Matt Armendariz AKA Matt Bites writes a great blog and photographs his food and travels exquisitely. Anyone who loves good food, good writing and good photography would appreciate this blog.
After receiving a wonderful gift of cheeses and some experimenting with the newly discovered Formaticum Cheese Paper, there seemed to be a gathering of bits of various cheeses in the cheese drawer.
Some were preserved beautifully by the cheese paper, more in a minute on that, and others were a bit sad. Especially the cheese in the wax paper from the "wax paper versus Formaticum paper" experiment. Since nothing as wonderful as cheese gets discarded around here, there was only one thing to do.
Make Matt's Fromage Fort Recipe
Of course, the sampling of cheeses varies. The ingredients added and proportions might as well, but here is an approximation, which ended up being fantastic spread on toast or popped under the broiler.
Cheeses used included: Mahon, Gouda, Carmody, Parmigiano-reggiano, teensy bit of Gorgonzola, and the end of the wine-washed cheese whose name escapes memory. The point is this: you can make this spread with pretty much what you have on hand.
Additions included: Herbes de Provence from the newly discovered Atlantic Spice Company, a splash of Sherry vinegar, about 1/3 C of French Chablis and a tablespoon of butter.
Keeping Cheese Alive
Formaticum Cheese Paper is a cheese lover's friend. By allowing the natural moisture to escape it keeps the cheese from suffocating. A two-ply paper with one layer of lightly waxed kraft paper and an inner layer of whisper thin polyethylene allows your cheese to breathe.
Anyone who's had cheese that smells of ammonia knows how bad, bad cheese can be. The package of papers comes with cute little labels so you can mark what the cheese inside is, designate the animal of origin and the country as well. 15 large sheets and labels are a bargain for $9 US when you consider what you will save: your investment in cheese. Who can afford to throw away food these days?
Remembering the Blues
Among his many last evil deeds, W. our former President, signed a tariff on French Roquefort. It's a bit of a mystery why, but the result is that in the US our Roquefort will be subject to a 300% tariff. Many cheese shops have begun "Farewell to Blue" promotions and anticipate phasing out the sale of French Roquefort.
Politics and food do not make good bedfellows as we are reminded repeatedly these days. Perhaps the new administration will see fit to change things. Cheese lovers can hope.
- For more about making the perfect cheese platter, where to find Formaticum Cheese Paper, and Chef Matt Jennings' "Rule of Five" see What Time is it? It's Time for Cheese!
Many thanks to Matt for his continuous inspiration and to the good folks at Formaticum for the opportunity to see first hand how this amazing paper works!
Jacqueline Church - Award-winning writer, speaker, teacher on topics at the intersection of gourmet and sustainable food issues.
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