Jay D’s Molasses Mustard Cheese Dip and BBQ Cheese Curd Pretzel Bites

Food Network fans will remember Jay Ducote as the runner-up on Season 11 of Food Network Star. He was likable, funny and always seemed to make great food. Fortunately, Jay has started bottling his own brand of sauces and they really are delicious. I’m very particular about my barbecue sauce and Jay’s Louisiana Style Barbecue Sauce is right up my alley – tangy, thin and totally tasty and his Louisiana Molasses Mustard is perfect – sweet and tangy and a great addition to so many dishes.

I’ve added the barbecue sauce to macaroni and cheese, used the molasses mustard on roasted potatoes for a hot potato dish and added the mustard to make a tangy salad dressing. My favorite dish I’ve made with Jay’s products are the ones I am sharing with you today.

As soon as I opened up the package from Jay D’s, I knew what I wanted to make: Molasses Mustard Cheese Dip and to go along with it BBQ Cheese Curd Pretzel Bites. We had a group of friends over and I made both of these dishes and they were a huge hit. The dip is so incredibly easy and you can serve it with pretzel bites, tortilla chips, crudité – whatever you like.

Jay D’s Molasses Mustard Cheese Dip and BBQ Cheese Curd Pretzel Bites
by Jenny Blogging at The Cookbook Junkies

Molasses Mustard Cheese Dip

8 ounces of cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces of mozzarella, shredded
4 ounces of goat cheese, room temperature
4 ounces of Monterey Jack, shredded
3 Tablespoons of Jay D's Louisiana Molasses Mustard
Chives or scallions, for garnish (which I forgot)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place a 6-inch cast iron pan or other vessel into the oven to preheat. It needs to be hot (please take care and use a hot pad for the handle.)

Mix the three tablespoons of Jay D’s Louisiana Molasses Mustard with the room temperature goat cheese.

Once the pan has heated – roughly ten minutes – carefully remove from oven. Begin layering the cheeses into the hot pan – it will sizzle. Add half the cheddar in a layer, then the mozzarella, then half of the goat cheese mixture, and half the Monterey Jack. Repeat the layers again. Return to over until the cheese is a bubbly, gooey pile of deliciousness. Serve immediately.

For the Pretzel Bites, I use King Arthur’s recipe for Pretzels Bites.

To transform them into BBQ Cheese Curd Pretzel Bites:

36 cheese curds
1/4 cup of Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce

Combine these two ingredients in a covered bowl and let it marinate overnight in the fridge.

Prepare the pretzel bites as described. I made 36 cheese curd-filled bites, and the rest were plain.

As you are forming the pretzel bites, place one BBQ sauce steeped cheese curd into each piece of dough and fold up sealing it carefully. (There will be a little seepage on a few, but overall the majority of my bites were intact. It works better if you are able to freeze the pretzel bites before the baking soda bath if you have time. Freeze a whole tray --- with them spread out adequately.)

Follow the instructions as indicated with the baking soda bath, salting and bake the bites at 400°F for roughly 10 minutes.

You may also mix two tablespoons of the barbecue sauce with two tablespoons of butter and with a pastry brush apply the mix lightly to the hot bites before serving.