Making Fromage Fort

[halland]

I've been reading through the DK book French Cheeses and am intrigued by the section on Fromage Fort. In particular I'm looking for additional information on making Cachaille, a fromage fort made from grated dry cheese and eau-du-vie that will keep for up to 20 years if replenished (see pages 140-142 for the fromage fort section).

Does anyone have any guidance on making fromage fort of any sort?

Hal

[Fat Guy]

I've done it a few times. In fact I had a bunch of people over a few weeks ago and bought way too much cheese, so I made some and I'm still eating it. I do it at the simplest level: all I do is add white wine and raw garlic to a variety of leftover cheeses, and combine everything in the food processor. Soft cheeses can go right into the processor bowl, medium-firm cheeses should be cut into chunks, and hard cheeses should be grated first. You may need to add salt, depending on the cheeses that went in, and you can always add whatever fresh herbs you have around. Now I realize that in France they have a much more systematic way of doing this with some cheeses -- there are instances in which fromage fort is a product that people buy, made from a specific cheese in a specific way. That's not what I'm doing here.

[lleechef]

When I lived in France everyone bought packages of it at the fromagerie. It kind of resembled cottage cheese at this point. Then it goes into a bowl with a cover and sits in a warm spot for about three days and now looks "melted" and it stinks to high heaven. In the north of France they make a meal out of it....spread on slices of bread, put under the broiler until lightly browned then spread butter on top. It is divine.

[aliwaks]

I've done it a few times. In fact I had a bunch of people over a few weeks ago and bought way too much cheese, so I made some and I'm still eating it. I do it at the simplest level: all I do is add white wine and raw garlic to a variety of leftover cheeses, and combine everything in the food processor. Soft cheeses can go right into the processor bowl, medium-firm cheeses should be cut into chunks, and hard cheeses should be grated first. You may need to add salt, depending on the cheeses that went in, and you can always add whatever fresh herbs you have around. Now I realize that in France they have a much more systematic way of doing this with some cheeses -- there are instances in which fromage fort is a product that people buy, made from a specific cheese in a specific way. That's not what I'm doing here.

that sounds alot like boursin cheese but good...how does it last forever? is it similar to one of those recipes where you add a teeny bit from the last one to each new batch? how does it not go off? lots of cheese questions.

[halland]

I don't know how it lasts forever. I found another reference in one of my Time Life cookbooks to another potted cheese called foudjou that seems to be almost the same thing.

A simple google reveals this page on Patricia Wells' site. The Time Life book also mentions the cheese's longevity, however it does not make any claims about how long the people who ate the cheese lived!

I just need to find a small crock and then I'll be in business. Does anyone know if a mason jar would work? I could wrap it with foil to keep out light.

Hal

[Fat Guy]

how does it last forever?

I assume the wine acts as a preservative of sorts. After all, wine lasts a heck of a long time, and I think that's on account of its acidity and alcohol content. Still, I've never kept fromage fort around for long enough to test the radical claims of longevity made about the product. A month has never been a problem, though.

[syzygy8]

how does it last forever?

I assume the wine acts as a preservative of sorts. After all, wine lasts a heck of a long time, and I think that's on account of its acidity and alcohol content. Still, I've never kept fromage fort around for long enough to test the radical claims of longevity made about the product. A month has never been a problem, though.

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Let me turn this question around to see what people think. Is there a standard "I would not make fromage fort with any cheeses older than X."? I've made it a number of times taking care to knock off the visible molds. Blue cheeses are a bit different, naturally, because you can't quite cut it off and it grows pretty strong, let's say, in the interior. Anything with a hint of ammonia hits the trash bin. But I'll still use my semi-hard cheeses that have turned to rock once I've grated them.

What do others do? What are your limits regarding the age/consistency/odor/funkiness/etc. of cheese that you use in making your fromage fort?

[Chris Buurman]

Doesn't sound the best to my pallet but then again I am a cheese vergin in that respect what if you hung it then pressed it, then what would your result be....?

Also what is the spoilage factor for leaving it out that long in reference to the haging ad pressing factor

?

[jayt90]

What I would like to learn to do, is take a fresh cheese, say chevre, and age it in several rinses of brine, in my cellar, for a month or so. Would this approach the quality of hand washed cheeses from Quebec or France? Are there any inherent dangers? Any guide books?

[CompassRose]

When I lived in France everyone bought packages of it at the fromagerie.  It kind of resembled cottage cheese at this point.  Then it goes into a bowl with a cover and sits in a warm spot for about three days and now looks "melted" and it stinks to high heaven.  In the north of France they make a meal out of it....spread on slices of bread, put under the broiler until lightly browned then spread butter on top.  It is divine.

←

Interesting. I've never had fromage fort, but the description of the finished product sounds a lot like a Mennonite/Pennsylvania Dutch smelly cheese of which I am especially fond -- cook cheese.

[artisanbaker]

foudjou is one of those things that one must try before leaving the planet. kinda like scrapple.

[MaryIsobel]

I searched fromage fort before posting and lo and behold, I posted about it one year minus 1 day ago. It is my favourite part of Christmas leftovers. We always have so much cheese at Christmas. (says she who bought her husband a 10 pound wheel of aged gouda this year.) I love fromage fort better than most cheeses that we can get around here on their own. I use Jaque Pepin's ratio of 1/2 pound cheese, 1 clove garlic and 1/4 cup white wine. I doubled that and used havarti, camembert, a bit of herb and garlic boursin, about 1/4 cup of cream cheese and a little bit of smoked gouda and some extra old cheddar. Got 2 - 1 cup ramekins, 1 roughly 2/3 cup old pot de creme pot and a wee one, that's probably less than a 1/4 cup. This stuff freezes really well so the two big ones are for when we have company and the two small ones are for me when my husband is not home for dinner and I just want crackers and cheese