Wagon Wheel Pimento Cheese

Ingredients

• 6 oz Cowgirl Creamery Wagon Wheel, shredded on a cheese grater
• 1/4 cup Duke’s Mayo
• 2 Tbsp Clif Family Organic Red Pepper Jam
• 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne 
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp distilled vinegar
• 2 Tbsp chives, thinly sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients and store in an airtight container.

Pickled Jimmy Nardello Peppers

Ingredients

• 8oz Jimmy Nardello peppers
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 Tbsp aged sherry vinegar
• Salt to taste

Toss Jimmy Nardello peppers with olive oil and lightly season with salt. Grill on high heat or in a skillet until lightly charred (around 1 minute). Transfer to a tray and allow to cool. Remove the stems and slice open vertically to remove the seeds. Thinly slice about 1/8” horizontally across the pepper and place into a mixing bowl. Dress with aged sherry vinegar and adjust seasoning with salt to taste.

Store in an airtight container.

Ingredients

For the Compote:

• 4 French Butter or Bartlett Pears, washed, cored, peeled and diced into ¼ inch cubes
• 1/3 cup (75 g) packed dark brown sugar
• 3 star anise tied up in cheesecloth 
• Zest of 1 lemon (using a microplane) 
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• Pinch of fine sea salt

To Assemble the ‘Perfect Bite”

• 1 wheel of Cowgirl Creamery ‘Howdy, Partner’ Cheese
• 16 Rustic Bakery Rosemary & Olive Oil Sourdough Flatbread Bites
• Fresh thyme sprigs and flowers to garnish 

Directions

In a medium saucepan, place all of the compote ingredients and using a spatula, stir to incorporate. Bring to a boil then return to a low simmer stirring occasionally until thickened, about 20-25 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and cool completely about another 20-25 minutes. Remove the cheesecloth with star anise and discard. Spoon the compote into a jar with a tight-fitted lid. The compote will last about 1 week stored in the refrigerator. 

To create the “perfect bite,” slice the Howdy, Partner wheel in half (while still cold) creating two spheres. Next, slice the halves in 8 small wedges to yield 16 wedges. This can be done in advance and when ready to serve place each wedge on a Rustic Bakery Rosemary & Olive Oil Sourdough Flatbread Bite. To dress them up spoon a little of the pear compote using a small spoon on top of the cheese. Garnish with a few leaves of fresh thyme and a thyme flower if available for the “perfect bite.” Serve at room temperature.  **Compote recipe makes 1 ¼ cups

Place a wedge of Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam Cheese on a Rustic Bakery Meyer Lemon Shortbread. Top with an Amarena Cherry and a drizzle of cherry syrup.

This bite is bold, smoky, and layered with warmth. Cowgirl Creamery’s new “Howdy Partner” triple cream cheese, kissed with chipotle and cayenne, melts luxuriously against Rustic Bakery’s chipotle and cayenne biscuit. I heighten the flavor with my own chipotle sambal, a nod to the Indonesian tradition of sambal making, where fire, smoke, and depth are patiently coaxed into balance. Each element carries heat in its own voice, creamy, buttery, and spicy, woven together into a bite that is both familiar in its comfort and daring in its intensity. It is a meeting of American craftsmanship and Southeast Asian fire, a celebration of how spice can be both an embrace and a spark.

Perfect Bite Assembly

Create a bold, flavorful bite in three simple steps:

1. Start with one Rustic Bakery Chipotle & Cayenne Biscuit.
2. Add a slice of Cowgirl Creamery Howdy Partner cheese.
3. Top with a teaspoon of Sambal for a spicy, savory finish.

Vegan Sambal Recipe

Ingredients:

• 6.5 oz Fresno chilies (10-12 medium sized chilis) stems removed; de-seed some for less heat
• 3 medium Garlic cloves
• 1½ tbsp Ginger: finely chopped
• 1 Lemongrass stalk, tender inner part
• 2-3 Makrut lime leaves, finely sliced
• 1 ½ TBSP Coconut sugar, packed
• 1 ½ TBSP Tamarind juice (Mix ½ TBSP Tamarind Paste with 1 TBSP warm water)
• ½ tsp Salt
• ¼ Cup of Neutral oil (sunflower, grapeseed or avocado oil)
• *Optional: 1 tsp Fresh lime juice

Instructions

1. Dilute tamarind paste with warm water and strain until pourable consistency.
2. Add chilies, garlic, ginger, lemongrass & lime leaves to a blender and process it into a smooth paste.
3. Add the paste and neutral oil to a small saucepan and cook gently over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes until fragrant & glossy.
4. Next Stir in coconut sugar, tamarind & salt.
5. Cook for 5 more minutes to meld flavors.  If you add fresh lime juice, stir juice into mix and add off heat before adding mix to jar.
6. Remove mix from pan and place into a clean jar to cool.
7. Refrigerate sambal and use it up within 3 weeks.

Tips:

• Oil level: You may use slightly less oil, but keeping enough oil helps the sambal cook evenly and stay glossy.
• Chili variation: Heat level and moisture may change slightly depending on chili size and freshness.

