Cardoon stalks make an ideal bed for fonduta with truffle. The unmistakeable aroma and flavour of this very special vegetable was at serious risk of dying out altogether, until it were brought back from the brink of extinction by Slow Food’s “Arca del Gusto” project.
The cardoons should be blanched for a few minutes, with the juice of a lemon in the water, then cut into sections and sautéed with butter.
The cheese fonduta should be prepared separately – fontina cheese cut into chunks and melted in milk, which should never be allowed to come to the boil, with the addition of egg yolks at the end. Pour the fonduta over the cardoons and then cover in truffle shavings.

Dice the fontina and leave it to soak in the milk for 3 hours, then drain well and put it into the melted butter.
Stir well over the heat until the mixture is creamy and loses its stringiness, then add the egg yolks and salt.
Serve hot with toast.