Gourmet Cheese
“Cheese, please!” You have to be a certain age to remember that catch phrase from the milk marketing board. But whether you remember the advertisement or not, when you hear the word “cheese” like most people you probably envision cheddar. While Canadians probably consume more cheddar than any other type of cheese, there are thousands of varieties of cheese produced world-wide.
Although there is evidence of cheese and cheese-making depicted on the walls of Egyptian tombs, the origins predate recorded history. By the Roman era, cheese-making was a refined art. Unlike today, most cheese was made from milk obtained from goats and sheep rather than cows. Cows, goats, sheep, camels, reindeer, buffalo, and yak – if you can get milk from it, then someone, somewhere, has probably used it to make cheese. The milk produced by goats and sheep forms the basis of some of the most amazingly tasty cheeses. As a bonus, people who are lactose intolerant often find that they can digest food made with sheep or goat’s milk.
If you’re ready to step off the beaten path and try something new, one of the best ways to learn more about cheese is simply by trying it. Understanding something about the different varieties and how they are made can help you unravel the complex descriptions that often come attached to cheese made by small, artisan producers. Your local library has a wealth of information available on this and other gastronomic topics.
“Fiona Beckett’s Cheese Course” is a good basic introduction to the topic. Beckett provides the reader with bite-sized facts that don’t overtax the brain. The idea behind the book is to help people get the best out of cheese by suggesting new ideas for cheese plates, pairings with different kinds of drinks, and suggestions for seasonal choices for festive occasions and for different times of year. As a bonus, Beckett includes 44 recipes for cooking with cheese.
“Mastering Cheese: Lessons for Connoisseurship from a Maitre Fromager” by Max McCalman and David Gibbons will appeal to people who want to delve deeply into the topic. McCalman, Dean of the Artisanal Premium Cheese Centre in New York, has produced the definitive master class in cheese know-how. Packed with photos, charts, and an index to more than 300 cheeses, “Mastering Cheese” will have you scouring the shops and supermarkets in search of new taste sensations.
If you want to try your hand at making cheese and other dairy products “The Home Creamery” by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley offers simple, step-by-step instructions for making sour cream, buttermilk, créme fraîche, mozzarella, fresh goat cheese, and 10 other fresh milk products. Adventurous home cooks will be thrilled with the simple but magical process of turning milk or cream into cultured dairy products and soft, unripened cheeses.
As an antidote to the serious business of gourmet cheese, readers may enjoy “Edward Trencom's Nose: A Novel of History, Dark Intrigue, and Cheese” by Giles Milton. It’s the fictional story of Edward Trencom, the owner and operator of London's pre-eminent cheese emporium, who holds the title Life President of the Most Worshipful Company of Cheese Connoisseurs, and gets more than he bargained for when he begins to look into his family tree. Packed with eccentric characters, this comic thriller will also give you a completely different perspective on cheese.
The library’s online catalogue is available on the internet at www.city.kawarthalakes.on.ca/library and allows you to place a hold on any item.
Linda Kent is the Chief Librarian at the City of Kawartha Lakes Public Library.
