It sounds like a tool for a superhero, instead it belongs in the arsenal of a chef. The Ogleshield is an English cheese. It is born of a collaborative effort by Jamie Montgomery (yes, that Montgomery), Randolph Hodgson the owner of Neal's Yard Dairy, and William Oglethorpe their master affineur. The cheese itself is made by Montgomery with the milk from Jersey cows. A favorite for milk and cream, it's large fat globules make the milk an unusual choice for cheese. The cheese is aged at Neal's Yard and treated in the same way as a traditional raclette, salted, massaged, and kept in a moist cave. Instead of a crumbly cheddar, the jersey cheese is something softer and more unctuous, ripe with flavor, and perfect for melting.
We got our Ogleshield at Di Bruno Bros shop in the Italian Market in Philly. A benefit of knowing our cheesemonger is that we get great cheeses and great stories. Hunter explained that the cheesemaker buys back the cheese after it's aged and uses it for grilled cheese sandwiches made with raw red onion and rye bread. We would have bought it because the cheese was delicious, the idea of the sandwich added a whole new incentive to take some home.
This morning Alex ran out to the Italian People's Bakery and picked up, among other things, a loaf of everything rye bread. Yes, just like the bagel, this light rye bread had a topping of assorted seeds and salt. He layered thinly sliced red onion and Ogleshield on the bread and grilled it in a pan with a generous amount of sweet butter. The sandwich was amazing. It was rich and almost meaty in flavor. The onions were partially cooked, mostly tender and sweet with the odd crunchy, pungent bite to cut through all the cheese. The seeded rye was the perfect foil, highlighting the earthy qualities of the cheese. Of course, how could we go wrong? Obviously the cheesemaker would know the best way to serve his creation...
