Product Description

Paula Lambert is a godsend to cheese lovers everywhere. She so yearned for delicious cheese that she built her own factory, the Mozzarella Company, in Dallas, Texas. The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide is her indispensable resource on buying, storing, cooking, and serving cheese, and even making your own cheese at home. In more than 150 recipes, Lambert presents a down-to-earth approach to cooking with many varieties, whether it's Gruyère, Camembert, or just tried-and-true Cheddar. Learn to put the cheeses you love into every meal, from appetizers like a Savory Herbed Cheesecake to such desserts as an Orange-Ricotta Almond Tart.

With so many wonderful cheeses available, it can be difficult to choose among them. To help navigate this abundance of riches, The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide contains descriptions of a hundred cheeses by taste, texture, country of origin, and type of milk used to make them, as well as suggestions on selecting cheeses and putting together a cheese course when entertaining.

Reflecting various influences -- Southern, Mexican, Southwestern, and Italian -- The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide is at once international and familiar, and always full of flavor. Because Lambert is a cheesemaker, she is not afraid to experiment in the kitchen, and she shares her delicious results. From the bold and unusual Artichoke, Spinach, and Goat Cheese Spring Rolls to the delicious and traditional Fettuccine ai Quattro Formaggi, cheese is the main focus in each of these artfully creative recipes. She also includes recipes for courageous and unintimidated cooks to make their own Crème Fraîche, Fresh Cream Cheese, Cottage Cheese, Mascarpone, Ricotta, Queso Blanco, and Aged Tomme at home.

For home chefs and anyone interested in learning more about the delicious world of cheese, The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide is ideal. Every cheese lover will be thrilled with the mouth-watering results.Amazon.com Review
Twenty years ago, Paula Lambert was just your average Texas housewife. But when she became addicted to fresh mozzarella while traveling in Italy only to return home and find there was no fresh mozzarella in Texas, both an entrepreneur and a cheese factory were born. In The Cheese Lover's Cookbook, Lambert shares the vast knowledge she's garnered in two decades at the helm of the successful Mozzarella Company, which now boasts 35 types of cheese and twice as many awards.

Lambert's passion for cheese shines in enticing recipes that draw on her Southwestern, Italian, and Southern influences. The book flows effortlessly between such down-home favorites as Cowboy Cheese Dip (made with Velveeta!) and more adventurous treats such as Baked Gnocchi with Sage-Parmigiano Crust or Blue Cheese Quesadillas with Mango Salsa. Chapters cover brunch through dessert, including appetizers, salads, soups, pastas, vegetables, meats, and breads. For brunch, Ricotta Pancakes with Banana-Pecan Syrup--a moist, fluffy, invitingly rich concoction reminiscent of the famous New Orleans dessert Bananas Foster--fits the bill. Crustless Cheddar Quiche with Onion and Bacon Topping (more like a savory flan than a classic quiche) would be equally satisfying for brunch or lunch. Entrées range from the vegetarian Layered Vegetable Gratin Provencal bound by strongly flavored Gruyère, to tangy Poached Salmon with Feta Mayonnaise, to succulent Rack of Lamb with Goat Cheese Crust. An array of inviting desserts, from the intensely chocolatey Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownies to the wonderfully refreshing Cinnamon-Ricotta Sorbet, rounds out the recipe section.

But this is much more than just a cookbook: it's an informative guide that details the history of cheese, provides nutritional information, and offers tips on how to buy, store, and serve cheese. For the truly ambitious, Lambert includes step-by-step instructions for making both fresh and aged cheese at home. A chapter on pairing wine with cheese takes the mystery out of finding just the right match, and indispensable charts expertly guide those interested in substituting or experimenting with more unusual cheeses. For any cheese lover, this practical and wonderfully entertaining guide is a truly comprehensive resource. --Robin Donovan ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

The ultimate cookbook for the cheese lover
As the name would suggest, if you are a cheeselover this is definitely the cookbook for you.This book really runs the gamut when it comes to cheese with informative sections on the history of cheese, cheese and nutrition, buying cheese, serving cheese and more.Most appealing to me, the book also contains 150 recipes that showcase cheese.

Because I own other reference books on cheese (Cheese Primer) and cheesemaking books (Home Cheese Making: Recipes for 75 Delicious Cheeses) the purpose of picking up this book for me was all about the recipes.I was hoping for diverse and flavorful recipes that would highlight cheese and so far my expectations have been exceeded.Everything I have made thus far has come out as expected and has been restaurant-quality in terms of flavor.Among the most memorable meals I have made are the Endive Canoes Stuffed with Blue Cheese, Baked Goat Cheese Salad, and Rack of Lamb with Goat Cheese Crust.There are also countless other recipes I cannot wait to try.I think what makes the recipes in this book so wonderful is that they don't feel like reprises of all the other cheese-based recipes you've seen in general cookbooks.Yes, there are some classics like Macaroni and Cheese and Quesadillas, but there are also a lot of recipes I haven't seen in other cookbooks.The bottom line is that everytime I turn a page I surprise myself by finding another recipe I want to make.

The only caveat I would say about this book is that there are stronger books on the market when it comes to cheesemaking.I didn't pick up this book with the intention of making cheese so that didn't bother me.However, if you did there are only 7 recipes in this book for homemade cheese, far fewer than in books like Home Cheese Making: Recipes for 75 Delicious Cheeses and The Home Creamery.If your main aim is to make homemade cheese I would recommend one of those books instead.However, if your goal is to make delicious food pre-made cheese you will find this book a delight.

Overall I love this cookbook and cannot wait to try out more recipes like Summer Vegetable Strudels and Artichoke, Spinach, and Goat Cheese spring Rolls.Yum!I highly recommend it.

Good book. Index not linked.
I find this book very useful in the supermarket. It covers a number of interesting dishes such as spaetzle. Surprisingly a lot of the recipies are not very cheesy. Unfortunatelt the index is not linked and is thus completely useless.

Everything you wanted to know about cheese and more
This is an exremely informative book.It gives a history of the development of different cheeses, how to make many of them at home, the uses of various cheeses and recipes.I got a little bogged down in the history of cheese, and don't really plan to make my own, but it was great for giving me more information about the uses of various cheeses.If you want to learn about cheese, this is your book.

Wonderful and Informative addition to your cookbooks!
This book isn't just technical info about cheese, it's mostly a cookbook with really great cheese information. It's perfect for a beginner delving into the world of cheese (outside that of processed and plastic wrapped slices). The recipes are simply laid out, easy to make and the pictures are fabulous! This is a keeper and would make a great gift for anyone who enjoys cooking.

IF YOU LOVE CHEESE, YOU MUST GET THIS BOOK...
I love cheese. A world without cheese is almost unimaginable. I have never met a cheese I didn't like. It is one of the most delicious and flavorful foods on Earth, as well as one of the most versatile.

You can have cheese as an appetizer, a soup, a salad, a main course, or even as a dessert. If you should have any doubt about my somewhat sweeping declaration, you need only open this book. It contains over a hundred and fifty eclectic, mouth watering, delicious recipes, where cheese is a prime ingredient.

I came upon this book at a school auction, coupled with a lovely cheese board. I placed a silent bid on the set, and to my surprise, I was the successful bidder. I took the items home, and being a bookaholic, began perusing this book.

To my surprise, I discovered it to be much more than a cookbook, as it gives the reader precise instructions on how to buy, store, and serve just about every conceivable variety of cheese. All this information is imparted in a conversational tone, making for easy reading.

