This Week's Tasting Plate: And You Thought You Loved Cheese

Today is the one-year anniversary of Nicole, aka the Queso Queen, joining the Dairymaids. She for real loves cheese. Seriously, she has a full-time job as an Internet wizard and she still comes in every weekend to be around cheese. She also had a burger named after her--nacho inspired, naturally. So we thought it was important to say, what can we give you in return? We dedicate this little number to you, Nicole:



And as any true cheese lover would have it, down to the business of dairy. This week, we'll be featuring an all-time favorite, the Saint Arnold-bathed Redneck Cheddar. Our other Texas cheese will be the Granbury Gold, which starts from a Gouda recipe but has lately tasted more like a mild Raclette.

Also on the plate is the Bonne Bouche, a truly gorgeous goat cheese with the decorative ash layer. We'll also have the sheep's milk Little Boy Blue and Pleasant Ridge Reserve. Come get some from your local Queso Queen today.

Blue Cheese Oatmeal Cookies

If you're reading this blog we don’t need to tell you that mommies love cheese and cookies. In the name of Mother’s Day and the endless pursuit of savory and sweet, I decided to combine the two, why not? Creative and industrious is how moms roll. 

I thought about how I like to enjoy a good blue. Mostly, I like ‘em creamy, with fruit and honey. This drool inducing idea combined with midnight baking and ka-blamo, blue cheese cookies were born! Please share these with mom.  

1/2 cup softened Lucky Layla butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup honey

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup golden raisons

1/2 cup dried, wild blueberries

3 oz Maytag Blue Cheese

Canola oil, to grease cookie sheet

* Yields 3 dozen

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Using a stand mixer, cream butter and sugars until smooth then beat in egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Gradually add flour mixture into butter mixture and combine well. Stir in raisons, blueberries and cheese. Bake tablespoon size balls on a greased cookie sheet for 9 – 10 minutes.

This Week's Tasting Plate: Yo Momma's Cheese

A certain mom that I know never, ever indulges herself. She cuts coupons every week and sends me home with at least 10 for different brands of cat food. She doesn't like sweets (if she gets a piece of candy or cookie from someone, she leaves it out for me) and has never gotten a manicure. My mom does like Marieke Gouda and Slow Dough baguettes, though, so I'm planning on setting her up with some cheese and a bubble bath come Mother's Day this Sunday. Eating cheese in a bubble bath is something I totally do, probably because I'm not a mother. So Mom, here is a day in the life of your daughter as a thank you for raising me.

This week we'll have the St. Pat from Cowgirl Creamery, which is not only a decadent double-cream, it's also coated in artichoke-y nettles that make it a really beautiful cheese to look at. If your momma is a daring adventurous type, we have two blue cheeses including Crater Lake--sharp, sweet and buttery--and Dunbarton Blue, a cheddar with blue veining.

In addition to cheese, we have a chocolates and wine. Pink wine. Oh, yeah.

Lemon Zest Pasta with Pesto & Chevre

The latest addition to the Dairymaid inventory is homemade Tavola pasta. These Houston artisans are doing it right: fresh and local. We have a variety of flavors available, such as Chipotle, Spinach & Garlic, Beet and Lemon Zest, all of which pair brilliantly with Pure Luck chevre.

When it comes to pesto, I pretty much use anything green in my garden/fridge. This recipe happened on accident and has since been termed “magic green sauce”. Toss the Lemon Zest pasta in this stuff, garnish with chevre and you can do no wrong.

1 package Lemon Zest Tavola pasta
6 oz Pure Luck chevre, crumbled
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
6 anchovies
8 cornichons, coarsely chopped
1 large handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
1 large handful of cilantro, leaves picked
2 bunches of fresh mint, leaves picked
2 large handfuls of baby arugula
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
8 tablespoons quality extra virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Lemon Zest (optional)
Roasted chicken, pulled (optional)

Directions:
In a mortar and pestle or food processor, grind together the garlic, anchovies, cornichons, herbs and arugula. As you're grinding/processing, add the mustard and vinegar, then slowly add the olive oil until you achieve a pesto consistency. Add salt, pepper and more vinegar as needed.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt and cook pasta for 3 – 5 minutes until al dente. Strain and toss in pesto. Garnish with Pure Luck chevre. You can also top with roasted chicken and fresh lemon zest if desired.

This Week's Tasting Plate: April, May, June's Joy edition

One of our favorite spring-summer cheeses is the June's Joy from Pure Luck Dairy. Creamy chevre gets blended with Texas honey, thyme and smoked peppercorns for a slightly sweet, herby spread that's delicious on bagels in the morning. It's also delicious on picnics and with pink wine (which we stock!). We're just saying, it's spring and we kind of know what we're doing.

This week we also have Nancy's Hudson Valley Camembert, a sheep and cow milk cheese, and Veldhuizen Paragon Reserve. It's the extra-aged version of the usual Paragon and it is rich and a little bit nutty (like Tom Cruise!).

Between spring and Tom Cruise, there is probably something at the shop this week that appeals to you. That's seriously how we manage our inventory. Always thinking of you, friends.