Fromage fort stuffed artichokes

Not sure what prompted this idea, but sitting at the breakfast table this morning, I got to thinking about artichokes, and in particular, stuffed artichokes.  I have never stuffed an artichoke in my life, but wanted to give it a try.

I had made croutons and fromage fort in preparation for this dish.  As it would turn out, the flavors played exceptionally well together.  The croutons and fromage fort can be made in advance, making final preparation quick and easy.  As a matter of fact, the artichokes could be pre-cooked in advance, as well, and kept in the refrigerator until you're ready to pull it all together.

Ingredients:

2 large artichokes, thorns trimmed, and stems removed
1 cup garlic croutons, crushed to 1/2 cup
1 cup fromage fort

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a pressure cooker, cook artichokes for 15 minutes at full pressure, according to your pressure cooker's manufacturer's directions.  Release pressure rapidly.  Remove artichokes from pressure cooker, and allow to cool completely.  In the absence of a pressure cooker, you can steam your artichokes, but adjust cooking times, as steaming takes significantly longer to cook an artichoke than pressure cooking does.

In a small bowl, combine crushed croutons and 1/2 cup of the fromage fort.

In a loaf pan, stand artichokes with stems down.  Carefully separate the leaves, and stuff the crouton mixture down between the leaves, working your way to the inner most leaves.

Split the remaining fromage fort in half, and add to the top of the artichokes.

Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until fromage fort is bubbly and melted, and artichokes are heated through.  Serve immediately.