The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide: Over 100 Recipes, with Instructions on How to Buy, Store, and Serve All Your Favorite Cheeses

by Paula Lambert and Paula Lambert

Book Overview

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 Guideis 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 Gruy?re, Camembert,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684863189
• ISBN13: 9780684863184
• Release Date: November 2000
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 388 Pages
• Weight: 1.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.7" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

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.

Nice Gift

Although I haven't read this myself, I gave it to my younger brother for his 12th birthday. I still get frequent phone calls from him--he loves it and he keeps finding new recipes he wants to try when I'm back from college over the summer. While I can't say anything about the writing style from experience, this book does go over well as a gift to younger cheese-lovers.

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. They reflect 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.

Cheese Intrigue!

The flavor of cheese can be buttery, rich, pungent, sharp, salty or delicate. Cheese is made from nutritious milk. The type of milk adds subtleties to each cheese and makes it unique. I enjoy Mozzarella made from buffalo milk. While I am hardly a Turophile (A connoisseur of cheese), I may soon become one after reading this book. "Tyro" is Greek for Cheese and "-phile" means "lover of." If you are a border-line Turophile or are just curious about cheese, I recommend this book very highly. This is so much more than a cookbook. It is a love affair with cheese! There is a concise overview of cheesemaking, a collection of over 150 eclectic cheese-based recipes and a comprehensive list of sources for your favorite cheeses. After working in a specialty store, I decided to try a different cheese as often as I could. I learned to love smoked Gouda, creamy Havarti with dill, Pecorino Romano from sheep's milk, blue-veined Roquefort in salad dressing, Provolone in an Italian salad, Ricotta in lasagna, and lately Mascarpone in Tiramisu. In "The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide," Paula Lambert provides many unique recipes using Mascarpone, but how is Marscarpone made? Believe it or not, there is a recipe on page 73. Does your mind crave explanations for how cheese is made? Do you wonder about how cheese was invented? Will Paula tell you? Yes, and she will also lead you through your own discovery of cheese making Finally, you will know the secrets of Crème Fraîche and discover how easy it is to make homemade cottage cheese. Yes, Paula Lambert is ambitious and creative. She has the heart of an artist, the soul of a chef and the spirit of a cheese artisan. "The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide" is truly filled with a passion for cooking with cheese. Paula Lambert also loves to travel. After spending five years in Perugia, she learned to love fresh mozzarella. Her search to learn how to make fresh mozzarella resulted in the founding of "The Mozzarella Company," a cheese factory in Dallas, Texas. With the guidance of a cheese professor, Paula immersed herself in the cheesemaking process and went on to produce thirty-five different types of cheese. These cheeses are now distributed to restaurants, gourmet stores and directly to individuals throughout the United States. Paula Lambert has become a renowned cheese maker. Her cheeses have earned over seventy awards for superior cheese flavor and consistency. In order to perfect traditional cheesemaking techniques, Paula traveled to many countries. Her enthusiasm shows how fascinating the art of cheesemaking can be. I loved her section on Cheese Classification. She divides cheese into over 15 categories and illustrates them with common and exotic cheese varieties. Did you know that Mozzarella is classified as a Pasta Filata Cheese? I didn't either. Paula also includes a nutritional breakdown for many cheeses, a cheese-buying guide, a list for substituting cheese by type, a list for selecting cheese by flavo