Full Description
An accessible guide to selecting, cooking with, and making cheese From a pungent Gorgonzola to the creamiest Brie, the world of cheese involves a vocabulary of taste second only to wine. With the rise of artisanal cheeses, this once humble food made from curdled milk is now haute cuisine. And to make the new world of cheese less intimidating, Laurel Miller and Thalassa Skinner have created a handy primer to selecting cheese, pairing cheese with wine, cooking with cheese, and making cheese. In Cheese For Dummies, everyday cheese lovers will learn how to become true cheese connoisseurs. Not only will readers get a look at how different cheeses are made around the world, in Cheese For Dummies, they'll develop enough of a palate to discern which cheese is right for them. * Explains how to assemble the perfect cheese plate * Includes recipes for cooking with cheese * Details how to make five cheeses, including Mozzarella, Chevre, and Ricotta * Supplemented with a 16-page photo insert With artisanal and imported cheeses now common to mainstream grocery stores, the everyday cheese lover needs more than simply his nose to make the best choice. Offering wise (and delicious!) advice on every page, Cheese For Dummies is a guide for anyone interested in making every mealtime with cheese a special occasion.
Contents
Foreword xxi Introduction 1 Part IChapter 1: A Crash Course in Cheese 9 Chapter 2: Tracing Cheese from Farm to Table 17 Chapter 3: A Hard Look at Soft Cheeses 39 Chapter 4: Grate Tastes: Hard Cheeses 59 Part II: Choosing and Serving Cheese 73 Chapter 5: Using the Senses to Taste and Learn about Cheese 75 Chapter 6: Purchasing Pointers 85 Chapter 7: Serving and Storing Cheese 95 Part III: Cheese Around the World 109 Chapter 8: The Americas 111 Chapter 9: The British Isles and Ireland 135 Chapter 10: France 147 Chapter 11: Italy 165 Chapter 12: Spain, Portugal, and Other Mediterranean Countries 179 Chapter 13: The Rest of Europe 197 Chapter 14: Off-the-Map Cheesemaking 213 Part IV: Eating, Drinking, and Cooking with Cheese 229 Chapter 15: Making Cheese the Life of the Party 231 Chapter 16: Having a Drink with Your Cheese 245 Chapter 17: Cooking with Cheese, Pt. 1: Appetizers, Salads, and Sides 263 Chapter 18: Cooking with Cheese, Pt. 2: Main Dishes and Desserts 289 Chapter 19: Making Cheese at Home 317 Part V: The Part of Tens 331 Chapter 20: Ten of the World s Most Bizarre Cheeses 333 Chapter 21: Ten of America s Most Influential Artisanal Cheesemakers 339 Chapter 22: Ten Cheese Festivals You Shouldn t Miss 345 Chapter 23: Ten Cheese Festivals You Shouldn t Miss 351 Appendix: Metric Conversion Guide 357 Index 361
