Fromage Fort/Fromage du Jour

Fromage Fort/Fromage du Jours have become popular with my customers.  Having prepared quite a variety of them, I thought it easiest to have them all in one post for ease of reference.  The date indicated is the date it was sampled. If it was a favorite it is labeled FAVORITE.  Comments from the initial recipe post are included (in blue).

I began making Fromage Forts when I saw a recipe for one in my food trade magazine.  With recipe in hand, I Googled in search of more Fromage Fort recipes.  I learned that Fromage Fort (French for "strong cheese") is made by using leftover pieces of various cheeses, adding wine, garlic, herbs, seasonings, etc.  Camembert, Brie, Swiss,  Parmigian-Reggiano, and goat milk cheeses are the cheeses typically used.  Nicole (TFM's Cheese Specialist extraordinaire) is cutting cheese daily and scraps are tossed in the trash. What better way to "play" and salvage the scraps.  I was going to turn those into tasty tidbits (if it killed me).  Fromage du Jour came about because I preferred the sound of that over Fromage Fort.  Besides, I had ventured from the true aspects of Fromage Fort.

Fromage Fort 1 - Aged Gouda/Parrano/
     Swiss Emmenthaller/Ricotta Salata 
     (FAVORITE - 2/21/14)

10 oz. Old Dutch Masters Aged Gouda, 
     rind removed and grated

7 oz. Parrano, rind removed and grated

7 oz. Swiss Emmenthaller, 
     rind removed and grated

4 oz. Ricotta Salata, crumbled

6 Tbl. butter

5 Tbl. Lucini Roasted Garlic 
     Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbl. TFM Extra Virgin Olive Oil

¼ c. chopped chives

Place cheese, butter and oils, in the bowl of a food  processor and process until blended and smooth.  If you feel the mixture is too dry, add more of the olive oils.  Mix in chives.

After getting the seal of approval from all my taste testers, this went to the sample table for the final verdict from customers.  SUCCESS!  This was the hit of the night.  

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Fromage Fort 2 - Manchego/Parrano/3 Year Cheddar/
     Red Wax Gouda  (2/22/14)
9¾ oz. Manchego, rind removed and grated
7 oz. Parrano, rind removed and grated
7 oz. 3 Year Cheddar grated
4 ½ oz. Red Wax Gouda, rind removed and grated
6 Tbl. butter
¾ c. TFM Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 pkg. (3 oz.) California Smoked Sun Dried Tomatoes, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
¼ c. cilantro, chopped

Place cheese, butter and oil, in the bowl of a food processor and process until blended and smooth. If you feel the mixture is too dry, add more olive oil. Mix in tomatoes, jalapeno and cilantro. Refrigerate overnight to let the flavors blend.


Fromage Fort 3 - Comte Gruyere/Yellow Wax Gouda/
     Smoked Cheddar/Ricotta Salata  (2/22/14)
5 oz. Comte Gruyere, rind removed and grated
7½ oz. Yellow Wax Gouda, rind removed and grated
5 oz. Belton Farms Oak Smoked Cheddar, grated
4 ½ oz. Ricotta Salata, grated
5 Tbl. butter
¾ c. TFM Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tbl. Lucini Roasted Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ c. diced red onion

Place cheese, butter and oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until blended and smooth. If you feel the mixture is too dry, add more olive oil. Mix in onion. Refrigerate 5 hours to overnight to let flavors blend.


Fromage Fort 4 - Aged Gouda/Comte Gruyere/
     Boucherondin  (2/22/14)
8½ oz. Old Dutch Masters Aged Gouda, 
     rind removed and grated
6½ oz. Comte Gruyere, rind removed and grated
7 oz. Boucherondin de Chevre, crumbled
5 Tbl. butter1 bottle (3.38 oz.) Il Molino 
     Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Rosemary

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until blended and smooth. If you feel the mixture is too dry, add TFM Extra Virgin Olive Oil.


All three of Saturday's Fromage Forts were enjoyed by customers.  However, 2 and 4 were favored over 3.  

