Goat Cheese [Hardcover]

Maggie Foard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2008

Goat Cheese combines the recipes for foods you love with the natural goodness of goat cheese and goat's milk. With over 70 delicious recipes for appetizers, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, there is always time for Goat Cheese. Once you've tried the Sweet Ricotta Pancakes topped with bananas and strawberries, Cherry Oatmeal Scones with chevre or fromage blanc, Lamb Tenderloins stuffed with eggplant and feta, or the Espresso Cheesecake Brownie, you will forget that cows even exist!
Maggie Foard studied horticulture at the City College of San Francisco (CCSF), but she wasn't introduced to fresh goat cheese until she went on a school field trip ten years ago with her son to the local goat farm. She simply fell in love with not only goat cheese but the whole goat farm! Incorporating goat cheese and other goat dairy into cooking was just a natural consequence, since she was already an avid chef. Maggie lives on twelve acres in rural San Mateo County of California, with her husband, Jim, and their teenage son, Eric. She raises her own chickens for eggs and has dogs, cats, goats, ducks, peacocks, and a rooster.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Goat Cheese focuses on the many culinary uses for goat cheese, with 60 recipes that go from breakfast to lunch and dinner. If you're new to goat cheese, Foard has included a chapter titled "A Beginner's Guide to Goat Cheese," an explanation of the various kinds of goat cheeses, including Soft Fresh, Soft-Ripened, Washed-Rind and Goat Blues." (Kansas City Star 20080903)

"Author Maggie Foard is onto folks like me. She presents goat cheese in such a variety of ways -- through attractive color photos and 60 everyday recipes -- that it may become a staple in my cooking, certainly a staple for entertaining." (Omaha World-Herald 20081008)

"The slim new cookbook is full of interesting information about goat cheese, its main topic." (Chicago Post-Tribune 20080912)

"Maggie Foard, who has her own goats, has written a charming cookbook full of delicious-looking recipes that include goat cheese. The Caprese Salad With Goat Mozzarella looks tempting enough to make Mario Batali cry tears of joy." (Tampa Tribune 20080730)

From the Inside Flap

Crumble it into a fresh garden salad, grate it onto a dish of steaming fettucine or spread it onto your morning toast. Goat's milk cheeses are rising in popularity not only because of their unique flavors and variety but because people are discovering just how beneficial goat's milk and goat cheeses are. Research shows that the nutrients in goat's milk are more available to the body than cow's milk, which could help in the prevention of osteoporosis and anemia.
With vibrant photographs of practically every recipe and a visual cheese guide to help you identify different goat cheeses, Maggie Foard's Goat Cheese combines the foods you crave with the natural goodness of goat's milk, cheese and yogurt. There are over 60 farm-fresh recipes for appetizers, breakfast, lunch and dinner, so there is always time for Goat Cheese!
Goat Cheese will get you asking your local cheese seller or grocer, "What's fresh today?" Who can resist Sweet Ricotta Pancakes topped with bananas and strawberries, Cherry Oatmeal Scones with chèvre or fromage blanc and a Sunburst Frittata with ricotta, cilantro and jalapeño? Once you've tried the Crab, Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Ranch, Grilled Lamb Tenderloins Stuffed with Eggplant and Feta, and the Espresso Cheesecake Brownie, you will forget that cows even exist!
Maggie was an Interior Landscape Contractor in downtown San Francisco until 1991 when her son was born. She was introduced to fresh goat cheese on his first grade field trip to the local goat farm. She simply fell in love with not only goat cheese but the whole goat farm! Since -Maggie was already an avid chef, incorporating goat cheese and other goat dairy into her cooking was just a natural step. Maggie lives on twelve acres in rural San Mateo County, California, with her husband, Jim, and their teenage son, Eric. She raises her own chickens for eggs and has dogs, cats, goats, ducks, peacocks and a rooster.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith (July 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423603680
• ISBN-13: 978-1423603689
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #337,472 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Maggie Foard was introduced to fresh goat cheese on his first grade field trip to the local goat farm. She simply fell in love with not only goat cheese but the whole goat farm! Since, Maggie has become an avid chef, incorporating goat cheese and other goat dairy into her cooking. Maggie raises her own chickens for eggs and has dogs, cats, goats, ducks, peacocks and a rooster. Maggie lives on twelve acres in rural San Mateo County, California

