Whenever we have people to stay, I always have a ‘night off’ from cooking and buy some different cheeses, fresh bread and some tomatoes and olives. We then usually have a lunch the following day from the leftovers, but inevitably, there are still a few chunks of cheese left from that, which become smaller as the days wear on, until its not really worth putting them out again. This is when Fromage Fort comes in! Blend your leftover cheese with cream cheese (or if you want to keep with tradition, butter) and a little wine and herbs and you have a wonderful rich cheese spread! Grate the hard cheeses, cut the soft cheese like brie into cubes, oh and be careful not to overdo the blue cheese as it can totally overpower the spread! I have left out garlic, which is traditionally used, as I’m not a fan of raw garlic, but feel free to add it. Don’t worry about exact amounts – it’s a very forgiving, flexible recipe.
Fromage Fort
Ingredients
200g/ 1 generous cup mixed cheese
1/2 tbsp cream cheese - or butter
1 1/2 tbsp white wine
1/2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
pinch smoked paprika
black pepper
Method
Grate the hard cheese like cheddar, and cube the soft cheeses like brie, then place them into a small blender. Add the soft cheese, wine, parsley, smoked paprika and black pepper, then blend until smooth. (You may need to add a little more cream cheese if you have used mostly hard cheese.)
Place in the fridge until ready to firm, then let it come to room temperature before serving.
Serve with toast, fresh bread, or crackers.
The fromage fort will keep 3-5 days in the fridge - be aware thathe flavours will become stronger the longer it sits in the fridge.