I also have to say that Lucini Roasted Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Il Molino Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Rosemary have tremendous flavor.  I so enjoyed using them.  Truth be told, I HAD to use Il Molino because I liked the bottle. (See we don't just buy wine because of the label.  It falls into play with other products as well.)  It would be a great gift for someone.  

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Wensleydale with Cranberries was a nice addition to a Fromage Fort.  I decided to use Nuts & Berries (from the bulk bin) as a garnish.  

Fromage Fort 5 - Brie/
     Wensleydale with Cranberries/
     Bellavitano Merlot (2/28/14)

8 oz. Ile de France Brie, 
     cut into wedges

8 oz. Wensleydale with 
                                                  Cranberries, crumbled

7 oz. Belavitano Merlot, grated

8 Tbl. (1 stick) butter

¾ c. Nuts & Berries, coarsely chopped

Place cheese and butter in the bowl of a food  processor and process until blended and smooth.  Refrigerate 5 hours to overnight to let flavors blend.  Prior to serving, place in serving bowl and garnish with Nuts & Berries.  Serve with your favorite crackers.

In all honesty, I was on the fence about serving this. I was not a fan, but Nicole said it was quite good.  In the end, customers were enjoying it.   After talking with a customer about this Fromage Fort the light bulb went off for me ... I'm not a fan of Wensleydale with Cranberries.  If that is a cheese you enjoy, this recipe is for you.  Me ... not so much.  

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Nicole had scraps of Jarlsberg and Camembert for me.  I wanted to do something less savory and used Gjetost for a mild nutty flavor.  Then for texture I added honey roasted peanuts.  

Fromage Fort 6 - Gjetost/
     Jarlsberg Swiss/
     Camembert (3/1/14)

8.8 oz. Ski Queen Gjetost, grated

8 oz. Jarlsberg Swiss, grated

8 oz. Ile de France Camembert

¾ c. honey roasted peanuts, 
     coarsely chopped

Place cheese in the bowl of a food  processor and process until blended and smooth.  This will be very thick, so you may want to do it in small batches.  Form into a ball.  Cover.  Refrigerate 5 hours to overnight to let flavors blend.  Prior to serving roll in peanuts.  Serve with your favorite crackers.

In other Fromage Forts I say to add oil if the cheese is too thick.  DO NOT add oil to this.  It severely minimizes the delicious nutty flavor.

This is the EASIEST Fromage Fort.  I was anxious to use Apetina Feta in oil with herbs and spices.  My hope was to just empty the jar into the food processor and not have to measure olive oil or decide on adding spices.  Success!

Fromage Fort 7 - Comte Gruyere/
     Kerrygold Aged Cheddar/
     Apetina (FAVORITE - 3/1/14)

12 oz. Comte Gruyere, 
     rind removed and grated

11 oz. Kerrygold Aged Cheddar, grated

9.7 oz. jar Apetina Feta in oil 
     with herbs and spice

¾ c. Kalamata olives, chopped

1 bag Stacy’s Pita Crisps, Simply Naked (sea salt)

Place cheeses, including oil with herbs and spices, in the bowl of a food  processor and process until blended and smooth.  Refrigerate 5 hours to overnight to let flavors blend.  Prior to serving, place in serving bowl and garnish with Kalamata olives.  Serve with Stacy’s Pita Crisps.

THE customer favorite.

Cute jar. Great flavor.

Fromage Fort 8 - Fol Epi/

     Parrano/Champignon with
     Mushrooms (3/7/14)

9½ oz. Fol Epi, rind removed and grated

9 oz. Parrano, rind removed and grated

6¾ oz. Champignon with Mushrooms, 
     cut in pieces

¼ c. Lucini Roasted Garlic 
     Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Wildly Delicious Roasted Garlic Sea Salt, to taste

TFM Original French Rounds

Place cheeses and olive oil in the bowl of a food  processor and process until blended and smooth.  If you feel the mixture is too dry, add more TFM Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  Refrigerate to let flavors blend (5 to 24 hours).  Place cheese in a serving bowl and garnish with sea salt.  Serve with TFM Original French Rounds.

