Humbolt Fog Goat Cheese, Piquante Peppers and Mary’s Gone Crackers

We’ll never forget our first encounter with goat cheese at the River Café in NYC when we were about 12 years old. The chef, David Burke, delivered a melted goat cheese bruschetta and with one whiff, we pinched our noses shut! Dad, bent on teaching us to try new things, offered us 50 bucks just to taste it. Mom hit the ceiling with disgust and… we can’t seem to remember the rest. What we do know is that bribery is no longer necessary when it comes to eating goat cheese. Now it’s more about restraint, especially when it comes to the revered Humboldt Fog. This elegant, luscious goat cheese has a ribbon of edible vegetable ash along its center and under its exterior, giving it a unique, cake-like appearance. It’s stunning! Made by Cypress Grove Chevre in Humboldt County, California, it is available at Whole Foods and other artisanal cheese shops or online at www.cypressgrove.com. Peppadew peppers make a perfect complement to the creamy, slightly tangy cheese. These piquante peppers from South Africa’s northern provinces are found in the condiment section of some grocery stores, but mostly in specialty stores. And www.amazon.com can come to the rescue for those who live in remote areas of the country. (We couldn’t find the Peppadews on the day we took the photo for the blog post, so we bought another brand of sweet and spicy peppers that we had never tried before and they were a great substitute. We are always improvising, and hope you will too!) Pair this combo with any of the five flavors of Mary’s Gone Crackers. HEAVEN! You’ll definitely have to pull your self away. We bet your guests will too!

• 1 big hunk Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese (other goat cheeses will work)
• 1 jar Peppadew Peppers (mild or hot, your call)
• 1 package Mary’s Gone Crackers (Original, Caraway, Herb, Black Pepper and Onion.)
• 1 package of breadsticks and/or one baguette of bread sliced (optional)

Place the hunk of goat cheese on a serving platter. Top with Peppadew Peppers and serve alongside Mary’s Gone Crackers. Place some bread sticks in a glass for some added dimension if ya like! Sliced bread from a baguette is another option.

Note that the cheese is best served room temp. Oh, if you have leftover Peppadews, chop them up and drop them into chili or spaghetti sauce. They are also excellent over lamb and pork.

errata: We misspelled Humboldt in the original post; it remains that way in the post title so as not to break links.