Midnight Smack BY FU

A deep dive into a California triple-cream icon

Cowgirl Creamery was founded in 1994 by Sue Conley and Peggy Smith, longtime friends and veterans of the San Francisco food scene. Their résumés included stints at Chez Panisse and ownership of Bette’s Oceanview Diner.

Their goal was pretty ambitious for 1994 even in CA. Here in MN we were probably just discovering Pepper Jack cheese around that time. But Sue and Peggy were thinking ahead and wanted to support local dairy farms while creating cheeses that said California.

Now, remember “Got Milk?” That campaign launched in 1993, and of course those California cows were portrayed as the happiest cows around.
Fun fact: “Got Milk?” translated into Spanish as ¿Estás lactando?—meaning “Are you lactating?” Confusing. Slightly comical. Memorable, yes. Effective? Not so much. Milk sales among Spanish-speaking consumers were low, understandably.

By 2000, we learned that great milk and cheese come from happy cows, and apparently those cows lived in California. There were hiccups there, too. Some of those famously happy cows were filmed in Auckland, New Zealand. The Milk Board also claimed that 99% of California milk comes from family-owned dairies—but to get to that number, they counted households with literally one cow. Probably a very happy cow, though.

So—back to Sue and Peggy. They really did want to support family farmers, which led them to Straus Family Farms, including Straus Family Creamery. Straus is an organic dairy producing high-quality, non-homogenized milk. The milk is gently pasteurized to retain flavor, and the cream naturally rises to the top. Straus has been around for over 30 years, and I’m now seeing their ice creams pop up even here in Rochester. Back in the ZZest days, I wanted to get my hands on their ice cream and butter so badly.

The Cowgirls began creating cheeses using European techniques, drawing inspiration from both French and Dutch traditions. Mt. Tam quickly became their flagship cheese—celebrated for being both complex and very approachable.

Mt. Tam is an organic triple-cream, bloomy rind cow’s milk cheese. It delivers all the indulgence you expect—rich, buttery, lush—while maintaining a distinctive structure that sets it apart. It’s named after Mount Tamalpais, the iconic peak rising over Marin County and the San Francisco Bay.

And by triple cream, we mean enriched with extra cream. What truly distinguishes Mt. Tam, though, is Cowgirl Creamery’s use of a washed-curd technique. During production, some of the whey is drained and replaced with fresh water. This reduces lactose, slows acid development, and prevents the cheese from becoming overly tangy.

The result is a fudgy, dense core that gradually softens as it ages rather than collapsing into runny creaminess too quickly. Mt. Tam evolves. When young, it offers bright notes of crème fraîche, cultured butter, and fresh milk. As it matures, the interior becomes more supple and buttery, with increasingly savory flavors—think mushrooms (and honestly, think button mushrooms, raw), sometimes hay and grass, and a gentle salty finish.

The texture shifts from firm and sliceable to luxuriously soft, moving from the center outward as the bloomy rind works its magic.

Like Brie and Camembert, Mt. Tam is coated in an edible white mold—primarily Penicillium candidum. This bloomy rind forms that snowy white exterior and plays a critical role in ripening the cheese from the outside in, contributing earthy aromas, buttery depth, and creamy texture.

Do you eat the rind?
Yes. Yes. And yes.

Don’t be that person digging only the center out. Though I’ve eaten my share of Mt. Tam “hulls” and enjoyed them! Truly, the rind is meant to be eaten. It’s tender, flavorful, and essential to the full texture experience. Do not remove it. Once, while putting together a recipe using Brie for a restaurant demo, a chef told me I was insane for not removing the rind. That was a long time ago, and from a very uneducated person—but it stuck with me and I now need to say instead of remaining quiet… Insanity is leaving it behind. And frankly, it’s a waste of good cheese.

Mt. Tam is versatile. It shines served at room temperature with simple accompaniments, and it melts beautifully into warm dishes. That said, I struggle to do much with it beyond enjoying it with jam or prosciutto, piled onto a baguette slice. Fig jam works beautifully. Strawberry, too. Since Mt. Tam already boasts a subtle mushroom note, sautéed mushrooms pair especially well. Again—pile it all onto a baguette slice.

From Mt. Tam came Red Hawk, Pierce Point, and Devil’s Gulch. Later, Cowgirl Creamery began making harder cheeses like Wagon Wheel and Hop Along—each distinctive and wildly crave-able. I want them all in my case at all times, but I reserve California cheeses for winter only. The Cowgirl Creamery distributor has such high standards,  they insist on over night delivery. I however, I insist on two-day ground shipping. They work with me but my last order they ignored—or more likely forgot that request. It came overnight and whew! that really adds to the cheeses’ final cost. I ate it this time. Not literally—but I’ll make myself clear next time. It’s cool in San Francisco and cold here, we are ok. Then come April we hit pause again.