The author tells the reader how her love of cheese motivated her to start her own cheese factory, the very successful "Mozzarella Company". She also starts the reader from scratch, telling one what cheese actually is. She also gives the reader a fascinating overview on the history of cheese, as well as a chapter on cheese and nutrition.

The author goes to great lengths to describe the various types of cheese, categorizing it by texture, flavor, and country of origin. She gives tips on buying and serving cheese, as well as tips on what to do with leftover cheese. She also gives suggestions on what wine to pair with certain cheeses. For those who are ambitious and so inclined, the author even has a chapter on making your own cheese at home.

While these extras are all well and good, the recipes alone are worth investing in the book. My own personal favorites are the "Bruschetta Topped with Goat Cheese and Tomatoes", "Green Salad with Apples and Goat Cheese", "Crustless Cheddar Quiche with Onion and Bacon Topping", "Uptown Get-Down Macaroni and Cheese", "Bell Peppers Stuffed with Rice, Ricotta, and Jarlsberg", and "Carrot-Ricotta Pudding".

Of course, the recipes I like are all fairly basic and easy to put together. There are also many, more ambitious and delicious sounding recipes for those with an affinity for cooking. Theyreflect a variety of diverse influences. Contemporary in feel, ranging from the gastronomically creative to the traditrional, they are international in scope. There is simply something for everyone. It is not just for cheese lovers only.
... Read more

Product Description
Époisses, Explorateur, Emmental--just naming cheeses can be a tongue-twisting game! Learn how to pronounce the names more than 100 types of cheeses and pair them with wine and food with The Everything Cheese Book. Written by a certified "cheese specialist," this book offers you a chance to learn about the history of cheese, while giving you insider tips and more than 100 recipes for preparing cheese-related or cheese-based plates, platters, and hors d'oeuvres.

This mouth-watering resource shows everyone--from the cheese amateur to the connoisseur:

• Where and how to buy quality cheese
• How to organize and host cheese parties
• The art of cheesemaking
• How to pair cheese with wine
• How to distinguish several types of cheese by taste, texture, and smell

With The Everything Cheese Book, you will be well on your way to becoming a seasoned affineur. ... Read more

Product Description
Written in humorous rhyme, these very basic recipes are for those who have no time or interest in cooking. If you regularly prepare meals, this book is not for you. If you pick up burritos or chinese food on most nights, this is a quick, tasty and amusing alternative. A quick, easy and humorous guide to cooking for bachelors/ettes who are clueless in the kitchen. A cookbook for bachelors written in rhyme; rap while you're roasting! No time to cook? Hot date coming over? Have some simple fun in the kitchen! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Interesting but less book than I thought...
Like the title of this review says, it's a interesting read - but it really is LESS book than I expected. It was bound by plastic spirals - like a notebook.

The read itself was easy, information presented was simple and to the point, and there was a bit of humor.

While I did not need this book for myself, as it was a gift to my brother who eats nothing but ramen noodles, information presented was pretty solid advice for a beginning cooker.

So, I'd recommend this book for a new college student or someone else starting out on their own for the first time - especially if mom and dad didn't teach him/her how to do the basics in a kitchen.

So retarded, I wish we had parted
So I had this New Year's Resolution that I'd actually learn to cook decently for myself.This was one of a few books that I bought, but every recipe is written in rhyme!(I'm dumb and didn't figure out this theme from the title.)I don't think I'll be working much out of this, The Real Man's Cookbook seems infinitely more useful for, you know, actually cooking.

What a retarded book
This book should only be purchased for 12 year olds who are moving out on there own.Anyone 18 years or older would find it very insulting, this is a retarded book.

Cute but unhelpful
Maybe it is the rhyming that throws this book off. I found the book cute but really unhelpful. I lost my wife a month ago, and before tackling her cookbooks (she loved to cook!) I thought I'd start out simple. I can say that after ordering this book, it gave me the inertia to tackle her books, so that's the good that came of it!

A lifeline for the cuisinally challenged!!!
With a lighthearted touch, Will Marks translates cooking complexitites into functional dishes for the everyday postcollege man. Readers will marvel at the simple elegance of Mr. Marks' menu, and wonder out loud whyhe would forsake his kitchen brilliance for the banality of Wall Street. ... Read more

Product Description
Nothing complements a good meal with friends like a rustic oak table laden with an exquisite selection of fine cheeses: a grape leaf-lined platter of ricotta with honey, red pears, and roasted chestnuts, or a decorative Spanish tile topped with sheep's milk cheeses, toasted almonds, and oven-dried tomatoes, or a simple Italian salad of crostini dripping with melted fontina and white truffle oil. The elegant tradition of the after-dinner cheese course is rapidly gaining popularity as a part of home entertaining. Written by best-selling author and award-winning food writer Janet Fletcher, The Cheese Course decribes the wonderful array of artisanal cheeses now available, offering suggestions for presentations as well as wine pairings and fruit and nut accompaniments. The Cheese Course is rounded out with 50 sweet and savory recipes for salads, breads, and desserts that match deliciously with cheese.Amazon.com Review
The popularity of restaurant cheese platters, offered after the main courseand before dessert, leads many of us to consider a similar homepresentation. But how to go about it?Part guide, part recipe book, JanetFletcher's The Cheese Course offers a deft introduction to choosingand presenting cheese for mealtime enjoyment. The book doesn't pretend tobe comprehensive; you won't find cheese-by-cheese descriptions, forexample. But it does offer a sensible survey of the issues involved inchoosing the best cheeses--domestic and foreign--for home entertaining.Beginning with a discussion of the cheese course itself, the book thenexplores cheese purchasing, platter composition, cheese accompaniments, andcomplementary drinks. This latter discussion, which offers pairings basedon cheese age and type, is particularly well handled and offers interestingsuggestions such as serving rich triple crèmes with sparkling wine orpungent cheeses with fruit brandy. After the sections on cheese etiquetteand storage (Fletcher is against plastic wrap for all but the hardestcheeses), the book offers 40 recipes for cheese accompaniments, organizedby milk type. These include Fresh Ricotta with Chestnut Honey, Chestnuts,and Pears, Marinated Pecorino with Orange Peel and Herbs, and Grape Focaccia with Homemade GoatFromage Blanc. A concluding recipe section on themed cheese platters offerssuch delights as American Artisan Cheeses with Figs and Field Greens Salad.Illustrated with color photos throughout, the book is a small treasure ofinformation and good taste, and should appeal to all who love cheese andwant to share it with friends and family. --Arthur Boehm ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Excellent Resource for Cheese Recipe Ideas
While I LOVE cheese, it's got a load of calories that make me limit my intake, so I'm not one who will serve cheese with every meal.However, my husband IS a vegetarian (I am not), so I regularly use cheese as a source of protein.We eat a lot of pasta, and Janet Fletcher is one of my favorite cooks. I have several of her cookbooks and use Pasta Harvest as my main meal resource. Many of her pasta recipes call for cheese.

Still, I LOVE the idea of cheese as an appetizer, dessert, accompaniment to wine, etc.I read through this book quickly, found several recipes I intend to try, but mostly, I came away with a different view of the meaning and use of cheese as a serving by itself.I like that idea.My children sometimes order cheese boards when we go out to dinner, and I always enjoy nibbling from them.Guess I'll have to save cheese for special occasions, though, since I just can't take the extra calories on a daily basis, although since reading this book, my husband and I did start adding cheese (and some excellent organic crackers we've found from Urban Ovens) as a supplement to our evening glass of wine.It's very satisfying, even if a little sinful.

I appreciate the tips for buying and storing fresh cheese, as well as suggested pairings .Lots of tantalizing ideas in this book.Can't wait to try some of them.