Customers did enjoy this, but I will say you have to like garlic.  The Lucini Roasted Garlic EVOO is very tasty and there's no mistaking the garlic flavor.  In fact, I stopped adding the olive oil after ¼ cup as the flavor was getting to bold.  Not adding more olive oil made the consistency on the thicker side.  If I would have been thinking I would have continued to add olive oil, but would have switched to TFM's EVOO.  That is the reason for the blue line in the directions above.  I added TFM's EVOO to the remaining spread after my tasting.  The spread was amazing.  

Fromage Fort 9 - Apetina/Fol Epi/

    Saint Andre (FAVORITE - 3/7/14)

9.7 oz. jar Apetina Feta in oil 
     with herbs and spices

8 oz. Fol Epi, rind removed and grated

7 oz.  Saint Andre, cut in wedges

TFM Original French Rounds

Place cheeses (including Apetina’s oil, herbs and spices) in the bowl of a food  processor and process until blended and smooth.  Refrigerate to let flavors blend (5 to 24 hours).  Serve with TFM Original French Rounds.

All I can say about this was HANDS DOWN FAVORITE Fromage Fort (1 through 11) EVER.  The cheeses for this were flying off the shelf.  I will have to do this again at the holidays.   I enjoy using Apetina because there's no measuring of EVOO and I don't have to think of spices (let alone measure and chop.  Sheez!  I'm starting to sound like some of my customers.)  

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Fromage Fort 10 - Apetina/Fontina/Champignon with

     Mushrooms (3/8/14)

9.7 oz. jar Apetina Feta in oil with herbs and spices

7½ oz. Fontina, rind removed and grated

5½ oz. Champignon with Mushrooms, cut in pieces

TFM Original French Rounds

Place cheeses (including oil, herbs and spices) in the bowl of a food  processor and process until blended and smooth.  Refrigerate to let flavors blend (5 to 24 hours).  Serve with TFM Original French Rounds.

Fromage Fort 11 - 

     Burrata/Piave (3/8/14)

8 oz. BelGioioso Burrata, drained

5¼ oz. Piave, rind removed 
     and grated

2 Tbl. TFM Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbl. Delallo Piquillo Peppers, 
     drained and diced

Stacy’s Bake Shop 
     Herbed Baguette Bakery Crisps

Place cheeses and oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until blended and smooth.  Mix in peppers. Refrigerate to let flavors blend (5 to 24 hours).  Serve with Stacy’s Herbed Baguette Bakery Crisps.

Not much on these two.  No negative comments,  Some customers said they enjoyed.  As for my taste testers ... they liked them, but nothing could compare to #9.  

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Fromage du Jour 12 – Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs/
     Bellavitano Balsamic (FAVORITE - 3/14/14)

2 (5.2 oz.) Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbes, crumbled in

7½ oz. Bellavitano Balsamic, grated

¼ c. TFM Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/3 c. pine nuts, toasted

Place cheeses and oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until blended and smooth.. Refrigerate to let flavors blend (5 to 24 hours).  Mix in pine nuts. Serve with TFM Original French Rounds.

This was Friday's sampling and a hit with customers.  

Fromage du Jour 13 - Red Wax Gouda/Chaumes (3/15/14)

10 oz. Red Wax Gouda, rind removed and grated

8½ oz. Chaumes, cubed

6 Tbl. TFM Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Place cheeses and oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until blended and smooth.. Refrigerate to let flavors blend (5 to 24 hours).  Serve with TFM Original French Rounds.

This was simple, mild, slightly nutty, and clean.  Although customers enjoyed this spread, it was not the hit Fromage du Jours 14 and 15 were.  

