I'm proud to announce that the Department of Agriculture has commissioned me to create recipes using ingredients from the fifty-plus vendors presenting at the forthcoming Food and Beverage Show in Missoula on 10/16.
It was hard to select from the many vendors as they all had many offerings. I designed seven recipes that used various ingredients from the vendors presenting.
I hope you enjoy and visit their respective websites. The links will be provided to purchase online or learn more about them.
Peachy Cream is a deliciously creamy dip with your morning fruit. It also makes a great side salad with apples and cucumbers for lunch. For an extra burst of flavor, consider adding a drizzle of fruity syrup or a spicy-sweet hot sauce as a finishing touch.
Ingredients
For the base- Cream
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup Cool Earth Creamery Oat Milk
For the simple syrup
¼ cup Lake Missoula Tea Company Pleistocene Peach Herbal Tea
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
For the Peachy Cream
Cashew Cream
¼ cup simple syrup
1TBSP U Olive Bordeaux Cherry Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp Kosher Salt
Directions
Place the cashews and the oat milk in the blender or bullet shake and allow to sit for at least an hour.
Meantime, make the simple syrup. In a 2-quart pot, add the water and sugar. Boil.
Reduce heat to medium and add tea leaves.
Simmer for 15-20 minutes and allow liquid to thicken and become syrupy.
Remove from heat and strain.
Allow to cool off and refrigerate.
Combine ¼ cup of the simple syrup with oat cream, black cherry vinegar, and salt to make the peachy cream.
Taste, and if you like it sweeter, add more simple syrup.
Berries and Peachy Cream- Enjoy for breakfast or when you need a little pick-me-upper between meals.
Ingredients 2 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered 1 cup blueberry.
½ cup Peachy Cream
2 TBSP Aspen Grove Farm Honeyberry Heaven Syrup
Direction
1. Arrange 1 cup of fruit in a cup and top with Peachy cream and Syrup.
2. Enjoy!
Peachy Cream Salad with a Sweet and Savory Twist - Who says salads can't be both delicious and nutritious?
Ingredients
1 cup Cosmic apple, (or your favorite) cubed.
1 cup English Cucumber, cubed.
4 TBSP cashews, chopped.
3 TBSP fresh dill, chopped.
½ cup or more of the Peachy Cream
Arthur Wayne- Huckleberry Ghost, for punch
Directions
1. Add the apple, cukes, cashews, dill, and peachy cream in a bowl. Blend.
2. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add more peachy cream if you like it creamer.
4. Dot with Huckleberry Ghost hot sauce for an extra punch.
Gruff Grains and Timeless Food French Lentil Toss
Looking for a protein-packed meal? Try the Gruff Grains and Timeless Foods French Lentil Toss. This dish combines pulses and grains to provide 19 grams of plant protein per serving. You can add beef sticks from Lane Legacy Beef to make it a carnivore option. If you prefer a vegan meal, enjoy the dish as is. Pair it with a scoop of Peachy Cream Apples and Cuke Salad for a complete meal.
Ingredients
1 cup Gruff Grains 1 cup Timeless Food French Lentils
4 Pepper Beef sticks from Lane Legacy Beef sliced thin 2 TBSP Olive U Persian Lime Olive Oil 2 teaspoons Kosher salt, divided.
Zest of 1 large lime
Directions
1. Cook Gruff Grains and Timeless Food Lentils following package instructions. To get an al dente bite on the lentils, cook for NO MORE than 20 minutes, unless you prefer your lentils softer.
2. When your grains and lentils are ready, remove them from the stove and allow them to cool off.
3. In the meantime, take a pan and add 1 teaspoon of good-quality olive oil.
4. Sauté the Lane Legacy Beef stick slices until they are nice and crispy. When done remove from the heat and place in a small bowl. Make sure you drain any added oil expelled from the beef.
5. . Combine grains, lentils, and beef sticks in a serving bowl.
6. Add the Persian Lime olive oil and the lime zest and stir to combine.
7. Serve with the Peachy Cream Salad and enjoy in good company.
Montana Beef Tamales- Who knew you could make delicious, moist tamales using chickpea instead of corn flour? With an increased demand for grain-free items, this tamale option will be very well received at home or in your establishment.
Makes 60 2-ounce tamales.