Everything cheese.
Excellent book with great recipe ideas! I loved the one on the cover so much, I ran out to a local kitchen store and bought a wooden bowl. I already had the cheese, honey and grape leaves, so I was ready to impress my friends. :)

Some good recipes
This is a nice book to have around. The book is organized by type of cheese and offers suggestions of how to use the cheese. I wish it would have showed how the author would put together a whole cheese plate or a party instead of just individual cheese offerings.

Enjoying Cheese at Your Table
Case of subtitle should have been title."The Cheese Course" as other reviewers have pointed out does not adequately describe the contents.The subtitle: Enjoying the World's Best Cheeses at Your Table" does.

This is about utilizing cheese in more than macaroni casseroles or nachos et al.This is about nice pairings with salad, torta, galette, etc.

While there is nice section on storing and purchasing, I refer those wanting to know more about this and various cheeses consult two fine sources such as: "The Cheese Primer" and "The Cheese Plate."These will provide more thorough info on cheese shopping and more detail on world's fromage wealth.

This little book (just over 100 pages) provides a much different yet important reference, ways of utilizing cheese from cow's milk, goat's milk, sheep's milk, and mixed milk sources.

There are some great opportunities here for presenting new tastes, the likes of: Three French Cheeses with an Apple, Fennel and Walnut Salad; Cabecou with Honey and Walnuts; Aged Gouda with Apple Galette;

What's nice about these offerings is that with each she suggests where in the menu this recipe might be offered, what accompaniments would go well, plus options such as wine/beverage.

Nice format and color photos.

Title as bit of a misnomer
This is a book carefully produced, the photographs and the introductionsto the recipes add to the fun of using the recipes.The book begins with apersonal introduction including information on buying and storing cheese,on the selection and presentation of cheeses on a cheese platter,instruments for cutting cheese etc.This introduction is followed by fourchapters of recipes using cheese: cow's milk cheeses, goat's milk cheeses,sheep's milk cheeses, and mixed milk cheeses and cheese platters.

Whilethe recipes are excellent, they are why I take exception to the title -many of the recipes are for the salad course. Other recipes are for breadsor cookies to accompany the cheesecourse, some are for excellentmarinades for soft cheeses, some for marinades fruits to accompany thecheeses - items like goat gouda with roasted hazelnuts and sherried figswith five alternative cheeses listed make this volume well worthowning.

This is not a book that will introduce you to a wide variety ofcheeses, however, it will provide you with many excellent pairings ofcheese and fruit, as well as many salads for which a cheese is a necessaryingredient. ... Read more

Product Description
Cataloguing the wide varieties of cheeses found in France, this highly informative reference provides essential information on each type of cheese, as well as advice as what wince to drink as accompaniment and the history of each flavor. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Yummy Cheese
All I can say is, I want to try every single type of cheese after I read this book. I have no complained for DK Publishing's Eyewitness Companions series. I have lots books from them (in English or other language) and I enjoy every book I purchased.

Nice introduction to the world of French cheese
For those who enjoy cheese from time to time, this is an enjoyable little volume.Its focus is on French cheese (I just read and reviewed a book on olive oil, and this is a similar type of work).

The book begins with some introductory elements.Among these: the interrelationship among cheese, bread and wine; nutritional value of cheese; French cheese today; the labeling of cheese (a fascinating subject as related here, by the way!); buying, storing, and tasting cheese (one useful hint: let cheese warm up about 1/2 hour before eating, to bring out fuller flavor).

But the real heart of this book is the coverage of cheeses.There are over 200 pages of this, so I'll provide a few examples to give a sense of what is covered.

Brie: One of my favorite French cheeses (I used to think that it had an odd odor and taste, but with maturity, I have changed my mind!). The region where it is made is just east of Paris. Different kinds of brie are described.The discussion provides the rules that allow one to label the cheese as meeting key standards.

Camembert: Another of my favorites.This discussion includes the 32 steps from milking cows to eating a slice of this cheese!Fascinating reading. Again, as with brie, there are many categories of camembert, and it is intriguing to read about the variations.

Emmental: Another French cheese that I enjoy immensely.The discussion describes how one type of this cheese (Emmental grand cru) is made.

Roquefort: Not a cheese that I eat much.But it is one that is well known. A variety of aspects of this cheese is covered, such as appearance and flavor, legal protection, production, the cheese's "home," the blue mold so characteristic of this cheese, and so on.

In short, this is a lot of fun!It gives the reader a good sense of the different French cheeses and provides greater context for the next time one sits down to eat some good French cheese!

How did I live without this book?
DK Publishing does it again!Most Americans can probably only name 4 or 5 types of cheese but here is a book with hundreds of fascinating cheeses.I wouldn't say that all the cheese looks appetizing but the shear variety will keep you reading.Now, when I go to cheese section of a well stocked grocery store I get excited when I see a cheese I read about in the book.

French Cheese
Excellent!DK Publishing does a thorough job with superb photographs and complete information.I am both a photo researcher and professional freelance stock photographer and work in publishing!

AVOID THIS BOOK!
I suggest that if you live in the typical USA city or town you do not read 'French Cheese'. It will turn you into a cheese snob and ruin any appreciation you currently have for cheese sold in most USA environments. Since reading this very informational 'French Cheese' book, I have yet to find a good 'live' cheese within an one hour drive plus an hour ferry ride of my home. This commute has driven my cheese costs through the roof. My wine costs are now at new heights too, as the suggestions for compatible wines are so interesting. Now my typical day is to get up very early, catch the morning bus (or drive) to the ferry terminal; take the ferry to the city; then walk a distance to a farmer's market area where I can find cheese and wine within a respectable distance from each other. I find a cheese that is still 'alive', look it up in the book, see what wine the 'French Cheese' book recommends, then go to one of the wine shops in the area and try to find that wine. If I cannot find the wine, back to the cheese shop to see what else they have that matches up with one of the cheese / wine recommendations in the 'French Cheese' book. By the time I get all this done it is time for lunch. I go to the one of the local bakeries nearby and get some 'appropriate bread' to go with some of the cheese and wine I purchased, sit down somewhere and have lunch. Then it is time to head for home. It will take me another couple of hours to get home, so it is just in time to start a dinner of some kind, (which is usually based upon one of 'French Cheese' book's cooking with cheese recommendations). I am also afraid that my travel expenses to Europe (France in particular) are going to increase dramatically since most of the cheeses in the 'French Cheese' book are not exported, (and there are so many cheeses to try). I would write more, but I am running late for the ferry. I wish I had never read this damn book. ... Read more

Product Description
The classic home cheese making primer has been updated and revised to reflect the increased interest in artisanal-quality cheeses and the availability of cheese making supplies and equipment.

