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Overview
Critic and food writer Peter Graham’s Classic Cheese Cookery is the definitive book for satisfying the cravings of any cheese lover. With 18 chapters encompassing more than 300 recipes, you will find decadent inspirations for toasted and melted cheese, soups, pasta, pancakes, tarts, sauces, pastry, and much more. Alongside traditional recipes for soufflés, gratins, quiches, and cheesecakes, there are an enticing array of simple snacks and salads.
Inspired combinations, such as pears with pecorino and prawns with feta will tempt the adventurous, while vegetarians will be delighted by the extensive variety that cheese cookery offers them. A detailed checklist of cheeses guides the intrepid and the uninitiated alike, so whether you are searching for a new pasta sauce, an alternative to Welsh rarebit, or a refreshing approach to entertaining, Classic Cheese Cookery, has something for every occasion.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781909808850 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Grub Street |
| Publication date: | 02/20/2019 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 288 |
| Sales rank: | 931,220 |
| File size: | 779 KB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Choosing and Using Cheese
CHECKLIST OF CHEESES
This checklist of cheeses is not intended to be encyclopaedic nor, indeed, objective. It is restricted to those mentioned in this book and aims merely to describe some of their characteristics and, wherever relevant, provide one or two hints on how to choose them. When the cheese is rare and/or very difficult to come by – but only in such cases – I have suggested possible alternatives. This in no way implies that the alternative is as good as, or even very similar to, the cheese it replaces. The aim is simply to suggest the most satisfactory substitute in the context of a recipe.
Appenzell (cow) A hard Swiss cheese with a distinctive and delicate tang, which results from its being marinated in white wine and spices during the curing process. Genuine Appenzell should show a bear rampant on its label. Possible alternatives: Beaufort, Gruyère.
Bagnes (cow) A semi-hard Swiss cheese mainly used in fondue and raclette. Mild yet full of character. Possible alternatives: Raclette.
Beaufort (cow) A hard French cheese. A subtly aromatic relative of Gruyère. Possible alternatives: Comté, Gruyère.
Bel Paese (cow) A semi-soft Italian cheese with a bland flavour.
Bleu d'Auvergne (cow) A semi-hard French blue cheese, which, like its cousin Bleu des Causses, can vary considerably in strength, texture and saltiness (so taste if possible before buying). The best Bleu d'Auvergne has a good tang, an almost buttery texture and is not too salty.
Bleu de Bresse (or Bresse Bleu) (cow) A semi-soft French blue cheese reminiscent of Gorgonzola.
Bleu de Gex (cow) A semi-hard French blue cheese. Aromatic with a touch of astringency. Possible alternatives: Stilton, Fourme d'Ambert.
Bleu de Sassenage (cow) A semi-hard French blue cheese similar to Bleu de Gex.
Blue Cheshire (cow) A semi-hard British blue cheese, coloured orange-red with annatto. Best when made with unpasteurized milk.
Blue Wensleydale (cow) A semi-hard British blue cheese similar to Stilton but smoother in texture and drier.
Boulette d'Avesnes (cow) A semi-soft French cheese containing tarragon. Its smell and flavour are fierce. Possible alternative: Maroilles.
Boulette de Romedenne (cow) A semi-soft Belgian cheese similar to Boulette d'Avesnes.
Brebis des Pyrénées (sheep) A semi-hard to hard French cheese. The term covers a range of cheeses that can vary considerably in strength and texture, from the mild and springy black-rinded Lou Palou, which may contain some cow's milk, to the harder and tangier Iraty and Laruns.
Bresse bleuSee Bleu de Bresse.
Brie (cow) A soft French cheese that should have a pronounced, if sweet, smell when ripe. Brie de Melun is generally regarded as a finer cheese than Brie de Meaux.
Broccio (sheep) A fresh Corsican cheese, usually unsalted. Possible alternatives: ricotta romana, fresh ewe's-milk cheese, ricotta.
Brousse (sheep, goat) A fresh French cheese. The mainland version of Broccio, made with either ewe's or goat's milk.
CabécouSee Goat cheese.
Caerphilly (cow) A semi-hard British cheese with a tart, creamy taste and crumbly texture. Far superior when made with unpasteurized milk.
Camembert (cow) A soft French cheese, originally made in Normandy and now manufactured by dairies all over France. It varies enormously in quality. The words Véritable Camembert de Normandie, or VCN, on the box usually guarantee your getting the proper unpasteurized product with its insistent, sweet smell.
Cantal (cow) A semi-hard French cheese. It comes in three categories, doux (mild and creamy-tasting), entredeux (medium-strong) and vieux (strong to pungent). The best categories for cooking are doux and entre-deux. See also Tomme fraîche de Cantal.
Cheddar (cow) A hard British cheese, now also made elsewhere in the world. It varies greatly. Rindless 'block' Cheddar is overbland, while unpasteurized Cheddar made on farms can mature to a rich and tangy cheese (the reason why much so-called 'farmhouse Cheddar' is disappointing is that it is manufactured industrially from pasteurized milk). Canadian, and occasionally American, Cheddar can be a very good strong cheese.