Ingredients
7 pounds chuck roast from Montana Premium Beef
¼ to ½ cups of Galaxy’s Roasting Coffee Rub (recipe follows)
Kosher salt
12 cups of Cornless Corn Bread Flour from 41 Grains
2 TBSP Rub
2 teaspoons of Baking Powder
1 cup tallow from Montana Premium Beef
1-14.5 ounce can of pumpkin puree
4 cups of cooked beef drippings
60 corn husks, rinsed.
For the Coffee Rub
¼ cup hatch chili
¼ cup ground cumin
¼ cup granulated garlic
¼ cup granulated onion
2 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP fine ground Galaxy Roasting dark roast.
1. Put all the ingredients in an 8-ounce mason jar.
2. Close the lid and shake it up.
Directions
1. Remove the chuck from the bag and place in a small roasting pan.
2. Generously spread with kosher salt and the coffee rub until it is covered.
3. If you have a large slow cooker, place the 7 pounds, and add 3-4 cups of water.
4. Cook in high for 3-4 hours.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool off.
6. Shred and set aside.
Cooked in the Oven
1. Turn oven to 325.
2. Remove the chuck from the bag and place in a small roasting pan.
3. Generously spread with kosher salt and the coffee rub until it is covered.
4. Add 3-4 cups of water to the roasting pan or to a 2” hotel pan.
5. Roast uncovered for about 30-45 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and cover with foil.
7. Reduce the temperature to 300 and roast for 4-5 hours or until the meat thermometer registers 199 or 200 degrees.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool off.
9. Shred and set aside.
Assemble the Tamales
1. Fill a large bowl with warm water and soak corn husks until softened, about 30 minutes.
2. Add the chickpea flour, rub, baking powder, tallow, drippings, and pumpkin puree to an extra-large bowl. 3. Mix and ensure all clumps are broken up with your fingers.
4. Add more water as needed until you achieve the consistency of peanut butter.
5. Assemble the tamales using a rubber spatula to spread 1⁄2 cup of dough mixture onto the corn husk, depending on the size. The spread should cover about two-thirds of the husk, away from the pointed end, making sure you leave some space on each side to fold. Add 2 TBSP of shredded beef to the center of the dough.
6. Gently fold one side of the corn husk to the other back and fold up the pointed end across. Lay each tamale fold-side down. There should be an open end to each tamale.
7. Once the tamales are folded, fill the steamer with water below the fill line and place the steam tray on the rack. Carefully place each tamale standing on the steam tray without overloading it and bring water to a simmer—steam with the lid on for 30-45 minutes.
7. Remove each tamale with tongs and rest for a few minutes before serving it.
8. Add your favorite hot sauce from Arthur Wayne, like his Montana Rooster.
Happy Hour- We are very excited to introduce the two amazing distilleries of Montana, Spotted Bear and Willies. Spotted Bear is in Whitefish, while Willies is situated in Ennis. To bring a unique twist to our spirits, we have paired them with herbal teas from two of Montana's best tea houses: Steep Mountain Teahouse in Bozeman and Lake Missoula Tea Company.
Gin & Tea Cocktail- Spotted Bear gin has citrusy and botanical notes that pair exquisitely with Steep Mountain’s Glacial Mint herbal tea, made of only two ingredients: ginger and mint.
Makes one Cocktail
Ingredients
2 ounces Willies Gin
1-ounce Glacial Mint Simple Syrup (recipe below)
Sparkling Water
Orange, lemon, and lime peel, about 1-2 teaspoons
Directions to make the simple syrup.
1. Pour 8 ounces of water into a 2-quart pot.
2. Add one cup of granulated sugar and whisk.
3. Add ½ cup of Steep Mountain’s Glacial Mint herbal tea and stir.
4. Boil and reduce to medium. Allow the tea to steep for about five to eight minutes while stirring to ensure the sugar dissolves.