Here are 85 recipes for cheeses and other dairy products that require basic cheese making techniques and the freshest of ingredients, offering the satisfaction of turning out a coveted delicacy. Among the step-by-step tested recipes for cheese varieties are farmhouse cheddar, gouda, fromage blanc, queso blanco, marscarpone, ricotta, and 30-minute mozzarella. Recipes for dairy products include crème fraíche, sour cream, yogurt, keifer, buttermilk, and clotted cream. There are also 60 recipes for cooking with cheese, including such treats as Ricotta Pancakes with Banana Pecan Syrup, Cream Cheese Muffins, Broiled Pears and Vermont Shepherd Cheese, Prosciutto and Cheese Calzones, and Grilled Vegetable Stacks with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. Profiles of home cheese makers and artisan cheese makers scattered throughout the text share the stories of people who love to make and eat good cheese. Plus information on how to enjoy homemade cheeses, how to serve a cheese course at home, cheese tips, lore, quotes, cheese making glossary, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (72)

Home Cheese Making
Cheese making is not only an art but a science.Being a scientist (a microbiologist by education), I find the process of turning milk into cheese fascinating! The idea that you can combine milk with different enzymes and specific cultures and get so many different flavors is just amazing.Don't be intimidated if you are NOT scientific by nature because this book goes into great detail about the history and science of cheese making.There are step by step instructions about the ingredients, equipment, and techniques you will need to be familiar with in order to be successful.Then comes all the recipes...soft cheeses, hard cheeses, Italian cheese and more.They range from simple yogurt cheese (which I have made and it is tangy and flavorful!) to complicated cheddars and mold ripened cheeses.No matter what your skill level in the kitchen, you will find a recipe that will work for you! There are also a lot of recipes that include ways to use your finished product like kefir smoothies and Irish Cream frozen yogurt.The author included a wonderful reference section at the end of the book that includes troubleshooting tips and resources to obtain your supplies.I highly recommend this book and can't wait to try all the recipes (okay, maybe not ALL but lots!) If you are interested in learning more about the art and science of cheese making, this is the book for you!

Disclaimer: I received one copy of this book at no charge in order to write my review. I received no monetary compensation.All opnions expressed here are mine and mine alone.

it works!
This seems to be the go-to book for aspiring home cheese makers.In fact, the farms where we bought our goats' milk told me they used the book to make their own cheese, and another cheese-making farm told us they used the book when they started out making cheese.

My husband and I hosted a cheese-making weekend with some friends, and both parties got this book in advance to read over.We made mozzarella, which was quite good, and chevre, which was even better.We also tried the farmhouse cheddar, but I won't know how that came out until the end of the month!

The books is clearly written, but you can't just go to the recipes.It is imperative that you read the introductory chapters first, which go over the ingredients, the equipment, and the general process.If you do that carefully -- and then write notes into the recipe you will use -- then the recipes should work out just fine.But walk through the whole process carefully in your mind at least once, with all the equipment and ingredients front of you, before you try it for real; there are lots of details, and the recipes do not remind you of all of them.For example, you must sterilize and then cool down the water for the rennet, crush the rennet tablets, and let them dissolve for 10-30 minutes before adding it to the milk.I had to write this into the recipes to remind me to do it well in advance.I also noted on the recipe pages the stages at which you are NOT supposed to stir!All these things were in the introductory chapters, but are not repeated in the recipes.

Also, I would add that you should get a really reliable digital thermometer that alerts you when the temperature goes above and below a certain temperature.The hardest part of cheese making, for me, was keeping the curds at a set temperature for 30 minutes!Those cheap, dial meat thermometers you get at the grocery store are just not going to be all you need them to be...

FInally, I love that the book profiles artisanal and farmhouse cheese makers around the country.It is interesting to find out how they got started, details about their farms and operations, and their words of encouragement and advice.I actually contacted one of the profiled cheese makers and asked if we could visit.Graciously, they wrote back and invited us.Visiting their farm and cheese operation was one of the highlights of the trip!

This book worked well for us -- told us what equipment we needed, how to make a cheese press, how to prepare a place to age the cheese, etc.For the absolute beginner, this tells you everything you need to know.

Cheese Making
The book has clear and concise instructions along with a considerable amount of background information about cheese making.

Not Clear Enough...
I guess it's really personal preference when it comes down to it, but I'd already started making cheese when I purchased this book and it was confusing, so no wonder a complete beginner had trouble. Most beginner home cheese makers are going to use store bought milk and unless you have read & ingrained in your head the section about adding calcium chloride to store bought milk, you will fail with every recipe because it is not mentioned even as optional in any of the recipes. Also didn't care for 'packet' ingredient listings, a unit of measurement is more appropriate, the packet suggests everyone will be purchasing supplies from this author's store and everything is prepackaged for you.

There is a great recipe varity, but i've had to mark up the book so much to include things that are missing it almost isn't worth it.

Recipes not for beginners... but great information!
I bought this after buying a cook book that had a basic fresh cheese recipe in it and thought. I love cheese... if it's so easy, I wonder how many different kinds I could make??? So, out to Amazon for a book. Great information, history, and recipes, but I was clueless and a bit overwhelmed as to where and how I should start...even where to buy the necessary materials. I'm sure if I was a SERIOUS student, this would be a gold mine, but I have to admit, I wasn't thinking about how involved cheese making is... my ignorance! It does categorize the recipes from easy to difficult, which is nice. I believe I know which section I will be referring to, if I ever get the bright idea of making cheese again. While it is an informative and interesting book, it wasn't the best buy for me - a lover of cheese, but not the work that must be put into it. ... Read more

Product Description
The book is about cheese in all its many glorious varieties. What it looks like, what it tastes like, where it comes from, what you should do with it and why, how to choose a cheese you'll like and how best to enjoy it. It gives you an in-depth understanding of the world of cheese - the science, the smells, the succulence.

The core of the book is formed by the Directory Spreads, packed with clear and expert information about each cheese and illustrated with excellent photography. The cheeses are arranged by country, each section written by an expert "cheesie" from that country. For the novice, the intermediate and expert cheese eater, it will become the undisputed best guide to the world's cheeses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

When you know it is so simple
Another great book. Juliet Harbutt is able to tell in concise words all essence of what cheese have to offer.
An excellent companion book to guide novice and expert in their shopping list. Of course, you will not find the 1200 cheeses of France or the 300 of Canada nor the 400 of Italy but you will find a great opportunity to go in depth in a tour of taste of each country. With this book in your bag you can shop in London, Paris, Montreal, New York, Mexico or Dubai and be able to ask your cheese shop one of those gem. A great moment to develop your taste buds and share your heart.

Amazonprovidesinformation on Cheeses
A lot of cheeses are used in numerous recipes.I did not know them nor the origin of the cheeses. Cooking is a lot more fun.I do like this book.

So many cheeses so little time
This one arrived in my Christmas stocking and had me going though my "Have I eaten this? Checklist".
Although it may not be a must buy for the general cheese-eater the photography and close-up of each cheese (listed by country) will have you salivating and running to the nearest cheese shop to get samples.
Historical information on selected cheeses open colorfully across two pages filled with tasting notes, cooking ideas and wine accompaniments. Over 750 of the world's finest cheeses, described, photographed and mapped for cheese hunters like me.
I will definitely recommend it for my cheese tasting class students.The Cheese Chronicles: A Journey Through the Making and Selling of Cheese in America, From Field to Farm to Table ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (15)

Wow!Awsome book!
Great buy!Love the contents.Its a wonderful book, everything and more than we expected.My daughter loves it!
Great pics and easy to understand, fun recipes.We have learned a lot from this book.

Excellent book.
This is a great product- for the beginner to the advanced. Beautiful historical review of cheese, well described steps to create cheese and gorgeous illustrations.

A Cheese Makers Delight
The book is almost a Bible for anyone new to cheese making.It explains easily all that is needed and describes the process perfectly.I have tried three of the recipes and only two turned out reasonably well, but to no falt of the book.Cheesemaking is a delicate process of which this book guides one through.

Beautiful Pictures but inaccurate information
Don't waste you time on this book.The pictures are beautiful but the recipes are inaccurate and will dissappoint you.The recipes are not what I think of Artisian - instead he tells you how to make the most popular cheese just like the other cheese making books. If you want a good cheese making book try The Cheesemaker's Manual by Margaret Peters-Morris or Home Cheesemaking by Ricki Carrol.

