Fromage Fort Is an Amazing Dish Made From Slices of Cheese Plate
There is no such thing as “leftover cheese”, but if you are a cheese collector like me, you will probably find that you have small pieces and ends of various milk treasures. You could keep making increasingly tiny cheese platters or making from the old fort , also known as the “snobbish DIY Boursin”.
This is part of the Lifehacker Eating Trash With Claire series in which Claire Lower convinces you to turn your kitchen waste into something edible and tasty.
” Fromage fort ” is French for “strong cheese” and is perhaps one of my favorite spreads. It’s a kind of cheese that chooses its own adventure situation, each time with a different but always delicious outcome. There are no real rules here, you just need cheese, wine, garlic, butter and some herbs (if you have them).
Start by removing the inedible rind and cutting the softer cheeses into small (about 1/2 inch) cubes. Grate the harder cheeses and add everything to the bowl of a food processor, plus some wine, a couple tablespoons of oil, a couple of cloves of garlic, and a few sprigs of herbs (parsley is best). You don’t need to measure, but for eight ounces of cheese, I prefer to use:
- 1 ounce white wine
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove of garlic
- Several sprigs of parsley
Of course, don’t be limited to any of the above. Want a little flavor in your old age ? Add a spoonful of sour cream or crème fraîche. Don’t you feel white wine? Add red or even port; your cheese will still be delicious and very beautiful. Hell, splash or vermouth doesn’t suck either. For sweetness, drizzle with honey or add a tablespoon of dried cranberries. There is really no wrong way to do this, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Anyway. Once everything is in a bowl, beat everything together until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is nice and smooth. You can serve it right away, let it freeze in the refrigerator, or even roll it into a cheese ball . Fromage fort is great for crackers, chips, and breads (especially if it’s fried), but I’m a big fan of using it on radishes. (Not for health reasons; I just really love radishes.)