The New American Cheese [Hardcover]

Laura Werlin (Author), Steven Jenkins (Photographer), Martin Jacobs (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2000

Ten years ago there were only a handful of specialty cheese-makers in America; today there are at least 200. Like the explosion in the interest in fine American wine of the 1970's, cheese is the next great food revolution in this country. The New American Cheese celebrates this renewed passion for cheese-making and consumption in America.

The New American Cheese offers an in-depth review of the history of cheese-making in America, as well as a look at how cheese is made; information on how to buy, store, and taste cheese, nutritional information; and a reference guide to American cheeses aside mail-order sources.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Laura Werlin's The New American Cheese isn't just a beautiful and informative book, it's an important resource that, by profiling more than 50 cheese makers in all parts of the U.S., formally welcomes a whole new era of artisanal cheese production in America. More varieties of high-quality, locally made cheeses are available to more people in more parts of the country than at any other time in U.S. history--and, fortunately, the situation is only going to get better. Werlin divides her book into two parts, the basics and the specifics. "All About Cheese" takes the reader through the evolution of cheese making in America: how cheese is made; the health factors; how to taste, buy, and store cheese; how to serve cheese alone and with wine; and how to cook with cheese. Then she gets specific. "Recipes and Profiles" glides between a deep appreciation of the people producing these new cheeses, the cheeses themselves, and the ways these cheeses can be best appreciated as starters and appetizers, in pizzas, pastas, and risottos, and as part of main courses, side dishes, and dessert. The recipe section entitled "Cheese Classics" offers, of course, an irresistible Three Cheese Macaroni and Cheese. There are 80 recipes total, with such standouts as Peppered Goat Cheese Crackers, Polenta with Teleme, Asiago, and Truffle Oil, Cheese Enchiladas with Lime-Tomatillo Sauce, Herbed Sugar Snap Peas with Goat Cheese, and Ricotta-Brioche Bread Pudding. Best of all, Werlin's sprightly, informed prose is underscored by Martin Jacobs's equally delightful photos. --Schuyler Ingle

About the Author

Laura Werlin is a food journalist whose articles have appeared in Saveur, Self, and San Francisco. Prior to food-writing, Werlin spent 16 years working in television news in San Francisco. This is her first book.

Martin Jacobs is a professional photographer based in New York City. His photographs have appeared in Spirit of the Harvest, The International Chocolate Cookbook, A Taste of Hawaii, and Foods of Vietnam, all published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Stewart, Tabori and Chang; First Edition edition (April 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556709900
• ISBN-13: 978-1556709906
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #232,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #70 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Cooking by Ingredient > Cheese & Dairy

More About the Author

Laura Werlin is a highly respected authority on cheese. As the author of four books on the subject, each of which have been honored with an award, including a James Beard, IACP, and the World Gourmand Award for Best Cheese Book for her classic, Great Grilled Cheese, Werlin is frequently invited to lead professional--and consumer-level seminars and classes at events, including the prestigious Food & Wine magazine Classic at Aspen, the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta, and The Cheese School of San Francisco. She is also often asked to judge food and wine competitions across the country, including the American Cheese Society annual cheese competition and most recently the Grilled Cheese Invitational in Los Angeles.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh! Wonderful!, May 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The New American Cheese (Hardcover)

If you are wondering who would think to write a book about cheese, just read the Introduction written by Ms. Werlin, and you will see her enthusiasm for cheese is quite real. She isn't the only one with an infatuation for cheese. I found the New American cheese to be a fabulous book stuffed full of information about our American cheesemakers along with some scrumptious, tempting cheese recipes, and if that isn't enough, she has also included some vivid, delicious-looking photos by Martin Jacobs to tempt us even more.

The book begins with the evolution of cheese. It goes into the types of cheese, such as cow's milk, sheep's milk, and goat's milk cheese. She explains to us where cheese came from and how it grew in America. Then she follows through with a page of descriptions and even lets us in on how to pair the right cheese with the right wine. On the informative side, there is a reference guide pertaining to the types of cheeses presently being made from the fresh to the very hard. She also includes a glossary and a list of cheesemakers around the country. The author, with pictures of the different cheesemakers' labels, briefly tells of each one and includes some mouth-watering recipes. Some of the recipes are new to me, and I definitely plan to try them. My favorite recipe is the colorful and delicious "Marinated Pepper Goat Cheese and Roasted Tomatoes".

It's a fresh, wonderful book, and I encourage you to include it in your kitchen library.

Carisa @ MyShelf.Com

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rare Treat, April 26, 2000

By 

Louis B. Horwitz (Irvine, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New American Cheese (Hardcover)

This beautifully written and wonderfully illustrated volume is a rare treat- a work of interesting history as well as a tour through the culinary delights of American Cheeses. The book is equally at home on a coffee table as it is on a cookbook shelf. It combines history, profiles of the major American cheese producers and recipes, illustrated so lavishly that you feel a desire to eat the pages.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of American Artisan Cheese, February 8, 2001

By 

rodboomboom (Dearborn, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The New American Cheese (Hardcover)

I saw this author and cookbook on FoodTV. Have a wonderful gourmet store nearby which carries some of these cheese producers. Wonderful that this book showcases and promotes these talented producers who further America's cheese industry.

Maybe like what our wine producers have become, this book will aid the aritsan cheese community.

Besides all the wonderful knowledge of types and production, etc., what I am about is taste. This book has delightful recipes using these producers. To date the Goat Cheese, Apricot, and Sage-stuffed Chicken Breasts, Spinach and Fromage Blanc-Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Goat Cheese Cake with Peaches and Blueberries, and Herbed Sugar Snap Peas with Goat Cheese.

In support of these wonderful cheese producers!