Beautiful Illustrations -- Inaccurate Recipes
I found some of Tim Smith's recipes to be inaccurate and quite differing from like recipes contained in The Cheesemaker's Manual by Margaret Peters-Morris, Home Cheesemaking by Ricki Carrol, and Cheese Making at Home from the Center for Essential Education.Consider his recipe for Cabra al Vino - the list of ingredients make no mention of salt, but it mentions adding salt in the procedure.I would be very cautious before using any of his recipes without first comparing them to other recipes, considering the investment of time, labor and expense necessary to produce cheese.I'm disappointed. ... Read more

Product Description
Since1973, Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletins have offered practical, hands-oninstructions designed to help readers master dozens of country living skillsquickly and easily. There are now more than 170 titles in this series, andtheir remarkable popularity reflects the common desire of country and citydwellers alike to cultivate personal independence in everyday life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Making cheese, butter & yogurt
It is an ok booklet very basic. If you are just thinking for the first time in making your own cheese, butter or yogurt it's a good start. Like it says it's a bulletin to give ideas. You'll be the judge after that.

What's here is pretty good, but there's isn't that much here
The author is clearly passionate about making cheese (butter and yogurt play small roles in the book) but this is insufficient for a "how-to" book. There's nothing here that a quick web search wouldn't find for you. Not much of a book.

NO NO NO
If you own a regular cheese making book this is all a rehash. Nothing new.

Great Resource
This book was very good about explaining the process of making cheese at home. I am looking forward to trying many of the recipes and hope to get some goats down the road to try several of the goat cheese recipes in the book. I would highly recomend this book.

too short
has feel of someone wanting to write a book for a sale, there are much better books with more information and better bang for your buck. ... Read more

Product Description
Nothing beats a plate of cheese and bread and a glass of wine. In this approachable book, cheese and wine expert and award-winning author Fiona Beckett guides you through the types, uses, and versatility of cheese. The Wonderful World of Cheese introduces you to the types of cheese and explains why they vary so greatly, then you can better understand how to match them with all mannor of drinks, from wine, port, cider, and beer, to liquors and soft drinks. Entertaining with Cheese reveals the perfect way to put together cheese boards and individual cheese plates, and new ways of throwing a wine and cheese party. Turn your hand to more than 40 Recipes such as Extra Crispy Mac 'n' Cheese and Leek and Blue Cheese Quiche. With Cheese Know-how, you'll discover how to shop for cheese and how best to store and serve it.

*Fiona Beckett is an award-winning journalist who has been voted Food Journalist of the Year by the prestigious Guild of Food Writers.

*Delectable photography by Richard Jung. ... Read more

Product Description
When a tiny cheese shop opened for business on a quaintBerkeley street in 1967, there was little hint of what the shop—andthe neighborhood—would grow into over the next 30 years. The CheeseBoard became a collective a few years later, and Chez Panisse openedacross the street, giving birth to one of the country’s most vibrantfood neighborhoods, the epicenter of California’s culinaryrevolution. Known and loved by locals and travelers alike, the CheeseBoard is equal parts bakery, cheese store, pizzeria, and gatheringplace—a patchwork of the local community, where a passion for goodfood runs deep. For the first time ever, THE CHEESE BOARD presents theclassic recipes that have made the store one of the San Francisco BayArea’s most acclaimed gourmet destinations. Complete with a history ofthe shop and neighborhood, a cheese primer, and all the classicrecipes—including the corn-cherry scones, cheese rolls, andzampanos, all of which have a cult following—THE CHEESE BOARD isas rich and varied as the institution that inspired it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

like going home again..
the recipes are perfect.

i love the cheese board - these recipes take me back to berkeley. and the scones have to be the best recipe ever.

Heavenly amazing
There is Arizmendi bakery nearby my house and I always love everything they bake in their little shop. This book has every (and extra) recipe for every goodness!

Best of Berkeley
I got this for my wife to remember our grad school days in Berkeley and it does not disappoint. When you taste the breads and other recipes in this book you'll start thinking of opening your own bakery--they're amazing! Next best thing to sitting in the median of Shattuck and eating your lunch!

Collective Knowledge
I am a huge fan of the Cheeseboard Collective in Berkeley and their amazing baked goods a pizzas. I got this book for Christmas and was anticipating making my first baked good from the book, hoping against hope that it might resemble the "real thing". All I can say after trying two different recipes is: This is perhaps the best baking book I have every used!

First of all the narrative and informational sections are both very helpful and interesting. They really help you to understand the connection between the collective and their baked goods and cheeses. Clearly these folks have thought long and hard about what they are dong. I would also say that the book is surprisingly well written and NOT hippy-dippy.

On to the recipes. The narrative of the books explains how they carefully took their recipes from their industrial kitchen and reformulated them to work in home kitchens. All I can say is that they succeeded with flying colors. I have tried two recipes so far: the cheese rolls (my all time favorite baked good at the Collective) and the oatmeal scones. By carefully following the directions I ended up with cheese rolls that were amazing good reproductions of the originals. This is all the more amazing when you consider that they have special industrial oven with misters and I just used a very normal home oven. Having working in a commercial kitchen I can tell you that getting this recipe to work in a home kitchen must have taken extreme time and patience by the authors. (I will say that if you haven't ever baked sourdough bread, you may not want to jump directly to baking the cheese rolls). The oatmeal scones, although easier to make that the cheese rolls, were no less amazing and came out perfectly.

The short story: If you want to bake amazing breads and baked breakfast goodies, buy this book.

Easy recipes, great results
Do you want to make perfect sourdough boules, the kind you can usually only get at an artisan bakery?Bread that's crusty on the inside, springy and soft on the inside, with a complex and yet subtle flavor?

Well, then you'll need to make your bread with a starter.Which can be complicated, or easy.This book makes it pretty easy, and the results are very, very good.At the same time I made the starter from this book, I followed a different starter recipe from another book.And the Cheese Board starter worked better from the start.It amazes me that you can leaven bread with a solution made initially with just water and flour, but this book makes it easy.It then gives you many easy bread recipes to turn your smelly starter into simply amazing bread.I was shocked when I tore into the first loaf--best bread I'd ever made, hands down.

Furthermore, this book has the best pizza crust recipe we've ever used, made with commercial yeast, so it's quick and easy.The granola recipe is fab, the pizza recipes are great, etc, etc.My husband got me this book as a gift and I wasn't sure I'd really use it.And it's become one of my most beloved and crucial kitchen tomes!

I love baking, but some books make it MUCH too complicated (I'm looking at you, Breads from the La Brea Bakery).This book, while not simplistic, is easy enough to follow and the recipes are obviously very well tested.Go forth and bake delicious things! ... Read more

Product Description
Easily accessible information in guidebook format
Includes 50 recipes, for appetizers to desserts, highlighting each of the 8 styles of cheese
Features a chapter on entertaining with cheese

Whether shopping at gourmet markets or at Costco, American consumers are seeing a growing, even dizzying, array of new cheeses. But as the number of cheeses has grown, so has the intimidation factor. Recognizing this disconnect between our voracious appetite for cheese and our often-sketchy knowledge of it, acclaimed cheese expert Laura Werlin decided it was high time to demystify the cheese-buying experience. Laura Werlin’s Cheese Essentials—a comprehensive introduction in a convenient guidebook format—is the extremely useful result.

