Fromage Fort: Here are my files including techniques, suggestions, and a recipe or two. Info is kind of random as I just pulled the files together for this post ... no editing, etc.
What Is Fromage Fort?
https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/fromage-fort
Fromage fort is a spread made from leftover pieces of cheese mixed with white wine, garlic, and herbs. You can serve it chilled or at room temperature as a spread with crackers or vegetables, or smear it on slices of bread and bake or broil it. While the origins of fromage fort are unclear, it is believed to have been created in the French countryside as a way to repurpose leftover cheese into a delicious, spreadable treat.
Jacques Pépin says that when he was young, his father made fromage fort with leftover pieces of Camembert, Brie, Swiss, blue cheese and goat cheese, mixed with his mother's leek broth, some white wine, and crushed garlic. He would let the ingredients marinate in a cold cellar for a week or so (he liked the flavor to be really strong). Pépin’s recipe here is more of a guide, calling for half a pound of mixed cheeses to be blended with garlic, white wine, salt, and pepper. His wife Gloria encouraged him to blend the cheeses in a food processor to make it easier.
Feel free to experiment by using different combinations of cheese, and adding herbs, spices, and other aromatics. Start by taking an inventory of what you have on hand. Hard cheeses may need to be chopped up before they are mixed with the other ingredients in the food processor. You want a mix of hard and soft cheeses, but if you only have hard cheese, just add a little more butter, a scoop of ricotta or yogurt, or a little extra wine or cream so that it still comes together as a spread when processed. Go easy on the amount of blue cheese in the mix, as it can overpower the flavors of the rest of the cheeses. The end result will vary with each combination of cheese, but it’s almost impossible to make a fromage fort that isn’t delicious.
Ingredients
½ pound cheese pieces
1 garlic clove
¼ cup dry white wine
Black pepper
Salt
Directions
Put cheese pieces in the bowl of a food processor. Add garlic clove and dry white wine and a big grinding of black pepper.
Process mixture for 30 seconds or so, until it is creamy but not too soft. Taste, and add salt if needed. Transfer fromage fort to a serving dish, or to an airtight container to store until you are ready to eat. You can also spread it on bread and broil it for a few minutes until brown and bubbly.
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Fromage Fort
You may use any left‑over cheese you wish, such as Cheddar, Parmesan, Provolone, Fontina, Mozzarella, Camembert, or St. Andre. Make sure that you use a combination that is not too salty.
1 pound left‑over cheese*, at room temperature
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
1 small clove garlic
Remove any rinds from hard cheeses. Grate hard cheeses and cut others into 1/2‑inch cubes. Place cheese, wine, butter, herbs, and garlic in a food processor and blend until smooth, approximately 2 minutes. Serve immediately or refrigerate for at least 1 hour for a firmer consistency. This can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
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Fromage Fort
This is a good recipe to use up leftover cheese. Mix all types (the more the better!) of cheeses that you have left over. Keep in mind that adding a lot of blue cheese will result in a dominant blue flavor.
Ingredients
1 lb cheese (hard rinds and mold trimmed) at room temperature, roughly cubed
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp black pepper, ground
2 Tbsp brandy (optional)
Directions
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until very smooth and creamy (if the mixture is a little dry add additional wine until desired consistency is achieved). You can serve it immediately or store it in a covered container for up to a week. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Serve with crusty bread, crackers or toasted baguette.
*You can also add herbs, olive oil, tomatoes, shallots or olives to this recipe. This is a great way to tap into your creative side!
Fromage Fort
As observed above, there are no rules as to how you put this together. Maybe you want more wine, or less. Maybe you want a heavy hand with salt and pepper, or you want the natural flavors of the cheese to shine through. If you’re using a lot of hard cheeses, a pat or two of butter will help smooth things out. Personally, I go easy on the garlic (one tiny clove) because it really blooms as the cheese sits, and I don’t want it to take over, but maybe you would like that. The only thing I think is important to keep in mind is that even a small amount of blue cheese tends to dominate. With 25% of the weight in blue the result was essentially a blue cheese spread. If that’s not your thing, limit it to just a small spoonful or a few crumbles.
If you’re curious, a recent formula was one part each of blue, brie, goat cheese and gruyere, a handful of chives and a full cup of wine.
1 pound mix leftover cheese, harder cheeses grated, softer ones cut into chunks
A couple pats of butter, if using mostly firm cheese varieties
1 small clove garlic, minced, or more to taste
1/2 to 1 cup leftover white wine
1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme, rosemary or chives
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Blend cheese, butter (if using) and garlic in food processer until combined. Drizzle in wine with the motor running until you get your desired consistency — some like it completely smooth, others prefer chunks. Add herbs, pulsing the machine until just combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Fromage fort can be used right away, or kept in the fridge until needed. In the fridge, it will thicken and age a little; the flavors will mingle and deepen.
