Fromage Fort or Tiny Fondue
This might be one of my favorite recipes. It’s ridiculously delicious, simple to make, freezes beautifully, and most importantly uses up bits and pieces of cheese that you might have otherwise thrown out. I discovered it back in the early 2000s and have been making it about once or twice a year ever since. It’s from Jacques Pepin, who adopted it from his own father’s recipe. My father, who recently died in January, loved to gift us with wedges of cheese when he would come over to our house several times a week for dinner. While we loved the cheese, sometimes we just didn’t get around to eating it all. As a result, a couple of times a year I would gather all the “old” cheese and whip up a batch. Moldy cheese? Don’t worry, as my mom used to always say "Just cut off the mold. It's still good!" when I would pull out a hunk of cheese that was past its prime.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Servings |
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Ingredients
- 1 pound (or whatever you have on hand) cheese I like to use a combination hard cheeses like aged provolone, Manchego, cheddar, Gouda, etc. and then a soft cheese, such as brie or even a little cream cheese.
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/2 cup white wine use less if you have less than a pound of cheese
- 1 pinch freshly ground salt and pepper
Ingredients
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Instructions
- This is another one of those recipes where exact quantities are not required, but merely suggestions. In other words, if you don’t have a pound of cheese, just adjust the quantities. The biggest mistake you can make is adding too much wine, so go slowly when adding. The goal is a consistency of a really thick frosting.
- Place all ingredients in a food processor and mix until smooth – probably about a minute depending on how hard your cheeses are. I find that if I’m using a super hard piece of cheese that it helps to cut into tiny cubes before putting it in the food processor.
- Once the it’s about the consistency of a thick frosting, pack into a few ramekins. You can freeze what you don’t eat right away for months as long as it’s properly protected against freezer-burn. When you are ready to use, take out of the freezer and put under a broiler until it’s slightly browned and bubbly on top. Serve with bread or crackers and be prepared to swoon in delight!
- ProTip: Having a ramekin or two of this in your freezer means that you always have an appetizer ready within ten minutes for any unexpected guests!
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As usual, a perfect recipe! Thanks.
Old cheese? No problem: a family friend says ,”what? Moldy cheese? Think of it like you’re taking off their fuzzy sweaters!”