Werlin’s book begins at the same place the flummoxed shopper does—the cheese counter. After mapping out the basics for navigating this daunting environment, Werlin acquaints you with the cheese fundamentals: the different kinds of milk used, information on rinds and mold, and tips on cooking with cheese, as well as a few words on Werlin’s passion—the American artisanal cheese movement. The heart of the book consists of individual chapters on the eight styles of cheese: fresh, semi-soft, soft-ripened, surface-ripened, semi-hard, hard, blue, and washed-rind. Following Werlin’s guidance, you’ll soon be able to identify a cheese by how it looks—and have a good idea of what that cheese will taste like before you even take a bite. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A good overview on cheese
If you like cheese, this is a great, simple read.I think of cheese as one of the basic food groups, and this book is a good way to increase your knowledge.

Find your way around the cheese shop!
Daunted in the cheese section? I learned so much reading this book! I already knew which basic cheeses I liked (Manchego! Brie! Munster!) and which I didn't (um...), but Werlin's accessible definitions, descriptions, and groupings made shopping for cheeses so much easier. Definitely recommend. Bonus: great recipes incorporating many of the cheeses she highlights.

Who knew?
Who knew that cheese could be so incredibly interesting and fun? Ms. Werlin's book is an accessible and interesting read and has inspired me broaden my horizons beyond my mundane grocery store dairy case.

Great overview
This book gives a great overview of the different types of cheeses.I finally decided to become more knowledgeable about cheeses and this is a great first step.

Laura Werlin's Cheese Essentials
This book is informative, helpful, instructive, and topics are arranged sensibly as well as beautifully. This is a book that can be picked up at any time, opened randomly, and one would find factual information about cheese types with perhaps a bit of history, or a delectable recipe, or instructions on how to care for a specific cheese type. Laura Werlin is a wizard on cheese, a food enthusiast who has common sense in her back pocket at all times. ... Read more

Product Description

Patricia Michelson is founder of the London-based epicurean store and cafe La Fromagerie, voted best Specialist Food Shop 2005 by Observer Food Monthly magazine. Among her many supporters are Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, and Nigel Slater. In Cheese, she gives her expert guidance on world cheeses, including those from Europe, the U.S., Australia and New Zealand. The book details how to source, store, taste, and serve a fascinating collection of cheeses with around 100 recipes.

Product Description

Rob Kaufelt, cheese purveyor to American’s top restaurants and owner of Murray’s Cheese—named the world’s best cheese store by Forbes magazine—guides us through the bewildering variety of cheeses available today in this entertaining and indispensable guide featuring:

*Descriptions of more than 300 cheeses from across America and around the world, including what to drink with each

*Suggested accompaniments for all the different styles and types of cheeses

*How to arrange cheese plates for dressed-up dinners or casual cheese tastings

*The best cheeses to serve before a meal, with a salad, or for a gooey grilled cheese sandwich

*Must-have lists: The Ten Most Intimidating Cheeses, Sexiest Cheeses, Cheeses to Eat Before You Die

*Answers to the most frequently asked questions about cheese

Customer Reviews (12)

Blessed Are the Cheesemakers (From Monty Python's Life of Brian)
I make cheese, run a website and forum at CheeseForum org, and got this book to broaden my knowledge of different cheeses. "The Murray's Cheese Handbook" is a long thin ½ in/1 cm thick format good for putting in a pocket. It was written by the current owner of the famous Murray's Cheese Store in New York City, USA. It has the normal intro and FAQ and pairing with wine sections but the bulk of the book is a listing and summary of 300+ of the author's favorite US and international cheeses, roughly ½ a page per cheese, no pictures. Nice quality paper, binding and cover that would stand up to many trips in pocket while visiting cheese stores. But, if you want more details and pictures there are better albeit bigger encyclopedia type books out there.

Fromage overload
I would love a few pictures of the lesser known cheeses.What a bonus - it fits in my handbag.

good, to an extent...
but unfortunately, most of the cheeses I tried to look up were not among the more than 300 described here.I gave this to my brother as a gift and we took it along to the local Central Market in Dallas.Most of the cheeses we were interested in couldn't be found in the book.Recommended, but with reservations - the descriptions of the cheeses that are actually in the book are truly mouth-watering.

Great Guide
I gave this book as a Christmas gift after seeing Rob Kaufelt on Martha Stewart.The handbook was very interesting and the recipients loved it.Fun for those who love cheese and may be visiting the shop in NYC.

a cheese lover's delight
The Murray's Cheese Handbook by Rob Kaufelt and Liz Thorpe is just like the cheeses described in their book:easy to enjoy, simple yet with depth, and something that you will want to revisit again and again. ... Read more

Product Description
Become a cheese gourmet.

The Complete Idiot's Guide(r) to Cheese Making is for both the hobbyist who will enjoy this traditional skill and organic food enthusiasts interested in wholesome, additive-free foods, offering readers the step-by-step process for making all variety of cheeses.

•Covers the processes of creating Mascarpone, Ricotta, Neufchatel, Queso Fresco, Farmhouse Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby, Traditional Cheddar, Feta, Gouda, Havarti, and many more cheeses

•The author created and sells a cheese-making kit voted best in the country by The Wall Street Journal

•The eat-local movement, along with recent food-safety scares, has piqued an interest in producing one's own cheese

... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

This is not simple
This book is full of too much info. It covers only the simplest recipes and it takes over a 100 pages.

Best ever and simple
This book was recommended by a lovely lady that taught a cheese making class....she indicated that it gave the most direct, simple clearest information in reference to cheesemaking she had ever found (she had been making cheese for 25 years.)
I work with raw milk and every recipe that I have tried has worked beautifully....I highly recommend this book to the novice as it gives explicit information about potential trouble shooting for things that didn't work as well as thought.

Generous details for beginners!
Well I'm all of 4 months into my cheese making hobby, joined a 'herd share' in order to get raw milk as well.
This book offers plenty of practical advice that I can read over and over until I feel brave enough to head onto the next recipe.There is something to learn each time I attempt a recipe and found the most important practical advice that spoke to me.You need to have patience to make cheese.Maybe other books mention this but I finally heard it when I read it here.The practicality of this book takes away the idea that you need to learn some ancient magic to be successful.

When you are ready to start making cheese this book is an excellent starting place!

... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

wine and cheese pairing
gave this book to cheeseexpert within chain of gourmet stores. he will recomend all cheese dep have copys.

Readers are encouraged to understand why they like different flavors, for optimum pairing of the two.
There's over a thousand wines and a thousand cheeses in the world with many possible taste combinations: if you want to take the guesswork out of the process, be sure WINE & CHEESE PAIRING GUIDE: YOUR EXCITING SEARCH FOR WOW! COMBINATIONS is close at hand. It doesn't just recommend specific pairings - though this is included amply in a series of charts - but provides a formula for wine and cheese separately which encourages personal assessment and taste development. Readers are encouraged to understand why they like different flavors, for optimum pairing of the two.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch ... Read more

Product Description
Is there a food more delightful, ubiquitous, or accessible than cheese? This book is a charming and engaging love letter to the food that Clifton Fadiman once called "milk’s leap toward immortality." Examining some cheeses we know as well as some we don’t; the processes, places, and people who make them; and the way cheeses taste us as much as we taste them, each chapter takes up a singular and exciting aspect of cheese: Why do we relish cheese? What facts does a cheese lover need to know? How did cheese lead to cheesiness? What’s the ideal way to eat cheese—in Paris, Italy, and Wisconsin? Why does cheese comfort us, even when it reeks? Finally, what foods pair well with which cheeses?

