We are thrilled to be teaming up with our friends at Effie’s Homemade Biscuits this month for an amazing giveaway (head over to our Instagram for details, enter by July 13!). An ideal biscuit for cheese pairings, we’ve been using Effie’s since our earliest events to showcase fun ways to enjoy our cheese. We thought it was time to make it official and put our heads together to explore some new tasty ways to combine Face Rock and Effie’s Biscuits!

We have eight new pairings of Face Rock cheese and Effie’s Biscuits for you to try out and enjoy. These pairings can roughly be categorized as sweet or savory. Offer a flight of each, or mix and match for a unique presentation at your next gathering!

Extra Aged Cheddar and Effie’s Original Oatcake

This bite is an East Coast / West Coast meet cute. Our Extra Aged Cheddar is creamy and sharp with the terroir of the rich Southern Oregon Coast dairy pastures shining through. Effie’s has its origins in Canada’s Nova Scotia, and is based in Massachusetts, where the combo of cheddar and apple pie has long been a favorite. Effie’s Original Oatcake, our Extra Aged Cheddar, and fresh apple slices or apple butter is a delicious way to combine our East and West Coast roots.

Clothbound Cheddar with Effie’s Almond

Not many American cheesemakers make clothbound cheddar, and we take an original approach to ours. Rather than coating the bandage wrapping in lard, we use butter that we make at the creamery to slather our wheels before they go into the aging room for at least 13 months. The result is flaky, rich aged cheddar that is calling out for high quality pairing partners. Effie’s Almond biscuits, with a hint of cardamom, is just the right one! The toasty almond and warm cardamom flavors in this biscuit form the foundation for a bite that features big flakes of Clothbound Cheddar, a slice of paper thin prosciutto, and a small finishing drizzle of balsamic glaze.

Face 2 Face with Effie’s Ginger

Effie’s Ginger biscuits have a spicy kick, and we just love how well it goes with our newest cheese, Face 2 Face. Face 2 Face is a mixed milk cheddar made with equal parts cow and sheep milk. Both dairy farms are just 15 miles from us! Face2Face has a dense sink your teeth in texture and is especially creamy given the high fat content of both the cow and sheep milk. On top of the spicy ginger biscuit, with the addition of sweet fig jam, this is a

Pepper Alpine Cheddar with Effie’s Corn

One of our goals for this pairing project was to create several savory pairings. This one, born in the height of summer grilling season, hits all the highlights. Effie’s Corn biscuits, with a hint of anise, is out of this world when paired with our black pepper crusted Pepper Alpine cheddar and grilled shrimp slathered with butter and sprinkled with herbs. It’s up to you if you want your shrimp hot or chilled. We tried it both ways and can’t decide!!

Classic Fromage Blanc and Effie’s Pecan

Fromage Blanc is a fresh spreadable cheese that is a tart cousin to cream cheese or ricotta. Made with rich cow’s milk from our primary dairy partner just down the road, Fromage Blanc is one of the best summer cheeses around. Effie’s Pecan is touched with wildflower honey, so a drizzle of spicy honey is just the right complement to bring a bit of heat to this smooth and sweet bite. We used Jacobson’s Hot Honey Sauce, which is made with American honey, Scorpion chili peppers, and a touch of vinegar. Another fantastic option is Mike’s Hot Honey.

Apricot Honey Fromage with Effie’s Cocoa

Another of our Fromage Blanc flavors is Apricot Honey. This is one of our best sellers and with no wonder! We love digging into a tub of Apricot Honey with a piece of dark chocolate as our spoon, so Effie’s cocoa biscuit with notes of toasted coconut is ideal for this pairing. We’ve taken a cocoa biscuit, added a generous dollop of Apricot Fromage, and topped it off with a slice of grilled peach. Apricot or plum would work great as well! To grill ripe stone fruit, cut the fruit in half, remove the pit, and cut the halves into thick slabs. Brush the fruit with a neutral oil (we used avocado) and place on a hot grill pan. Don’t touch it for a few minutes! The bottom will caramelize and release naturally from the pan. Flip, cook the other half, and remove to a plate. Let cool to warm or room temperature before using.  

Smokey Cheddar with Effie’s Rye

This is such a great savory pairing! Riffing off the experience of a loaded deli bagel, we stacked an Effie’s Rye biscuit (which is sparked with walnut and caraway), our Applewood smoked Smokey Cheddar, smoked salmon, and red onion. Smoky, rich, crunchy and delicious!! We think this would also be equally fantastic with lox, seared ahi tuna, and even pastrami, depending on what your taste buds are calling out for!