Fromage Fort
Fromage fort is a supremely elegant French way of saying “random cheese drawer spread.” And that’s exactly what it is — a really great way to use up all the bits and pieces of cheese at the bottom of your cheese drawer. There aren’t a lot of rules here, because the result is different with each combination of cheese. 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, and a little more wine or cream so that it still comes together in a spread. I suggest you go easy on the amount of blue cheese in the mix, as it can overpower the rest of the cheeses. Otherwise … that’s kind of it. Toast some bread or pull out some crackers to go with it. Pour yourself a drink, and feel fancy.
Makes 1 cup
1 large clove garlic
Leaves from a sprig of parsley or other herb (optional)
8 oz cheese – whatever you have sitting around, preferably a mix of hard and soft cheeses, rind removed, cut into pieces
1-2 tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
¼ cup white wine (optional as needed)
Combine the garlic and herbs in the bowl of a food processor and process until minced, about 15 seconds. Add the cheese, butter, Dijon, salt and pepper and process until mixed into a soft spread, about 20 seconds. If the mixture isn’t coming together, add the wine (or a little whole milk or heavy cream works here, too). Process until smooth. Taste, and adjust the flavor as needed by adding more salt, butter, mustard or cheese. Serve with crackers, crostini and vegetables.