5. Remove from the stove and pass through a thin metal-meshed strainer.
6. When syrup has cooled off, refrigerate it in a small jar with a lid. It will stay up to a month in the fridge.
To make the Gin & Tea Cocktail-
1. Put the gin, simple syrup, lime, orange, and lemon in a cocktail shaker.
2. Gently muddle for a more citrusy flavor.
3. Add ice and shake well.
4. Serve in a tall glass and top with sparkling water.
5. Garnish with orange, lemon, and lime peel.
Fall in Ennis- We absolutely love the delicious honey flavor of Willies Montana Honey Moonshine. For a delightful autumnal experience, we recommend pairing it with Lake Missoula Tea Company's Apple Pie tea. You can easily store the extra tea in the refrigerator. Mix in half an ounce of the Apple Pie simple syrup to add some sweetness to your day.
Makes one cocktail.
Ingredients
2 ounces of Montana Honey Moonshine 1 ounce of Apple Pie simple syrup (recipe below) 4 ounces of Apple Pie tea
Directions to make the simple syrup.
1. Pour 8 ounces of water into a 2-quart pot.
2. Add one cup of granulated sugar and whisk.
3. Add ½ cup of Lake Missoula Tea Company’s Apple Pie herbal tea and stir.
4. Boil and reduce to medium. Allow the tea to steep for about five to eight minutes while stirring to ensure the sugar dissolves.
5. Remove from the stove and pass through a thin metal-meshed strainer.
6. When the syrup has cooled off, refrigerate it in a small jar with a lid. It will stay up to a month in the fridge.
Directions to make the tea Makes 8-8-ounce glasses.
1. Add one teaspoon of tea to 8 ounces of boiling water. Allow it to steep for at least 5 minutes.
2. When it cools, pour it into a pitcher and refrigerate.
Directions for the cocktail
1. Pour 2 ounces of Montana Honey Moonshine into a shaker. Add 1 ounce of the apple pie simple syrup and 4 ounces of the tea. Shake.
2. Place 2 large ice cubes in a rock glass and pour the Fall in Ennis cocktail.
3. Enjoy in good company.
Rock the Boat- Willies’ Bighorn Bourbon is round and full and pairs exquisitely with Lake Missoula Tea Company’s Rock the Boat herbal tea. Filled with notes of cinnamon, black currant, licorice root, and a dash of orange bitters, it will remind you of nights by the fire.
Makes 1 drink.
Ingredients
2 ounces of Bighorn Bourbon
1 ounce of Rock the Boat simple syrup
2 dashes of orange angostura bitters
Tonic Water
Directions
1. Add all the ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake well, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a cherry.
Spicy Montana Margarita -Have you heard of Spotted Bear Distillery's Agave? It makes for some festive margaritas. If you've traveled to Mexico, you may have seen piles of hibiscus flower petals in the grocery store aisles. Mexicans often enjoy it as a refreshing tea or mix it with tequila or agave for a delicious margarita. Our Montana version also uses this flavorful ingredient.
Makes 1 Drink
Spicy Simple Syrup
½ cup of Steep Mountain Alpenglow tea
1 dried chili de árbol
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 ounces Spotted Bear Agave 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice, save rind.
1-ounce Alpenglow Syrup 4 ounces Steep Mountain Alpen Glow Tea (follow package for instructions.)
Directions
1. Place all the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling with a rubber spatula, and bring to a boil.
2. Lower the heat at the boiling point and allow it to simmer until the sugar dissolves and the color of the hibiscus emerges.
3. Strain into an airtight container and let cool before covering. Store in fridge for up to a month.
4. Place all the ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Muddle the lemon peel.
5. Fill the glass with ice.
6. Shake the tin until all of the ingredients are incorporated and it is icy cold.
7. Pour into the prepared rock glass and garnish with blackberries and orange peel.
8. Enjoy in good company.
Links
Cool Earth Creamery https://www.coolearthcreamery.com/
Lake Missoula Tea Company https://lakemissoulateacompany.com/
Olive U Olive Oil https://oliveumt.com/
Arthur Wayne Hot Sauce https://arthurwaynehotsauce.com/
Gruff Grains https://www.gruffgrains.com/
Timeless Food https://www.timelessfood.com/
Lane Legacy Beef https://www.lanelegacybeef.com/
Steep Mountain Teahouse https://www.steepmtnteahouse.com/
Spotted Bear Spirits http://www.spottedbearspirits.com/
Willies Distillery https://williesdistillery.com/
41 Grains https://41grains.com/
Montana Premium Beef https://montanapremiumbeef.com/
Aspen Grove Farm https://www.aspengroveberries.com/