Cheese Mishmash

° Makes about 36 hors d’oeuvres

Cheese is expensive, and I hate to discard any of it when it gets old. I use it in many ways, most often in fromage fort, a recipe inspired by my father. I clean away any surface damage from the cheese and process it in a food processor with white wine, garlic, and pepper to make a smooth puree to enjoy on crackers or toast. I also use this mixture in gougères, in soups, in gratins, and even on pizza. It freezes well.

The recipe below is a sweet version that tastes great on thin wafers or toast. Depending on what’s in your refrigerator, the recipe will always vary. Vive la difference!

• About 12 ounces assorted leftover cheeses (such as feta, blue, Gouda, mozzarella, Muenster, Port Salut, Swiss, Fontina, and/or goat)
• ⅓ cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds
• ⅓ cup dried cranberries
• ⅓ cup honey
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• About 3 dozen savory wafers or rice crackers
• Small mint leaves, for garnish

Trim or scape off any dry or damaged areas from the surface of the cheese. Cut or crumble the cheese into ½-inch pieces.

Combine the cheese, sunflower seeds, cranberries, honey, lemon juice, and pepper in a medium bowl and stir with a spoon briefly to combine. Mound a heaping teaspoon of the cheese mixture on top of each wafer, garnish each with a mint leaf, and serve.