Yields 10 Perfect Bites

Ssamjang Ingredients:

• 2 ½ Tbsp Gochujang
• 5 Tbsp (heaping) Doenjang
• 2 tsp Scallions, sliced thin on bias
• 1 ½ tsp Sesame seeds
• ½ tsp Sesame oil
• ½ tsp Garlic, chopped fine
• 1 tsp Honey

Pickled Cucumbers Ingredients:

• 7 Tbsp White Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp Water
• 3 Tbsp Sugar, White Granulated
• 2 tsp Salt
• 1/3 Cup Cucumbers, diced fine

Beef Tartare Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup (tightly packed) Beef, small diced
• 1 Tbsp Ssamjang
• 2 tsp (drained) Pickled Cucumber
• 1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Fishing Ingredients:

• 10 ea. Rustic Bakery Black & White Sesame Flatbread Bites
• 3 oz. Beef Tartare
• 1 Tbsp Loosely packed, Cowgirl Creamery Wagon Wheel Cheese, grated
• 1 tsp per bite, Scallions, sliced very thin on bias

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Instructions

For the ssamjang:

• Combine all ingredients together and mix well

For the confit pickled cucumber:

• Combine all the ingredients except for the cucumber in a small pot
• Bring the mixture to a boil and then pour over the cucumber
• Cool down cucumber until needed

For the beef tartare:

• Mix all the ingredients together and adjust the seasoning with salt as needed

To Finish:

• Lay out your Rustic Bakery Flatbread Bites on a wire rack that has been placed on top of a sheet pan
• Place a spoonful of the tartare on top of the flatbread and cover with the grated Cowgirl Creamery cheese
• Using a torch or on the broil setting in your oven, gently melt the cheese over the tartare. Be sure to do this quickly so you don’t cook the beef (it should remain raw)
• Garnish with the sliced scallions and enjoy!

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Notes

• The ssamjang and doenjang can be found on Amazon or in most Whole Foods. If doenjang cannot be found, you can substitute it with miso paste.
• Preferred beef cuts for the tartare are filet mignon, New York, or ribeye. Make sure to avoid any large pieces of fat when cutting.

The combination of cool avocado, bright citrus, and the heat of the chili, chipotle, and cayenne in the cheese and biscuits are balanced by the creamy soft cheese and buttery sweetness in the biscuit. It’s a perfect bite that hits all the flavor notes!

Makes 10 to 12

Ingredients

• 1 large avocado
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 10 to 12 Rustic Bakery Chipotle & Cayenne Biscuits
• 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
  3.5 ounces Cowgirl Creamery Howdy, Partner Triple Cream Cheese, cut in thin wedges
• 1 small red jalapeno pepper, sliced
  Fresh cilantro
• Lime wedges

1. Peel and pit the avocado. Add the lime juice and salt and coarsely mash with a fork.

2. Dollop about 1 teaspoon of the mashed avocado on each Rustic Chipotle & Cayenne biscuit.

3. Place 1 to 2 pieces of onion over the avocado.

4. Perch a wedge of Cowgirl Creamery Howdy, Partner Triple Cream cheese over the onion, gently pressing to secure on the biscuit.

5. Top with a slice of jalapeno and 1 to 2 cilantro leaves.

6. Serve with small wedges of lime for garnish and squeezing.

Prep time:  5 minutes
Cook time:  4-5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 (7oz) Cowgirl Creamery Mt Tam cheese
• 2 oz Tempesta Nduja
• Rustic Bakery Olive Oil & Sel Gris Sourdough Flatbread Crackers 

Directions:

1. Carefully remove the top rind of the Cowgirl Creamery Mt Tam Cheese in one piece and let the cheese come to room temperature.

2. Place the cheese in a non-reactive baking pan.

3. Make a flat disc of  2 oz of Nduja evenly over the exposed Mt Tam cheese, then replace the rind top.

4. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

5. Bake for 4-5 minutes, or until the Nduja and cheese begin to melt and warm through.

6. Serve immediately with Rustic Bakery flatbread and a spoon for dipping.

Ingredients

• 4 oz Hog Island Smoked Oysters, chopped fine
• 1 bunch chives, sliced & divided
• 4 oz Fromage Blanc
• 4 oz finely grated Cowgirl Creamery Hop Along Cheese
• 4 oz finely grated Cowgirl Creamery Wagon Wheel
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon  minced shallot
• zest of 1 lemon, plus juice
• 2 Tablespoon mayo
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 2 Tablespoons crispy dulse, crumbled
• Rustic Bakery Sweet Onion & Crème Fraiche Sourdough Flatbread Crackers

Mix all ingredients with 2 Tablespoons of the chives.

Let firm up in the fridge for a few hours, form into a ball and roll in the remaining chives.  Serve on a Rustic Bakery Sweet Onion & Crème Fraiche Sourdough Flatbread Cracker.

Place a wedge of Cowgirl Creamery Pierce Point Cheese on a Rustic Bakery Apricot, Pistachio & Brandy Artisan Crisp. Drizzle with honey and garnish with an edible flower.