Eric LeMay brings us cheese from as near as Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to as far as the Slow Food International Cheese Festival in Bra, Italy. In the witty, inventive, and wise company of his best girl, Chuck, he endures surly fromagers in Paris and dodges pissing goats in Vermont, a hurricane in Cambridge, and a dispiriting sense of hippie optimism in San Francisco; looks into curd and up at the cosmos; and even dons secondhand polyester to fathom America’s 1970s fondue fad. The result is a plucky and pithy tour through everything worth knowing about cheese.***AN EXCERPT FROM THIS BOOK APPEARS IN BEST AMERICAN FOOD WRITING 2009***It’s a challenge to describe the flavor of an excellent French cheese. Chuck and I were in our tiny rental in the Marais, hovering over a Langres. We didn’t have the funds for Champagne, but we had managed to get tipsy on a serviceable vin de pays, which is also a pleasant way to eat a Langres."It doesn’t play well with others," Chuck continued, the thick smack of pâte slowing her speech. "It doesn’t respect lesser cheese.""It’s like a road trip through Arizona in an old Buick," I offered. "It has a half-life inside your teeth.""It has ideas.""It gradually peels off the skin on the roof of your mouth.""It attains absolute crustiness and absolute creaminess." Anyone can read that a salt-washed Langres is "salty," then taste its saltiness, but not everyone will taste in it the brilliant and irascible character of Proust’s Palamède de Guermantes, Baron de Charlus. Yet these more personal descriptions capture the experience of a Langres. It sparks associative leaps, unforeseen flashbacks, inspired flights of poetry and desire. Its riches reveal your own. W. H. Auden once remarked that when you read a book, the book also reads you. The same holds true for cheese: it tastes you.

—From Immortal Milk ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A delightful book!
What Proust did for madeleines. LeMay might just do for cheese. The book is evocative, elegantly written, and rich in detail as it explores multiple dimensions of that thing we call taste--the tongue positively wriggles as you read. If connoisseurship runs the risk of snobbery, LeMay makes it about the love of something fundamental, human and sustaining, at once part of our history, literature and life experience. Take this book to the cheese counter with you, or out to dinner.It's a delight to read!

What it's like inside the mind of the cheese-obsessed.
This book captures what it feels like to be obsessed with food (in this case, specifically, cheese). And I mean that in a good way. The book is fun and funny, too, thankfully avoiding being officious and judgmental about food and cheese. The goal of the book is to communicate the excitement and appreciation of cheese rather than beat you over the head with how bad a person you are because you might enjoy the occasional trip to a fast food or other non-Slow Food restaurant.

Yup...I think you should probably buy this book.

For the Love of Cheese
For those of us who grew up with two choices--American yellow or American white--"Immortal Milk: Adventures in Cheese" is an exotic delight. In the company of his co-enthusiast and "best girl," Chuck, Eric LeMay takes his readers on cheese journeys that criss-cross continents and literary time. We learn about cheese mentions in Homer and Aristotle, cheese character in Jane Austen, and the structure of a cheese's story in the shadow of Danielle Steele's mansion. We learn the power of cheese attraction, how a hurricane that turns umbrellas inside-out can't keep cheese lovers at bay. We trek to Vermont to meet goats, to Wisconsin to squeak curds, and to San Francisco for a beauty of a cheese named Fog. In Italy and France, we learn of whole festivals and towns that celebrate cheese, and the terrain and mountain breezes that flavor it. In Paris, a particularly pungent find fuels musings of life and death. (Spoiler alert--love wins!)

"Immortal Milk" is about many things: food, travel, history and philosophy. It's also a book of gorgeous writing, of astute humor, and, as much, a book about love. A lover of language as well as cheese, LeMay explores etymology, and the concept of "cheesy," as he invites us to taste the wonder of cheese as the wonder of life. He links taste to the past, to the present, and to the loved ones who share our meals. Taste, we tend to think, lives in our mouths, but it very much resides, as LeMay reminds us, in our convoluted brains. We pair cheese and wine as we pair food and memory. LeMay recalls being four-years-old, crying in an upstairs room, when parents offered a Kraft Single as solace. "Comfort food helps us endure," he writes. Cheese is comfort food. Cheese is love.

For the finale, LeMay hands his pen to his other half, his co-taster and wife who shares with us "Chuck's Picks" for many happy cheese marriages. Wry and whimsical, Chuck describes how cheese becomes star when cast with wine, beer, olives, meats; and how it shines when joined by the more surprising characters of coffee, whiskey, tea, and chocolate. French pear preserves and a Massachusetts chevre now top my grocery list.

The essays and pairings compliment each other roundly; resource pages point to makers and mongers who'll indulge your every cheese desire. Read "Immortal Milk" while on vacation, or wishing you were on one, and take it to the cheese shop to help compose a taste adventure. (And if you have a few moments, visit the book's Web site to hear an audio essay on fondue and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show"--an unexpected, hilarious pairing.)
... Read more

Product Description
Brie and apricot jam on a baguette; spinach and goat cheese on a croissant; blue cheese and fresh figs on crusty Italian bread: this is not your mother's grilled cheese sandwich. In Great Grilled Cheese, cheese expert and award-winning cookbook author Laura Werlin presents 50 scrumptious grilled cheese and panini recipes that range from the traditional to the contemporary. In addition to the more inventive combinations, including grilled cheese for dessert, there's always room at the table for the classics: grilled American on white, or apple, ham, and cheddar on sourdough.

Werlin discusses techniques-nonstick versus cast-iron pan, whether to cover during cooking, how to use the ultrapopular panini machine. Maren Caruso's tantalizing photographs perfectly convey the appeal of creamy melted cheese pressed between two slices of crisp, buttery bread. For cheese aficionados, parents whose kids insist on grilled cheese at every meal, and the kid in all of us who craves comfort food, Great Grilled Cheese will satisfy everyone's cheese dreams.AUTHOR BIO: LAURA WERLIN, who won a 2004 James Beard Award for her book The All American Cheese and Wine Book, is a food journalist and cheese expert whose articles have appeared in Saveur, Cooking Light, and Country Living. In addition to having written two books on cheese, The New American Cheese (2000) and The All American Cheese and Wine Book (2003), Werlin writes a biweekly syndicated column on cheese.

MAREN CARUSO is a San Francisco-based photographer who specializes in food photography. Her work has appeared in Wine and Spirits, Chocolatier, and Taste magazines, and in more than ten books, including Grilling and Barbecuing (STC). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Nothing too fancy, but...
I bought this book for my husband who is a very picky eater, and who will turn anything into a sandwich.I thought that this book would help make some interesting and fun recipes that I could enjoy as well as he could.A lot of the recipes are very basic, but there are also a lot of good ideas.I would recommend this item, but not at full asking price...I would definitely buy it from a private seller!!

GREAT SANDWICHES!
I HAVE NEVER BEEN A BIG SANDWHICH FAN OF ANY KIND OF SANDWHICH BUT THIS SANDWICH MAKER IS TOPS! IT HAS CHANGED MY MIND! GREAT FOR USING LEFTOVERS BY MAKING A POCKET SANDWICH! I GAVE ONE TO A RELATIVE FOR HIS BIRTHDAY! GREAT FOR A BUSY BACHELOR ON THE GO! I AM PLANNING ON GIVING ONE TO A FRIEND SOON.

A great Recipe Book
Haven't had the book long enough to do many of the recipes, and in the process of moving out of state. This book will go with me, there are many in there I want to try.

Yawn
You already know or have these recipes unless you are 9 years old and in which case you shouldn't be allowed near a stove or hot pan.

