It’s a well known fact that the French make good cheese, and enjoy eating it as well as they make it. It’s no surprise then that they came up with a wonderful way to use every last crumb of it.
(All links open a new page, so you won’t lose your spot when you look around! Get information on gardening and cultural traditions, recipes, stories, and more!)
Greeks are also quite fond of cheese, and are prolific producers of a wide variety of types (no, not just feta!). So what to do when you look in the fridge and you see a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but not enough to actually serve anyone and you don’t just want to nibble on random pieces of cheese? Why, you just pretend to be French for a day (or maybe you already are!).
Fromage Fort translates to “strong cheese” and is made by taking those random scraps of cheese and giving it new life. The “strong” part of the name likely comes from the little bit of fresh garlic that is used to make this cheese spread, giving a nice kick in flavor. And since it’s a French thing, you know there also needs to be wine. The end result is a tasty spreadable cheese that may even be better than the cheeses it came from. It’s more than good enough to serve to company, assuming you want to share!
Fromage Fort (French Cheese Spread) Recipe
You will want to be sure to have a balance of cheese types in terms of flavor and texture. Strong flavored cheeses like blue cheese, feta, parmesan, etc. should be kept to a small portion with a larger amount of milder cheese. Also, harder cheese should be kept to a lower amount for ease of blending.
Ingredients
For every 8 ounces of cheese you will need:
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup white wine, any varitety
- 1/2 tsp. dried dill or thyme
- 1 to 2 ounces butter or cream cheese (optional, but if you have a higher amount of firm cheeses, this will help with blending)
Directions
Trim any rinds from the cheeses. Cut the softer cheeses into small chunks, and shred the harder types. Place all the cheese, garlic, and any butter or cream cheese into a food processor. While the processor is running, add the wine and dill or thyme. Blend until the spread is smooth. You may need to stop the machine and scrape down the sides, then continue running the processor. Keep in mind as you run the processor that the cheese will get warm from the friction, so you want to process the spread long enough to get it fairly smooth, but not too long that the cheese gets gummy.
Remove the cheese from the processor, put into a container and refrigerate till chilled. You may need to allow the spread to warm up to room temperature in order for it to be soft enough for spreading on crackers or bread, or anything else! Enjoy!
Mostly Greek 