I have a new love. His name is Ogleshield.

A few weeks ago I went to a seminar given by Dave and Raef from Neal's Yard Dairy,held at Goose Island Brewery here in Chicago. We were given a tasting of eight different cheeses. Today I'm going to talk about the first four.

Going clockwise I'm going to start at 12 and tell you about Ogleshield. This was a brand new cheese for me, and I fell in love immediately. From the wonderful people who bring you the big English cheese, Montgomery's Cheddar,Ogleshield is a washed rind cheese. In this case it's been washed in a brine solution. On their website NYD says it's similar to Raclette. I know that they're the experts, but honestly Raclette never tasted this good. It feels like on the timeline of cheese, Raclette evolved into something bigger, better and tastier. It's floral, a bit grassy and beefy. It's got a little bit of a funk going on, but it's very mild. This is one of those cheeses where it smells milder than it tastes. This cheese tastes warm. Not temperature, but when I tasted it I imagined it's melting possibilities.

Next up is Ardrahan. another washed rind cheese, this time from County Cork, Ireland. This cheese is also washed in a brine solution, but is very different. Where the Ogleshield has fruity, mellow flavors, the Ardrahan is much more assertive. Bacon, earth, leather and a smidgen of smokiness make this soft but not gooey cheese one of my favorites.

The next two are tricksy precious. Why? Because they're the same cheese. This is Montgomery's Cheddar. There are few things in the world I will commit an act of violence for. Cheddar is one of them. Montgomery's is at the top of that list. Keen's, Cabot Clothbound and Beecher's are also on the list. You know when you hear about people going crazy during some W**-Mart Christmas sale? That's me if you get between me and the last hunk of Cheddar. I won't cut you, but you might accidentally "trip".

Montgomery's Cheddar is what Cheddar should taste like. Traditionally made it is a huge cheese. Assertive in it's nutty, tangy, earthy, beefy flavors it's like a mini explosion in your mouth. Aged for a few years it develops these nice little crystals through the paste that add depth and a slight crunch. It has a bit of a caramelized, sweet flavor to it. Similar to caramelizing onions.

Dave asked us by show of hands which one we liked better. I picked number 2 (#4 on the plate). I was convinced that it was older. Significantly older. Older by at least a year. To my surprise I found out these cheeses were made weeks apart, not months or years. So what made the difference? Why did cheese number one taste like a good sharp Cheddar, and the second one tasted like a wild party in my mouth?* Different starters. One cheese was made with a Wednesday starter and one with a Saturday. That, and a few weeks time made all the difference.

I always try to get customers to taste the cheese. Sometimes when people come into the shop they say "Oh, I've had _____ cheese before. I don't need to taste it." I try to give them a taste anyway. Usually I'm successful. The Cheddar tasting is an anectode I'm going to use from now on to convince everyone to always taste the cheese. Always. Seriously.





I know it's the middle of summer, but in my opinion macaroni and cheese is a year round dish. My favorite dish in the world is a good macaroni and cheese. I love it so much that if taunted by grade school children I would let them know that I love it so much in face I want to marry it, but current laws in my state don't allow a woman to marry food. Instead of the Taleggio and Pleasant Ridge Resrve, I made this recipe with Ogelshield. For this dish, no mushrooms or roasted garlic are needed. Just stinky cheesy goodness. Warning! Although this cheese doesn't have a big foot on it, when you apply heat to it it makes a powerful smell. A very footy, stinky smell.



I'm going to try to do the second half of this post before I leave Tuesday morning. I don't know how much posting will get done during the week. If you're feeling bereft of cheese talk, I will be twittering a bit since it takes less time, and can be done from my phone. Follow me on twitter and see what's going on at Cheesewench's first ACS conference!