casual; we throw it all together and plop

a big skillet of the melty cheese right in the middle of

the table for friends to share. It’s like fondue without

without those little forks that always lose your bread.

Jimmy Bradley’s Baked Fontina:

• 1 1/2 lbs Italian fontina, rind trimmed and discarded, cut into

one inch cubes

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme

• 1teaspoon freshen chopped rosemary

• Salt

• fresh ground black pepper

sliced country bread or rolls

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the broiler.

2. For individual servings, divide the fontina among four 6-inch

cast-iron skillets.

3. Drizzle with olive oil and scatter the garlic, thyme, and

rosemary over the cheese.

4. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 6 to 7 minutes.

Serve each person an individual pan, setting it on a pot holder or

napkin. For one large pan, use a 12-inch cast-iron skillet and follow the

same directions. Set in the center of the table, with the bread

alongside for dunking.