LIGURIAN SEA SALT Focaccia + Honey-Fontina Fondue
Day 4 of “12 Days of Christmas” recipes. Today, I’m bringing you the best focaccia recipe…ever.
I first found this recipe watching Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat on Netflix, and then was later reminded about it while reading the Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat book. The author, Samin Nosrat, adopted this focaccia recipe from the time she first had it with a friend in Liguria, Italy. I remember this particular part of the “Fat” episode of the 4 part Netflix documentary so vividly because the focaccia looked so incredible — unlike any I’ve ever seen. So much effort and love was put into every detail of making it, from the first of three proofs to the brining to the final touches of olive oil and flakey sea salt.
One thing that especially stuck out to me was that Samin accompanied her fresh, hot focaccia with a glass of milk. This is a pretty traditional pairing in Liguria, and I presume other parts of Italy, as well. I’m not even a milk drinker and this looked so divine that every time I make this recipe, I have to have it with a glass of almond or oat milk. It’s definitely not the same, but there’s just something about a warm, salty, slightly sweet piece of fresh focaccia seeping with olive oil that’s so good with cold milk.
Okay so this recipe seems perfect - right? Well yeah, but that’s because it definitely requirers a bit more TLC than a typical focaccia recipe does. The first proofing is 14 hours long, followed by two more shorter proofs and a brine before it even touches the oven. But I promise it is 100% worth it. If you have any extra time on your hands to make this focaccia, you need to do it.
The three main things I learned that make the best focaccia from both watching and reading Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat are:
the amount of salt
the amount of olive oil (it makes sense that this recipe was a part of the “Fat” episode)
the brine (aka more salt and also the reason for a tender, fluffy focaccia)
Not only is it about the amount of salt and olive oil, it’s also about the quality and layers of these ingredients added. They aren’t just added once, but 5 or 6 times, making sure that each step of the process gets equal seasoning. You also want to make sure that your salt and olive oil are of decent quality - since there is so much incorporated, bad olive oil can really ruin the entire recipe. Salt wise, Samin recommends Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. Olive oil. wise, I recommend the California brand Extra Virgin Olive Oil for a relatively cheap option found in most stores.
This focaccia is heavenly by itself, but I couldn’t stop there. To go with it, I made a Honey-Fontina Fondue. The rich, creamy, and buttery mild flavor of fontina paired with a little sweetness from honey, a little acid from wine and lemon, and a little earthiness from fresh rosemary blend together to make the best appetizer/snack with this Focaccia. I’m going to leave the link for the focaccia below and also include my fontina fondue recipe further down.
Honey-Fontina Fondue
3 cups grated fontina cheese
1 cup grated gruyere cheese
1 1/2 cups dry white wine, I used Pinot Grigio
1 large garlic clove, peeled and split in half
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbs. lemon juice
2 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
3 tbs. honey
2 tbs. corn starch
Rub the inside of a fondue pot or double-boiler with the open side of the garlic and discard the garlic (or save for another use). Pour in the wine, lemon, and dijon, and whisk to combine. Heat until a low boil forms. Toss the grated cheeses lightly with the cornstarch until evenly coated. One handful at a time, add the cheeses to the pot, stirring each time until the cheeses are completely melted. Stir in the honey, salt, and rosemary at the last minute and stir. Serve immediately. Keep the pot on a hot pad to ensure that it stays melty while eating. Serve with the focaccia recipe above, or any bread, potatoes, vegetables, etc.