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Fromage du Jour 14 - Champinon with Mushrooms/
     Tallegio/Bellavitano Raspberry (FAVORITE - 3/15/14)

7¼ oz. Champignon with Mushrooms, cubed

6¾ oz. Tallegio, cubed

5½ oz. Bellavitano Raspberry, grated

3 Tbl. O Meyer Lemon Olive Oil

Place cheeses and oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until blended and smooth. Refrigerate to let flavors blend (5 to 24 hours).  Serve with TFM Original French Rounds.

Fromage du Jour 15 - Tallegio/Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs            (FAVORITE - 3/15/14)

11 oz. Tallegio, cubed

1 (5.2 oz.) pkg. Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs, crumbled

1 Tbl. O Meyer Lemon Olive Oil, plus extra for drizzling

Wildly Delicious Roasted Garlic Sea Salt

Place cheeses and 1 tablespoon oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until blended and smooth.. Refrigerate to let flavors blend (5 to 24 hours).  Place in a serving bowl and drizzle with extra olive oil and garnish with sea salt.  Serve with TFM Original French Rounds.

Fromage 14 and 15 were the favorite for Saturday. Cheese was flying off the shelf to make these recipes.  It must have been the Tallegio.  Of the two, 15 was the favorite.  I just loved the way Fromage du Jour 15 looked with the glistening  drizzle of olive oil and sea salt garnish.  The flavor was amazing.   

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Wildly Delicious Sea Salt

Fromage du Jour 16 (The Italian) - Mozzarella/Parmesan 
 (FAVORITE - 7/3/14)

8 oz. Mozzarella, cubed

8 oz. Parmesan Reggiano, 
     rind removed and grated

6 Tbl. TFM Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 
     plus extra for drizzling

3 oz. (3 1/8” slices) Genoa Salami, diced

¼ c. smoked sundried tomatoes, diced

Wildly Delicious Roasted Garlic Sea Salt

Place cheeses and 6 tablespoons oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until blended and smooth. If mixture is too thick add  more olive oil until desired consistancy is reached. Transfer to a bowl and  mix in salami and sundried tomatoes.  Place in a serving bowl, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with sea salt.  Serve with TFM Toasted Garlic French Rounds.

Both cheeses were flying out of the cheese case. Sold out of the Parmesan Reggiano Nicole cut. Aside from loving the words "sold out" I do enjoy - "amazing", "delicious", and "this is great", which this recipe evoked.  One customer gave me a backhanded compliment saying, "I hate people like you who can just create delicious recipes."  Trust me, if the recipe did not taste good to me and/or my TFM Taste Testers, it would NEVER make it to my table.  But hey, thanks for the compliment. 

When I left the store on Thursday Nicole and I decided to do Fromage du Jour 16 again on Friday. It was very popular and a lot of cheese was sold.  However, Parmesan Reggiano sold out and Nicole did not have time to cut more.  I needed another cheese.  On top of that, when I arrived at the store Friday to prepare my food, the Assistant Store Manager gave me the task of, "do something with black olives and artichokes".  I was now going to modify Fromage du Jour 16's recipe and hopefully it would be a hit.  Fromage du Jour 17 turned into how I like my ice cream - with plenty of good stuff in it. (I cannot do plain chocolate ice cream.  Sorry, I'm not a vanilla girl.)

Fromage du Jour 17 (The Italian #2) - Mozzarella/Parmesan
 (FAVORITE - 7/4/14)

8 oz. Mozzarella, cubed

8 oz. 3 Cheese Blend Flakes** 

8 Tbl. TFM Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 oz. (3 1/8” slices) Genoa Salami, diced

¼ c. smoked sundried tomatoes, diced
½ c. sliced black olives, drained
½ c. chopped artichoke hearts, drained

Wildly Delicious Roasted Garlic Sea Salt

Place cheeses and oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until blended and smooth. If mixture is too thick add  more olive oil until desired consistancy is reached. Transfer to a bowl and  mix in salami, sundried tomatoes, olives and artichokes.  Place in a serving bowl. Garnish with sea salt.  Serve with TFM Garlic Parmesan French Rounds.

** A blend of Romano, Asiago, and Paremsan.  

Another customer favorite.  WHEW!