Monday, November 16, 2009

Say Cheese! Say Fromage Fort!

Dear Readers, our latest contest might be completed, and we'll be using the special ingredient suggested by our winner Molly Ebert in December, but we'll be having another Iron Chef contest in December, with the special ingredient to be announced in January, so continue to sign up and drop us suggestions! Someone will be a lucky winner close to the holidays! And the prize is a Junior's Cheesecake! Remember, one entry per person, per day, and you must be a follower of the blog.
Also...I've just got to brag...about one of my blog pals. Cleo Coyle is now officially on TWO national bestseller lists. Holiday Grind hit the #6 position on the National Bookscan Hardcover Mystery Bestseller List and #9 on Barnes and Nobel's Hardcover Mystery List for the Chain Nationwide and Espresso Shot, which was just released in paperback last month, came in as the #2 ranked paperback bestseller for the month of October by the Independent Mystery Bookseller's Association. Wahooooo!


Now, on to the regular portion of this blog. If you are a fan of Krista Davis’s Domestic Diva Series (and you should be!!!) , prior to Mystery Lovers Kitchen, you might have checked out her solo blog, The Diva Dishes. On that blog, I shared the recipe below , so I apologize for any duplication, but heck, I promised this fabulous find to our MLK fans, and I try never to break a promise. [I didn't have any great pictures then, that's a plus now.]

When I started writing The Cheese Shop Mysteries, I knew I liked cheese, but I didn’t realize there was so much to learn about cheese. For instance, did you know that you could sample a different cheese every day of the year? Did you know that cheese and wine are considered soul mates? Why? Because they both come from the earth. How does cheese come from the earth, you ask? Well, you probably know that cheese is made from the milk of cows, goats, and sheep. Did you know that what the animals eat affects the flavor of the cheese? That’s right. The grasses of a season affect the flavors of the milk, and therefore, the cheese. And... cheese made from milk drawn in the early summer differs from one made late in the summer because of the maturity of the grass. Makes sense, right?

Well, put wine and cheese together in one dish and, voila! Major yum!

For a budget-wise treat, here is a great way to use up all that cheese that you bought when you went cheese tasting, but know you can’t finish right away. [I do that when I go to a cheese shop. Buy too much. It all looks, and tastes, so good!] [Also, cheese left over after a holiday bash...a party...any reason.]

Anyway, never discard those little leftover pieces. The French call this concoction fromage fort or strong cheese.

FROMAGE FORT

Ingredients & directions:

Gather one pound of leftover cheese, three kinds is enough but five to six kinds would be superb!!! Trim off any mold or rind or dried parts. Cut the cheese into cubes. Put the cheese in a food processor.

Toss in three to four cloves of garlic smashed up. Chop for a few seconds.

Add one half cup of dry white wine and one teaspoon ground pepper.

Puree until creamy, about thirty seconds.

Remove and transfer into a crock or bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Let warm to room temperature to serve with crusty bread or crackers.




Note: I’d probably pair this with my favorite every-day sauvignon blanc, St. Supery. It’s always consistent.

Enjoy!

If you want to check out more about me, check out my website: Avery Aames. And don't forget to signup for my newsletter, filled with facts and, well, news!!
Better yet, become one of the first to buy The Long Quiche Goodbye. It's now available on Amazon, Borders and Books a Million for pre-order!! The publishing date is July 6! No cover art yet, but that's coming soon!

7 comments:

  1. YUM! Fromage fort looks wonderful! I'm a huge cheese fan, though, so that explains it. This looks like a nice appetizer for Thanksgiving. Thanks!

    Riley/Elizabeth
    Mystery Writing is Murder

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  2. You have a way of making cheese sound and look great. Once upon a time when someone said cheese, all I thought of was the slices you put on sandwiches or duck to keep from having a picture taken.
    Not anymore, thanks to you I know have wonderful recipes to explore the world of cheese. I've even started to browse the cheese section at the grocery store now. Thanks.

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  3. Aw, Mason Canyon, thanks. Glad I can open your eyes to the possibilities! Avery

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  4. Yummy sounding, Avery! Thanks for the idea. I always seem to have little tiny pieces of leftover cheese in my fridge that I don't know what to do with.

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  5. Avery - I LOVE recipes that help reduce waste and leftovers. Thank you! I knew this concept existed, but I wasn't sure how to execute it and you posted it just in time. Over the weekend I noticed how much almost-gone cheese there is in our fridge!

    Thank you for the shout-out on my books, too. You're the best! And I can't wait to see the cover for your Long Quiche Goodbye. (I can testify to everyone that what's BETWEEN those covers is a wonderful read. I was lucky enough to read the book in manuscript and I loved it!)

    Cheers,
    ~Cleo
    Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    Free Coffee Drawing LIVE today at 7 PM (Eastern)
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter

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  6. Avery - this is great! I love the leftover idea. Just like Shel - I always have lots of little pieces of cheese left. As soon as my veggie daughter turns 21 I know she'll love this ;-)

    Julie

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  7. Daryl, this is just the best idea! I'm itching to try it, but I never seem to have leftover cheese! I might just have to buy some cheeses so I can make this!

    ~Krista

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