Laura Werlin's Cheese Essentials: An Insiders Guide to Buying and Serving Cheese (With 50 recipes) (Paperback)

by Laura Werlin (Author), Maren Caruso (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Approaching a well-stocked cheese counter can be a daunting task for even experienced gourmands, but expert Werlin (The All American Cheese and Wine Book, Great Grilled Cheese) demystifies a global myriad of styles and flavors in this information-rich guide. Organized by style (fresh, semi-soft, soft-ripened, surface-ripened, semi-hard, hard, blue and washed-rind), Werlin systematically explains how each is produced, points out both rare and easily sourced examples of each style and offers elegant descriptions of the flavors, textures and unique qualities of particular cheeses in each group. A tasting assignment for each chapter encourages readers to taste small quantities of two or three cheeses carefully, with key accompaniments to bring out certain qualities; readers will discover how the sharp edge of lemon juice amplifies the sour tanginess of goat cheese, and that a bit of bacon brings out the smokiness of rich, creamy blue Stilton. Werlin also includes a number of easy recipes, including Brie Toasts with Chardonnay-Soaked Golden Raisins, Comte Pistachio Souffle and a luscious roasted butternut squash stuffed with Swiss chard and SarVecchio Parmesan. Rounded out with tips on purchasing and storage, Werlin's encouraging, adventurous and comprehensive manual is accessible enough for the merely cheese-curious while offering plenty to discover for those already well-versed in the subject.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Stewart, Tabori and Chang (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584796278
• ISBN-13: 978-1584796275
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #91,648 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Beginner Cheese Book Ever, October 15, 2007

By	Steve W. Bonds (Beaverton, OR) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This fantastic book would be perfect for anyone who wants to learn about cheese. Laura's eight categories of cheese are an excellent way to approach cheeses and understand just by looking what a cheese is likely to taste like. For example, the categories she uses are:
+ fresh
+ soft-ripened
+ surface-ripened
+ semi-soft
+ semi-hard
+ hard
+ washed-rind
+ blue

She spends time discussing the common characteristics of cheeses in each category.
For example fresh refers to un-aged cheese which are likely to have a creamy flavor and generally a light taste. Soft-ripened cheese softens from the outside in because of a bloomy white rind-- brie is the classic example.

This is much, much more approachable for a newcomer than the usual litany of cheese types, names, and places.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Say CHEESE!! , January 26, 2008

By	-Celine- - See all my reviews

Prerequisite: you want to know about cheese, you love cheese
Highlights:
1. colour pictures on each page
2. comfortable printing, editing, and reading (text size)
3. introductions and information of several cheese
4. how to enjoy cheese
5. simple cheese recipe included
6. Not a heavy book
7. Her personal tips on selecting cheese

Cons: it covers about 60% types of cheese.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Laura Werlin's Cheese Essentials, April 8, 2008

By	Margo P. Morris - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.