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A book that explores the wonders of goat cheese July 18, 2008

By Timothy B. Riley HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have long been a fan of cheese produced from goat's milk. Don't get me wrong, many of the cheeses that I enjoy on a regular basis are made with cow's milk, still there is something about the taste of a good goat cheese that separates it from the herd (pun fully intended). However, for many years I was forced to purchase the expensive, aged European type as it was almost impossible to find goat cheese made here in the US. Fortunately things have changed in the last decade and local, high quality artisanal goat cheeses are showing up at fine cheese shops and specialty grocery stores from coast to coast. And not just feta and the ultra fresh chevre, but aged goat Gouda, goat blues, goat cheddar and on and on. This book clearly demonstrates the author's knowledge and love of these fine cheeses.

Maggie Foard, a former landscape contractor, was first introduced to fresh goat cheese when she visited a goat farm with her son's first grade class on a field trip. Ever since then Ms. Foard (an experienced home chef) used goat cheese in the place of other cheeses in all sorts of recipes. This book is the culmination of that experimentation.

The recipes are separated into seven categories:

* Morning Bread and Pancakes
* Frittatas, Omelettes and Eggs
* Pizzas and Quesadillas
* Appetizers and Sandwiches
* Soups and Salads
* Main Dishes and Pastas
* Deserts

Some of the recipes are imaginative on their own (like the Grilled Lamb Tenderloins stuffed with Eggplant and Feta and the Curried Crab Pancakes with Chevre and quick Tomato and Apple Chutney) but most will be familiar to all but the beginning home cook. Maggie's genius lies in substituting one of the hundreds of available goat cheeses for the types used in more common versions of these dishes (such as the Pesto Pizza with Goat Cheese or the Roasted Carrot and Ginger Soup with Fromage Blanc and Cilantro Pesto). The recipes are well thought out and her use of the titular ingredient is highly commendable.

The last chapter is titled "The Beginner's Guide to Goat Cheese". The author succeeds in simplifying the dizzying varieties and types of goat chesses available without "dumbing it down". I am a little surprised that this chapter was not placed at the beginning of the book, where it would serve as a great introduction to this food. However, the last few pages list websites, retailers, producers and books related to this subject which I was very thoughtful parting gift for the reader.

The quantity of the photographs will be a delight to the reader. Good photography isn't cheap and almost every dish has a corresponding photograph. The quality of the photography is very good, but not great in my opinion. Some were beautiful (the shot of the Farmhouse Eggs with Tomatoes, Black Beans and Cheddar for example) and all are warm and inviting. However, many used the popular "very shallow depth-of-field" technique and often my eyes roamed the photo looking for the spot that WAS in focus (as in the Artichoke and Chicken Cannelloni where everything is out of focus except a tiny bit of cheese in the middle of the dish). I know that I am being picky but really great food photography can transform an ordinary cookbook into a work of art.

On top of everything, goat cheese is good for you, or at least better for you than cow's milk cheese, according to the author. This is a wonderful book and I am very glad to own it. I highly recommend it.

Great Goat Cheeses of the World (2 pound) by igourmet

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book November 24, 2008

By RT in Carlsbad

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've made the tomato tapenade and bruschetta so far, and it was exceptional. I am eager to try many more, this book is teeming with great ideas.

The photos are great, and the recipes are clear with very helpful commentary. All of the important things that I look for in a cookbook!

It was also very helpful to learn that goat cheese is one of the healthiest forms of dairy.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A truely amazing book that belongs in everyone's kitchen July 26, 2008

By Caroline Bottoms

Format:Hardcover

From the most experienced gourment chef to the cooking novice, this book is a must have. Each recipe has clear and concise directions with a very kind and straight forward tone. The recipes are delicious and will shine a new light on goat cheese. It was also nice the author included information on where to purchase the best goat cheese without the high prices. This book will ignite the passion for great food, especially dishes incorporating goat cheese as pioneered by Maggi Foard. Overall this book is a true masterpiece that I hope will be enjoyed by many readers.