Scrumptious recipes, numerically challenged
The recipes look wonderful. We haven't tried any yet since we only got the book yesterday. But I can't help but notice, p. 18, that Ms. Werlin really does believe "regular sandwich bread" is only 1/4" thick. Our current loaf of ordinary sliced bread has slices almost exactly 1/2" thick. Maybe her "regular" bread is diet fodder. That would help to explain her trim appearance commented on by an earlier reviewer. At any rate, we look forward to many happy grilled cheese sandwiches, most with (for us) exotic ingredients.
John Lowry ... Read more

Product Description
Any way you cut it, cheese has global appeal.

Cheese is one of the most varied and flavorful foods in the world. Its unique appeal lies in its range of textures, aromas, flavors, means of production, and milk sources. With this guide, readers will discover everything they need to know about European and American cheeses, including the growth of artisan cheeses, how to shop for cheese, combining cheese with food and drink, cooking cheese, and making cheese.
• Over the past two decades, the quality, availability and popularity of artisan cheeses has grown
• Cheese consumption has increased from 11.3 to 31.2 pounds per person over the last 30 years
• 1?3 of the supermarkets offer full-service cheese counters with up to 300 varieties ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Say cheese!
I purchased this to get up to speed on local artisan cheese.It covers the broad range of world cheeses.Good background but does not replace sampling sampling sampling.

LOVE IT
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING BOOK!

Everything I could ever want to know about cheese... tied up in a fun, exciting, easy to read book. It was incredibly helpful to me, a cheese illiterate, to really start to learn about cheese

A Cut Above
Although I am not completely ignorant of cheeses, reading the "Complete Idiot's Guide" actually taught me HOW MUCH I did not know about them.The book is a delightful mix of cheese history, humor, helpful hints and hopping good recipes.I have to say though, that Chapters 5-19 made me want to literally EAT my way through the book, one country at a time.Starting with cheeses of the Old World and ending with those of the Americas, Jeanette Hurt gave me a new gastronomic goal--to learn about and sample each new cheese she introduced.

As a reading educator, I appreciate how reader friendly this book is, including clear topical organization and many features for gathering nuggets of information, high points, and terms quickly--with advanced organizers before sections (called "In this Chapter"); sidebars entitled "A Cut Above," "Stinky Cheese" and "Say Cheese;" a summary of main points at the conclusion of each chapter; and a culminating glossary of key terms and other resources.

What a wonderful guide for those who want to become more enlightened about the ways of world cheeses and their mouthwatering properties.

Must Have Book on Cheeses
This book is a must-have addition to every cheese lover's library.The book is a fascinating look at the world of cheese and includes what you need to know about selecting, serving, enjoying and pairing cheese.The first part of the book covers what cheese is, how it's made and differences among cow, goat, and sheep milk cheeses.It spells out the rich history of cheese and explores the different types.

The next part of the books explores the best and most famous European cheeses from France and Italy to lesser-known varieties of Sweden and Finland.The third section deals with New World Cheese: artisan American, Canadian, Mexican and Latin American Cheese.

The final section is my personal favorite detailed with a plethora of tips on shopping for cheese, cheese storage, and cooking with cheese.I also learned how to have a cheese tasting and/or pairing, and even how to make cheese in my own kitchen.

There are absorbing little extras: " A cut above" is a space for bits of extra information.One of the ones I particularly enjoyed: "Not only is Edam shaped like a cannonball, but rounds of it were actually used in place of cannonballs in 1841, helping the Uruguayan fleet defeat the Argentinina navy."

"Stinky cheese" are warnings about challenging or confusing details in the cheese world, with tips on how to identify them and avoid or understand them.For example, "Though cheese is best served at room temperature, that rule might make it clash more with vodka.Vodka tastes best chilled, and when it is combined with something at room temperature, it falls flat.That's one reason why fresh chevre, which can be served chilled, goes well with vodka."

"Say Cheese" includes words that might be unfamiliar to you but are frequently used in the cheese world and defined here.A sample: "Despite its origins in Lazio, which is within spitting distance of Rome, most of what is labeled as Pecorino Romano is actually made on the island of Sardinia.For authentic Pecorino Romano, seek out cheese that is labeled `Genuino Pecorino Romano.'"

At the risk of sounding Cheesy, the book is comprehensive, well-written, interesting and fun.
... Read more

Product Description
Far too many vegetarian cookbooks present a low-fat, low-taste, and overall boring variety of recipes. All too often, these recipes attempt to mimic meat dishes with "fake meat" that simply doesn’t work, mostly to add flavor. Only the most ardent vegetarians can bear to follow these recipes in their everyday life. Furthermore, there are risks associated with skimping on calcium and protein in one’s diet.

The Vegetarian Cookbook for Cheese Lovers differs from most of these cookbooks in that it presents recipes for those who are vegetarians, or wish to eat a vegetarian diet part-time, but who aren’t willing to sacrifice taste or important nutrients in their diet. The recipes feature vegetables, carbohydrates, and dairy products that taste wonderful and work well for vegetarians and nonvegetarians alike.

Cheese is an ingredient in each recipe of this unusual cookbook. A wonderful source of protein and calcium, cheese is also a favorite of many because of the wonderful varied taste that it provides. The Vegetarian Cookbook for Cheese Lovers contains more than 200 recipes that include cheese, dividing them into five main categories: Appetizers and Snacks, Soups and Salads, Main Dishes, Side Dishes, and Deserts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

The First Recipe I Picked was Fantastic
Stacked Enchiladas Verde - Delectable!For a guy like me, it's great to have a book I can keep on the back seat of my car.A quick glance in the grocery store parking lot on the way home from work and the dinner is planned.

All my favorites are marked.They're easy to make, healthy and critter friendly.

Highly recommended.

A simply wonderful addition to personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections
An impressive culinary compendium of more than 200 meat-free, gourmet quality dishes, the "Vegetarian Cookbook For Cheese Lovers" by vegetarian and free lance author Tonya Buell is packed cover to cover with flavorful, nutritious, 'kitchen cook friendly' vegetarian recipes that have ample protein and calcium. From Calico Cheese Fingers; Golden Mandarin Salad; Pasta and Broccoli with Gorgonzola Sauce; and Easy Cheesy Asparagus; to Mediterranean Potatoes and Artichokes; Stacked Enchiladas Verde; Apple Butter Cookies; Chocolate Cheesecake; and Cherry Cheese Triangles, this is a collection of quality recipes that is a simply wonderful addition to personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections in general, and the vegetarian reference shelf in particular.

We can do better
The Vegetarian Cookbook for Cheese Lovers fails to go much beyond a standard church cookbook or a publication by Kraft Foods.If you are cooking with ingredients like canned cherry and raspberry pie filling, canned cheese soup, marshmallow creme, frozen corn, lots of white bread, crushed crackers and refrigerated biscuit dough, why bother to be a vegetarian?Okay, there's no meat, but this is not exactly healthy eating.There are many, many other cheese and vegetarian cookbooks with much more creative and appealing recipes using farm-fresh ingredients that make vegetarian cooking a joy.Incidentally, for the person who claims that cheese is not vegetarian because of the rennet -- you should know that so-called "vegetarian" rennet is usually a genetically modified product.

I love this book!
I LOVE this book!Excellent, fun, easy, and delicious recipes abound.I use it all the time.It's awesome!

Terrible Cookbook
I am a vegetarian who loves cheese and was very excited about this book.I was sorely disappointed when it arrived.The recipes look like they came from a frozen TV dinner collection, and are remarkably bland and repetitive.Unless you want a cookbook with a multitude of minor variations on the same cheese casserole, avoid at all costs. ... Read more