Carol and I visited Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes,California, this morning. Cowgirl makes brie like cheeses, triple creme Mt. Tam, washed rind Red Hawk, St. Pat (wrapped in Nettles, spring and summer) and Pierce Point (crusted with herbs for fall and winter).
They also make Clabbord Cottage Cheese, Fromage Blanc and Creme Fresh.
From the Cowgirl Creamery catalog: “COWGIRL CREAMERY thrives in the coastal Marin Pastoral Zone because of the work of two innovative organizations that provide an infrastructure for farming in our county: Marin Agricultural Land Trust and Marin Organic.”
We’ve been loving their cheeses for some time and finally got a chance to go visit and enjoy a tasting.
I took some pictures to share with you:
eats for one 
How about some tasting notes, and/or explain what you like so much about their cheeses; which is your favorite; do you cook with them; when was the last time you served one?
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Inquiring minds want to know.
I didn’t do tasting notes because I’ve had all their cheeses many times.
First, all of their cheeses are made with pasteurized milk.
Brian loves the Red Hawk; I’ve sent a couple of wheels to him in France. (Is it a wheel, or what… since it is so small? Should it be called a round?) It’s aged six weeks and washed with a brine solution that promotes the growth of a bacteria that tints the rind a sunset red-orange. This one tends to stinky; a little too rich for my taste.
I buy Clabbered Cottage Cheese to eat over fat juicy sliced Cherokee Purple tomatoes. They start with non-fat organic milk, and then it is dressed with additional clabbered cream.
We always have a container of Crème Fraiche on hand. Stored in the refrigerator, it only gets better over time. We use it where a recipe calls for cream or sour cream.
I can’t remember using the Fromage Blanc. Now that I’ve had a taste, this will become a staple, as well. The Cowgirls say that because the Fromage Blanc is made with whole milk instead of cream, it contains 30% less fat than cream cheese and about 80% more flavor.
My favorite is Mt Tam. We usually buy half-a-round for a week’s supply, then cut that into thirds or half and re-wrap it. That is a good appetizer serving for us, and it doesn’t keep for more than a few days. It’s a smooth, creamy, elegant, triple-cream—firm, yet buttery with a mellow, earthy flavor reminiscent of white mushrooms.
We buy St. Pat and Pierce Point occasionally for a change of pace, in season. They’re essentially Mt. Tam… with St. Pat wrapped in nettles; Pierce Point encrusted in herbs.
NOTE: Parts of my descriptions are borrowed from the Cowgirl website—see link above.
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