Our Next St. Arnold's Beer and Cheese Event is Sept 12! Plus, New Cheese Gifts.

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/TX-Cheese---Beer-Tasting--Holiday-Gift-Preview.html?soid=1101524077242&aid=SSb_8LyFmII

Toasted Bijou with Honey Roasted Pears

I'm not one to brag, but this goat cheese dessert is straight up decadent! It's the perfect finish to a light Summer meal. The soft ripened Bijou turns slightly golden and bubbly when toasted, bringing out the buttery richness even more. Is anyone else glad that August is almost over?

2 Bosc pears
2 tablespoons Lucky Layla Golden Butter, melted
2 tablespoons Big Creek Farms honey
2 pieces Vermont Creamery Bijou goat cheese
pistachios, chopped (optional)

Directions:

Heat oven to 400. Cut pears in half lengthwise leaving the stem intact on one half, then core using a small spoon or melon baller. Grease a baking dish with melted butter, place pears cut side down and brush tops with remaining butter. Roast pears for 15 - 20 minutes or until tender. Remove pears from oven, brush with honey and place each bijou on one pear slice. Put oven on broil and roast for an additional 5 minutes until cheese is golden and honey/butter mixture is a bubbly syrup. Carefully transfer pears to a plate, top with remaining juices and garnish with pistachios.

*Serves 2

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus Salad with Super Gouda

Take a creamy Gouda we all know and love... the one made by that brilliant Dutch lady in Wisconsin. Then age it for 18 - 20 months and you get Marieke Super Gouda. Yep, this cheese is older than my son and fastly becoming a new favorite. Really, I could stand over a cutting board and eat a whole wedge. Rather than do that, I decided that a fancy brunch would be a better vehicle for this cheese.

1 bunch fresh asparagus

fresh greens, such as arugula or kale

1 lemon

Stella Sola Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

4 oz Marieke Super Gouda 

1 package La Quercia Prosciutto Americano

4 farm fresh eggs

Pepper, to taste

Directions: 

Heat oven to 350. Wash and trim asparagus where the ends naturally snap. Cut prosciutto in half lengthwise. Wrap each half slice around asparagus. Place asparagus on cookie sheet, drizzle a little evoo and season with fresh cracked pepper, then toss to evenly coat. Roast for about 10 - 15 minutes, until asparagus is tender and prosciutto is crispy. No need to salt, as the prosciutto and cheese add the perfect amount of saltiness. While asparagus bakes, fry eggs sunny side up, or to your liking. Toss greens in a little evoo, fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. Top greens with asparagus, shaved gouda and fried egg. Garnish with a pinch of pepper.

Grilled Cheese Tuesday - Carmody with Apple & Onion Jam

Happy Tuesday y'all. As I'm typing, I am enjoying this marvelous grilled cheese for lunch. Nothin like comfort food on a rainy day!

Slough Dough Sourdough  

Carmody

American Spoon Apple & Onion Jam

Lucky Layla Butter, room temp

Grilled Cheese Tuesday - The Queso Queen's Deli Grilled Cheese

The Queso Queen has done it again! Nicole recently submitted her latest grilled cheese creation and the adorable story about how it came to be:

Once upon a time, before I was a Dairymaid, before I was even a Houstonian, I threw a grilled cheese party. I traveled three hours to the Dairymaids warehouse, back when it was only open on Fridays and Saturdays, to gather the cheeses.

I explained to former Dairymaid Charlotte (now co-owner of Boomtown Coffee) my reason for visiting and asked her to recommend a variety of cheeses suitable for ten varieties of grilled cheese.

"Have you thought about caraway, she asked?"

I shook my head.

"Caraway, like rye bread. You should do a caraway cheese with deli mustard and make that one of your grilled cheeses."

And so I did. The uniqueness of the grilled cheese married with the classic flavors of a deli sandwich = fantastic.

I decided to recreate the concept of that sandwich for this project - with a little more oomph.

1 oz Caraway to Heaven, shredded
2 slices rye bread
a few slices of pastrami
Famous Kream Mustard
1 tablespoon Straight from the Vine raw sauerkraut kimchi
1 tablespoon mayonnaise/Russian dressing
Lucky Layla Butter, room temp

Directions:
Mix dressing with kimchi, set aside. Butter one side of each slice of rye bread. On the non buttered side of the bread: spread mustard, layer pastrami and half the cheese. On the other slice, spread mustard, kimchi mix and the remaining cheese. Assemble sandwich and place butter side down in a frying pan over medium/low heat. Grill until crisp, flip and repeat.

Roasted Figs and Grapes

The perfect cheese deserves the perfect pairing. Some cheeses beg for a drizzle of honey or a spoonful of preserves. I packaged these still warm figs and grapes in a mason jar and paired the sweet jammy goodness with some creamy Point Reyes Blue. The figs were grown in the Dairymaids' backyard. The delicious grapes came from our farm share: Utility Research Garden in Jones Creek, Texas. This beautiful, local produce is available for pickup at the shop. The figs are for birds and friends. Inquire within.

2 tablespoons Lucky Layla Butter 

2 tablespoons Turbinado sugar 

2 tablespoons local honey 

1/2 lb green and red organic grapes, cut in half 

6 figs, cut in half 

Heat oven to 450. In an oven safe pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add figs and grapes, toss in melted butter, evenly sprinkle sugar and drizzle honey. Transfer pan to oven and roast for 15 minutes or until caramelized and syrup is thick and bubbly. Stir half way through cooking. Let cool before serving. Can be served warm or cold. 

Slap Ya Mama Salmon with Chiriboga Blue over Wilted Spinach

My fishmonger laughed at me when I told him I was going to put some Slap Ya Mama on his salmon. I guess I was a little embarrassed to say it out loud, but this salty and spicy seasoning is magic! I was impressed with how little I had to prep for this meal. In just 15 minutes dinner will be served! And then you'll think, "gee we should enjoy this out on the patio", but then you remember it's August and we live in Houston. Serve (indoors) with a light white wine, like our Siblings Sauvignon Blanc Semillon.

* Serves 2

2 6oz salmon portions
Stella Sola Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Slap Ya Mama Original Seasoning

Kosher salt 

Turbinado sugar 

fresh baby spinach 

golden tomatoes 

1/3 cup Texas sweet onions, chopped and caramelized 

4 oz Chiriboga Blue, crumbled 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 425. Start by caramelizing onions first: chop onions in uniform pieces, heat about 2 tablespoons of evoo over medium heat in a sauté pan, add onions, then add a pinch of salt and sugar. Lower heat to slowly caramelize while you prep everything else. Rinse and pat dry salmon portions. Drizzle a little evoo in an oven safe dish. Place salmon in dish skin side down, drizzle evoo and sprinkle Slap Ya Mama on top of salmon (enough to lightly coat). Bake for 12 - 15 minutes until done and flakes easily. Put spinach and tomatoes in a large mixing bowl. Onions should be done caramelizing when the salmon is ready to come out of the oven. Pour onions and oil over spinach and toss to slightly wilt. Remove skin from underside of salmon. Plate salmon on top of greens and crumble Chiriboga on top of salmon just before serving.