Nancye and I often half-joke that our favorite course for a big meal is the salad, bread, and cheese course. Consequently, we are often left with odds and ends of left-over cheese from our last several big dinners. Leave it to the gastronomic genius of the French to come up with the perfect recipe for all those (pricey) left-over pieces of cheese. It was probably the French chef Jacques Pépin who introduced and popularized “fromage fort” (strong cheese) in the U.S. over 50 years ago. Left-over cheese, white wine, garlic, and black pepper are the basic ingredients. Add whatever else you choose to make it your own. It’s a brilliant recipe in its simplicity and adaptability and a must-have recipe for any cheese lover. Serve with raw veggies (crudités), crackers, or crusty bread and your beverage of choice. You can also spread it on a slice of good bread and toast it under the broiler for a cheese lover’s dream! Or, add a spoonful to some leftover pasta and heat it up for a delicious, creamy Pasta alla Fromage Fort! Experiment and have fun!

FROMAGE FORT
Makes about ½ cup of spreadable cheese

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 pound assorted left-over cheeses (I used Brie, Camembert, Bleu, and Petit Basque, but use whatever you have on hand)

• 1/4 cup dry white wine

• 1-2 cloves of garlic

• freshly ground black pepper

• Optional: 1-2 teaspoons Peachy Habanero Hot Sauce (homemade, or store-bought)

• Optional: add 1- 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh herbs of choice like parsley, chives, thyme

PREPARATION:
Note: to avoid being overpowered by strong, salty cheese flavors, use smaller amounts of salty cheeses like Bleu, Gorgonzola, Pecorino Romano, Parmesan, or Cheddar. Use more creamy soft or semi-soft cheeses like Brie, Camembert, Gouda, Muenster, Petit Basque, Gruyère, Comte, or Emmental. A ratio of 2 or 3 parts milder, less salty cheese to one part strong, salty cheese is a good place to start.

1. Remove any moldy, funky, or hard rind from your cheeses. Cut the cheeses into pieces and add the cheese, wine, and garlic into a food processor and process until smooth. The mixture should be smooth and spreadable like soft cream cheese. If it’s too loose and runny, add more cheese. Conversely, if it’s grainy and too thick add a bit of softened butter or another creamy cheese to get to the smooth spreadable consistency you want.

2. Taste and add freshly ground black pepper to taste.

3. Optional: if you want to add a bit of spice to the mixture, add 1-2 teaspoons of fruity hot sauce and process until thoroughly incorporated into the cheese spread.

4. Optional: after you have achieved the texture you want, you can hand mix in chopped fresh herbs like chives, thyme, or parsley.