Sometime in the 1970s, perhaps a bit earlier, America began to experience a cheese revolution. We still buy those Kraft products but across the country farms began to make real cheese. Artisan cheese. Cheese you can fall in love with. The effort spread across the country which means that this nation, so much larger than France or Italy, now showcases a remarkable spectrum of flavors and styles. We are as cheesy as any nation. We are a cheese leader.
Cheese guru Steven Jenkins was writing about this revolution in the 1980s. And he wrote the forward to this book in 2000. By then the revolution was in full motion. Author Laura Werlin is another American cheese expert with many books and this book, the winner of multiple awards, is a survey of American cheese at the turn of the century.
Over 50 prominent cheese makers are profiled in this book. Some you may know, like Coach. Many were boutique in 2000. But, what is amazing is that over 90% of the cheesemakers described here are still in business. Boutique still, in some cases, but ever persistent with their quality and ingenuity.
The book begins with sections called All About Cheese: how it is made, how to buy, how to store, how to taste. Then come the cheesemaker profiles interspersed into chapters devoted to the stage of the meal:
- Starters and Appetizers
- Bread and Cheese
- Salads
- Pizza, Polentas, Pastas, and Risotti
- Main Courses
- Vegetables and Side Dishes
- Desserts
- Cheese Classics
Although you may not consider yourself a cheese advocate or intense fan, still somewhere in some meal during the week you are very likely to engage with cheese. Perhaps sprinkled on your pasta or atop your salad. Maybe stuffed inside a roll of veal or lamb. Surely you have enjoyed that smoothness that defines cheesecake. Or perhaps you could be seduced by Mascarpone Brownies.
Cheese is prominent, naturally, in all the recipes here. My favorites are those main courses:
Cheese Enchiladas with Lime-Tomatillo Sauce
Goat Cheese, Apricot, and Sage-Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Orzo Feta Salad with Grilled Shrimp and Mint-Scallion Chutney
Grilled Pork Chops with Cheddar-Corn Spoon Bread and Apple-Sage Chutney
Whether the star or in a supporting role, cheese makes dishes richer, classier, and more satisfying. This book is an excellent snapshot of American cheese circa 2000, while the recipes are enduring. You can still buy this book and enjoy all the cheese ideas.