Rush Creek Reserve
Long Live Thy Holy Curd

Last Monday, I received a fateful text message from my good friend Yahn, cheesemonger at Potash Market here in Chicago. He asked me if I had any interest in a $16 wheel of Rush Creek Reserve that was expiring. My exact reply was: “FUCKING SOLD BABY!” This raw milk, spruce-wrapped beauty is easily one of my favorite cheeses in the world, and I was going to indulge in my second wheel of the season. I knew I had to honor this divine cheese with a deserving and ceremonious presentation, but I didn’t know how. Then, as fate would have it, another dear friend binge-texted me a collection of videos and photos that were intoxicating and utterly not safe for work. The images displayed one wheel of Harbison (a spruce-wrapped cheese that resembles camembert) mounted on a small cazuela and baked until the bark encircling the cheese fell away, allowing the fluid curd to ooze onto the surrounding vegetables like an inverted pot of fondue. The genius behind the cheese rig was Alex Armstrong (Instagram: @whiteandcurdy), cheesemonger at Mission Cheese in San Francisco and recently named a “hot cheese expert” from Harper’s Bazaar. I knew this kid was smart, but damn.

I knew this was the only way to serve this last wheel of the Rush Creek Reserve season. So I gathered the best potatoes I could find (including a the dark purple variety called “Magic Molly”), brussels sprouts sautéed with pancetta, some good crusty bread, and even better friends for a midday soiree fit for the angels. 

This presentation works with any full wheel of any spruce-wrapped cheese, or any small format camembert-style cheese. Choose whichever hearty root vegetables look good to you, some aromatics, and bread or crackers. If you want a less fussy version, just bake the cheese and serve with a robust ale and a spoon.

“Fondue Me” Rush Creek Reserve 

Adapted from the mind of Alex Armstrong Cheesemonger at Mission Cheese
Serves 2 -4 

Ingredients // 

• 1 wheel spruce-wrapped soft-ripened cheese (such as Harbison or Rush Creek Reserve, approx. 1 pound)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon thyme, minced
• 2 tablespoons leeks, thinly sliced
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into even wedges
• Other accoutrements including brussels sprouts, pickles, mustards, and crusty bread

Equipment//

• Sharpened paring knife
• 1 cazuela (obtained through purchasing and consuming Saint Felicien or another cheese that comes in a cazuela)
• 1 pie dish

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss potatoes in olive oil and season with salt. Roast for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. 
2. With a sharp paring knife, cut the rind off of the wheel of cheese. Begin by gently slicing where the spruce bark and edge of the rind meet. and cut all around the outside of the cheese. Slice down the center, and peel off the two halves of rind. Reserve. 
3. Sprinkle the paste with the minced leek, garlic, thyme, and freshly ground black pepper. Replace the rind. 
4. Reduce oven temperature to 250°F. Set the wheel of cheese on the inverted cazuela. Surround with potato wedges. Bake for 18 – 20 minutes, rotating halfway.
5. Serve with crusty bread, mustard, and dry beer.

"Fondue Me" Rush Creek Reserve

2016-01-31 17:58:24

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Ingredients

1. Ingredients //
2. 1 wheel spruce-wrapped soft-ripened cheese (such as Harbison or Rush Creek Reserve, approx. 1 pound)
3. 1 garlic clove, minced
4. 1 tablespoon thyme, minced
5. 2 tablespoons leeks, thinly sliced
6. Freshly ground pepper
7. 1 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into even wedges
8. Other accoutrements including brussels sprouts, pickles, mustards, and crusty bread

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss potatoes in olive oil and season with salt. Roast for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
2. With a sharp paring knife, cut the rind off of the wheel of cheese. Begin by gently slicing where the spruce bark and edge of the rind meet. and cut all around the outside of the cheese. Slice down the center, and peel off the two halves of rind. Reserve.
3. Sprinkle the paste with the minced leek, garlic, thyme, and freshly ground black pepper. Replace the rind.
4. Reduce oven temperature to 250°F. Set the wheel of cheese on the inverted cazuela. Surround with potato wedges. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes, rotating halfway.
5. Serve with crusty bread, mustard, and dry beer.

Notes

1. Equipment//
2. Sharpened paring knife
3. 1 cazuela (obtained through purchasing and consuming Saint Felicien or another cheese that comes in a cazuela)
4. 1 pie dish

Adapted from Adapted from the mind of Alex Armstrong, Cheesemonger at Mission Cheese

Adapted from Adapted from the mind of Alex Armstrong, Cheesemonger at Mission Cheese

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