Faux Fumbally Eggs with Rush Creek Reserve

Irish-inspired, Midwest-made goodness!

For any number of reasons, I have my friend Aisling Rogerson and the amazing Fumbally Café she has led the way to creating in the middle of Dublin, deep in my heart and on my mind. I considered writing something about next spring’s Food Tour to Ireland, but, in the spirit of Natural Law #9, I discovered what we, around here, have to come call “a good problem”: The spring 2026 tour is already sold out. (Stand by! The 2027 schedule goes up in February.) This delicious egg dish is a heartfelt homage to the wonderful work that Aisling and the entire crew at The Fumbally do every day. If you find yourself in Dublin, don’t miss the chance to have breakfast or lunch at The Fumbally. And when you’re there, you can taste it in its very fine, original Fumbally format.

In Dublin, the dish is made with farm eggs, very lightly scrambled with a pinch of sautéed chopped garlic and a good bit of the wonderful Gubbeen cheese from County Cork. It’s then served with sautéed chard atop some toasted, buttered brioche! Here in Michigan, I’ve adapted it to incorporate American ingredients. I use the ridiculously good Rush Creek Reserve, a super-seasonal Wisconsin cheese that arrives in the autumn, in place of the lovely Irish Gubbeen.  

The story of Rush Creek Reserve begins with cheesemaker Andy Hatch at Uplands Cheese in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. You may know his work from the exceptionally good, lovingly aged Pleasant Ridge Reserve. Both are beyond delicious. But where Pleasant Ridge is firm-textured, Rush Creek is soft and creamy. And where Pleasant Ridge is on hand pretty much year-round, Rush Creek goes quickly—by the time we get to New Year’s, it will already be almost done until next November. The new cheese just arrived a few weeks ago for its annual short season, so now is the time to take full culinary advantage of it. 

Crafted in the style of a Swiss Vacherin Mont D’Or, Rush Creek is a washed rind cheese—thin, slightly sticky rind, wrapped in a wood band and aged for about eight weeks so that it’s nice and creamy and sort of prototypically custard-soft inside. All the intensive work of affinage, the regular hand-rubbing and turning of each small wheel, is an enormous factor in its finished flavor. It takes about 27 or so “touches” per wheel from the time it enters the aging rooms until the moment it’s ready to ship.

When you eat some Rush Creek Reserve, you’ll realize right away that it’s well worth all that effort. Rush Creek has a complex and delicious flavor and a smooth and creamy texture. You could just spoon it out of the rind and eat it as is, or cut a wedge and put it on a cheese plate. Eat it with a slice or two of the Bakehouse’s Country Miche, from a loaf with an especially dark crust if possible. I like to buy the big, 2-kilo loaves.

To make the Faux Fumbally Eggs with Rush Creek, start by grilling or pan-frying a couple of thick slices of the Bakehouse’s wonderful German Challah in good olive oil. (You can use regular challah, or really any of the Bakehouse breads, but I’m biased toward this traditional German Jewish loaf, which is relatively new to us.)

In a hot pan, sauté a good amount of washed fresh chard in olive oil with a pinch of sea salt until it’s soft, then set it aside. Remember, the chard will shrink a lot in the pan, so you’ll likely want to start with what will look like more than you think you need!. Add more olive oil to the pan, and then lay in a few generous tablespoons of the Rush Creek that you’ve scooped out of the center of the cheese. Add a small bit of fresh garlic and stir gently. After 10 seconds or so, add a couple of eggs per person that you’ve cracked into a bowl but left whole. As the eggs start to set, poke the yolks with a fork and then gently swirl them into the whites. You should see pieces of both yolk and white, a bit like a lovely mosaic. As soon as the eggs are done, lay them atop the toast. Then put the cooked chard atop the eggs. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add a drizzle of good olive oil and eat!

To be clear, what I’m writing about here is not the same as the Fumbally dish you’ll get at the source. For the real thing, you need to go to Dublin! This is just different, and, in its own way, equally delicious! It’s also a quick and deeply delicious meal.

Reserve your Rush Creek