There are fun ways to use Mt. Tam beyond just setting it out, and here are a few of my favorites.

The simplest:

• Stir it into mushroom risotto just before serving
• Melt it into pasta with sautéed mushrooms, spinach, and bacon
• Layer it into baked dishes like pot pies or roasted root vegetables

Grilled cheese is perfect for that last little bit left—especially with ham and caramelized onions. I’ve got a jam for that, so don’t go through all that onion work. Call me.

Its richness allows it to act almost like a sauce, enriching dishes with minimal effort.

I’ve done this next one myself and just shared it with my friend Sheryl—she’s all over it and hopefully will send me a pic.

Cheese Brûlée with Mt. Tam

From Cowgirl Creamery

A dramatic, shareable centerpiece—brûléed sugar on top, warm and creamy beneath. I’ve served this with berries and crackers, and once with shortbread for dessert. Both excellent.

Ingredients
1 wheel Mt. Tam
1 tablespoon sugar
Crackers or shortbread
Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to broil.
2. Remove the top rind of the Mt. Tam wheel.
3. Sprinkle the top generously with sugar and place on an oven-proof baking dish.
4. Broil for 2–3 minutes, until the sugar is brûléed and slightly hardened.
5. Serve warm with berries and crackers or shortbread.

Mt. Tam Spanish Tortilla with Romesco Sauce

Adapted from Cowgirl Creamery

Let me make this even easier. I keep a jar of romesco on hand that is over-the-top amazing. Save a few steps and you’ve got dinner—or brunch—in no time. Add a few slices of Serrano at the end. I do.

Makes: One 8-inch tortilla with sauce

Tortilla Ingredients
2 medium (or 1 large) gold potatoes, sliced thin
3 eggs
1 small onion, diced
Olive oil
Sea salt

Romesco Sauce Ingredients
1 jar roasted red peppers
¼ cup almonds
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes
Drizzle of sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 clove garlic
1 shallot
Olive oil

Garnish
Chives, parsley, dill, tarragon, etc.
1 wheel Mt. Tam

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss potato slices with olive oil and salt. Arrange in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast 20–25 minutes, flipping halfway.
2. Combine sun-dried tomatoes and sherry vinegar in a small bowl. Let sit a few minutes.
3. Add roasted peppers, almonds, soaked sun-dried tomatoes, paprika, garlic, and shallot to a food processor. Pulse, then drizzle in olive oil until spreadable. Season to taste.
4. Sauté onion in a small (8-inch) nonstick pan.
5. Overlap potatoes with onion in the pan. Whisk eggs and pour over. Cook over medium-high heat until mostly set. Flip (using a plate if needed) and cook another minute or two.
6. Transfer to a plate. Top with romesco sauce, Mt. Tam, and herbs.

Sweet Corn Pancakes with Mt. Tam Cheese

From Food & Wine—a go-to for place me—this recipe is a great way to wake up a midwinter meal. I keep bags of sweet corn from last summer in my freezer. With corn cakes I like to add a little heat here: chili crisp or my new favorite, salsa seca!

By Stuart Brioza | Food & Wine

Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4–6 servings

Ingredients
3 large ears of corn, shucked
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1¼ cups water
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup finely chopped scallions
¼ cup canola oil, plus more as needed
2 ounces triple-cream cheese (Mt. Tam or St. André), cut into ½-inch pieces
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a large saucepan of salted boiling water, cook corn until crisp-tender, 3–5 minutes. Cool and cut kernels from cobs.
2. In a bowl, beat egg with water. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder over egg; whisk to form batter. Stir in corn and scallions.
3. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet. Spoon scant ¼-cup batter per pancake and cook until browned, 1–2 minutes.
4. Flip, top with cheese, and cook until melted and pancakes are cooked through, about 2 minutes.
5. Transfer to platter, season with pepper, and serve warm.

Make Ahead:
Batter can be refrigerated overnight. Stir in corn and scallions before cooking.

Mt. Tam is one of those rare cheeses that everyone agrees on, which is exactly why it never sticks around. It came in two days ago and there’s already only one left. More is coming—but April will shows up fast, then it’s an overnight shipping thing, and suddenly we’re talking about a six-month wait. You know how this goes.