I don’t know about you, but taking something that looks like a sad castaway and refashioning it into something delicious really makes me want to high-five myself in the kitchen.
I gave myself one such high-five a few months ago when I was in the process of cleaning my fridge and realized that I was rich with bits and bobs of various cheeses. They looked pitiful shoved into the far corner of the cheese drawer, and I was momentarily annoyed with them taking up space and creating clutter. Then, I remembered how years ago when I lived by myself and often made dinner out of cheese, fruit, a baguette and wine, I’d later refashion any cheese remnants into a spread called fromage fort.
Instantly, the annoyance gave way to delight.
Fromage fort means “strong cheese” in French, and it’s one of my favorite recipes if only because it will make you look forward to discovering those odds and ends of cheese.
Making fromage fort is so straightforward it feels almost silly to provide a recipe for it: Take a few bits of cheese, as few as three and as many as your imagination (and food processor will allow) and whir them together with a little garlic and splash of wine (or vegetable stock, as Jacques Pépin’s mother used to do), a generous sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper, and a handful of fresh herbs, if you’re so inclined. In about five minutes, you have fromage fort.
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The spread is ideal with baguette slices or crackers, but is also a fantastic accompaniment to sturdy veggies such as broccoli or cauliflower — romanesco florets look particularly dramatic with their fractal-looking cones — radishes or fennel. Celery sticks could also be filled with the spread, for a high-low-brow mash-up. If you’re someone who loves garlic with abandon, or are in the business of warding off vampires, feel free to add more cloves, but keep in mind that as the spread ages in the fridge, the allium will grow more potent.
And, while simple to make, if you’ve never tried your hand at fromage fort, it’s helpful to have a blueprint and that’s what I’m providing below. It’s up to you to choose the cheeses, but as a general guideline, a little of something creamy, such as brie or chevre, gives the spread great texture, and a bit of something punchy, like blue cheese, gives your fromage fort a bit more oomph. You might discover that you prefer your fromage fort sans funk of blue cheese, or that you prefer the tang of cream cheese to chevre, or even a pat of butter for a richer texture. Whichever version you like is the right one for you.
The magic and delight of fromage fort is that each batch will always be a little different, which is part of the fun.
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Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
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