Fromage Fort is a French Cheese Spread consisting of leftover cheeses blended together with wine. The flavor of the different cheeses blends together and becomes stronger over time. I used Reggiano Parmesan, Asiago and Pecorino Romano because that is what I had on hand.
My friend Leif is a wood working artisan who creates beautiful hand crafted pieces like the amazing cheese board in these photos. I had planned on redoing the photos of a cheese board post I did a few years back. I recently saw a picture of an amazing cheese board that Leif posted on Instagram and decided that this would be a great opportunity for both of us. I asked him if I could use his cheese board in my photo shoot and that he could use the photos as well. He said of course and we were both very stoked!
The photos turned out great but when Leif saw them he said, “Where’s my board?” Haha, I had it buried under all the food. Woops! So I told him that I would do another photo shoot to showcase his beautiful board properly.
A few days later I met up with a couple of friends at the farmer’s market. We were talking about cheese and one of them had mentioned Fromage Fort. I hadn’t heard of it before and she explained that you take all your leftover cheese to make a whipped dip out of them. Right then, I immediately knew what I was going to make for my reshoot of Leif’s cheese board. I looked around the web for inspiration and found Jacque Pepin’s recipe and adapted my recipe from his.
You can serve this spread with a variety of wines like a Soave, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, White Rioja or a Sancerre for a white or a Pinot Noir, Tempranillo or a Red Rioja for a red.
Fromage Fort Cheese Spread Recipe:
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Reggiano Parmesan - finely shredded and packed
- 1/2 Cup Asiago - finely shredded and packed
- 1/2 Cup Pecorino Romano - finely shredded and packed
- 1/4 Cup Dry White Wine I used Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand which has strong notes of grapefruit
- 1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Clove Garlic
- Dash Black Pepper
Milder Variation
- Add in 4 oz. Chevre Cheese
Spicy Maple Pecan
- 2 Cups Raw Pecans
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
Other additions options:
- Crostini or French Bread
- Pears - sliced
- Quince Jam
- Olives - your choice
- Manchego Cheese Wedge
Garnish
- Sprigs of Rosemary
Instructions
Fromage Fort
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Finely shred the three kinds of cheese, measure and add to a food processor along with the wine, olive oil, garlic and pepper.
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Puree until creamy.
Pecans
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Add everything to a cast iron or a saute pan and turn the on stove onto medium heat.
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As soon as it starts to bubble, stir continuously.
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In about 3 – 6 minutes they will start to get sticky.
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When the moisture is all gone, turn off the heat.
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Spread onto parchment paper or a baking sheet. Don’t worry about them sticking together, you can separate them when they are cooled.
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Wait until they are completely cooled.
Assemble
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Arrange everything on a wood board or platter except the cheese spread and jam. Serve the spread and jam in small bowls.
