The first bite should give people something to talk about.

Buttery MouCo Truffello®, crisp ribbons of pickled daikon and carrot, a small dab of olive tapenade. A few drops of lemon olive oil brighten the finish, leaving that lovely, woodsy truffle flavor room to linger. It’s a little appetizer with plenty going on—and very little standing between you and the first taste.

This dish appeared at Ginger and Baker’s Scandinavian Summer Chef’s Table in Fort Collins. Chef Jason Adams opened his menu with a MouCo Truffello bite and this lively combination of accompaniments. We’ve brought those flavors into a simple version for your own table.

Home preparation by MouCo; quantities and method developed from the restaurant’s menu description.

🧂 Ingredients

Makes 8 bites; serves 4 as a small appetizer
Active prep: about 15 minutes · Quick-pickling: 20 minutes, partly overlapping · Total: about 30 minutes

Quick-pickled vegetables

• • ¼ cup (30 g) peeled daikon, cut into very fine matchsticks
  • ¼ cup (30 g) carrot, cut into very fine matchsticks
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) warm water
  • 1 teaspoon (4 g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) fine salt

Cheese and finishing touches

• • 1 wheel MouCo Truffello®, 4.4 oz (125 g), chilled
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, from about ¼ lemon
  • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) black olive tapenade
  • 8 small, plain rye crackers or pieces of rye crispbread, optional; tasting spoons also work

👣 Instructions

1. 1. Start with the crunch. Stir the sugar and salt into the warm water until dissolved, then add the vinegar. Put the daikon and carrot in a small bowl, pour over the liquid and toss well. Let stand for 20 minutes, turning the vegetables a few times so they pickle evenly.
   2. Wake up the lemon. While the vegetables pickle, stir the lemon zest into the olive oil. Leave it to infuse while you prepare the cheese.
   3. Cut cold, serve softer. Remove all packaging from the chilled Truffello®. Leave its edible rind on and cut the wheel into 8 small wedges, wiping the knife between cuts. Let the portions sit for about 15 minutes while the pickles finish, just long enough for their buttery texture and truffle aroma to open up.
   4. Build each bite. Drain the vegetables and blot gently so they stay crisp without dripping. Set one piece of cheese on each tasting spoon or optional rye cracker. Add about ¼ teaspoon of tapenade and a small tangle of pickled daikon and carrot. Keep the toppings light enough to taste the truffle underneath.
   5. Finish with a little brightness. Stir the lemon oil again and add a few drops to each bite. Serve right away, with any remaining pickles and lemon oil alongside. If using crackers, assemble just before serving to keep their snap.

🎯 Notes & Pairings

• • Let ripeness guide you. A wheel that still holds its shape makes tidy wedges. If your Truffello® is very ripe and soft, spoon small portions onto tasting spoons instead. Its real Italian black truffles bring plenty of aroma on their own.
  • Get a head start. Make the pickled vegetables a day ahead and refrigerate them in their liquid. Drain just before assembling. The optional rye crackers are our serving suggestion for an easy appetizer to pass around.
  • Pour something lively. Try a dry sparkling wine or a crisp, dry cider alongside the creamy cheese and bright pickles. For an alcohol-free option, sparkling water with a strip of lemon peel keeps the finish fresh.

A Fort Collins gathering place, then and now

Long before the glowing windows and dinner tables, this corner of Linden and Willow had grain to move and neighbors to catch up with. Built in 1910 as the Poudre Elevator Company, the building later became the familiar Northern Colorado Feeders Supply. Farmers, ranchers and townspeople came through for supplies, coffee and conversation.

Jack and Ginger Graham bought the property in 2015 to begin its next chapter. There’s something fitting about a little Fort Collins cheese finding its way onto the menu of a place with such deep local roots.

Menu credit: Ginger and Baker’s Scandinavian Summer Chef’s Table, June 28, 2026.

Visit Ginger and Baker  |  See the original menu  |  Read the building’s story

Hero artwork: an AI-assisted geometric illustration in MouCo label colors based on a reference photograph of Ginger and Baker and The Cache in Fort Collins.