Cheshire (cow) A hard British cheese, sometimes coloured light orange-red with annatto, with a rich, subtle flavour. Unlike Cheddar, all Cheshire that calls itself 'farmhouse' is made from unpasteurized milk.
ChèvreSee Goat cheese.
Comté (cow) A hard French cheese with a texture, a depth of flavour and cooking qualities similar to those of its cousin, Gruyère.
Cotherstone (cow) A semi-hard British cheese with a mild lactic flavour and good melting properties.
Cottage cheese See Curd cheese.
Coulommiers (cow) A soft French cheese similar to Brie but smaller.
Cream cheese See Curd cheese.
Crottin See Goat cheese
Curd cheese (cow) An unsalted fresh cheese (see recipe p. 370) that can vary in consistency from fairly liquid to almost crumbly, depending on how thoroughly it has been drained. The terminology of fresh cheeses is a vexed question: curd cheese, lactic cheese, cottage cheese, fromage blanc, fromage frais, quark (or quarg) and cream cheese can be confusing terms because they are sometimes used loosely or interchangeably. Certain writers, when referring to cottage cheese, clearly have in mind something that is identical with the curd cheese recipe in this book; others are referring to the type of product usually marketed as cottage cheese – a granular and rather tart fresh cheese made from skimmed milk. Lactic cheese is just another word for curd cheese (and is sometimes called lactic curd or acid curd). Fromage blanc, fromage frais and quark are the equivalent of fairly liquid curd cheese as far as taste and cooking properties are concerned, though their fat content and commercial manufacture may differ slightly. Cream cheese, like its firmer French equivalent, Petit Suisse, is, properly speaking, a fresh cheese with a very high fat content (40-60 per cent), though so-called 'low-fat' cream cheeses can be found on the market. Full-fat cream cheese is not suitable in cooked dishes, as it tends to separate. For all these reasons, whenever a recipe requires a fresh cheese I have indicated curd cheese (sometimes specifying that it should be fairly liquid or else well-drained). It can of course be replaced by fromage blanc, fromage frais or quark if you wish, and, in uncooked dishes, by cream cheese or even Petit Suisse mixed with a little milk (though to my mind the extra fat content of the last two cheeses adds nothing to the flavour). I would always avoid the grainy, acid commercial cottage cheese.
Danish blue See Mycella.
Derby (cow) A hard British cheese now made solely in block form. It is similar to Cheddar, but moister and has a more delicate flavour. Much Derby is rubbed with sage leaves and marketed as Sage Derby or Derby Sage.
Double Gloucester (cow) A hard British cheese occasionally made from the milk of Gloucester cows and mellow in flavour.
Dunlop (cow) A hard British cheese made in Scotland. Similar to Cheddar but slightly moister. Now made only by creameries.
Edam (cow) A semi-hard to very hard Dutch cheese. Often very salty, it is without much character when young, but matures into a very hard and flavourful cheese.
Emmental (cow) A hard Swiss cheese with large holes in its paste, often referred to erroneously as Gruyère. It has a subtle fruity flavour. Passable imitations of Emmental are made in France, Bavaria and Austria, but the original Swiss product has the edge.
Ewe's-milk cheese An unsalted or slightly salted curd cheese now made from ewe's milk in small quantities on some British farms. Very similar to Broccio and Brousse.
Feta (goat, sheep, cow) A semi-hard Greek cheese with a sharp, very salty flavour. It has a good deal of character when made, as it should be, from goat's or ewe's milk, or a mixture of the two. The Danish cow's-milk version is but a pale imitation. Feta made with goat's milk is now made on some British farms.
Fontina (cow) A semi-soft to semi-hard Italian cheese from the milk of Val d'Aosta cows. It has an elastic texture and a very delicate nutty flavour.
Fourme d'Ambert (cow) A semi-hard French blue cheese with a particularly subtle, slightly astringent flavour. The blueing occurs naturally. Possible alternative: Stilton.
Fromage blanc See Curd cheese.
Fromage frais See Curd cheese.
Goat cheese This term, like the French word chèvre, covers many types of cheese made from goat's milk. They range from the very fresh to the hard and pungently mature. The cheese that interests the cook is either fresh or medium-ripe. Fresh unsalted or slightly salted curd cheese is now being made from goat's milk in Britain, as are good imitations of French medium-ripe chèvres of the Crottin de Chavignol type. There are other Crottin-like goat cheeses produced in France, such as Cabécou, Chabichou, Pélardon, Picodon and Rogeret, some of which weigh as little as 30 g (1 oz).
Gorgonzola (cow) A semi-soft Italian blue cheese that takes its name from the little town of Gorgonzola near Milan. The best Gorgonzola – Mountain Gorgonzola – has a delicate, almost spicy flavour.
Gouda (cow) A semi-hard to very hard Dutch cheese, similar to Edam but less salty. Very mature Gouda, which has tiny holes in it, has a rich powerful flavour almost in the Parmesan league.
Grana See Parmesan.
Gruyère (cow) A hard Swiss cheese, one of the most widely used in cooking, usually in its grated form. The term Gruyère sometimes refers incorrectly to Emmental, which, whether Swiss-made or not, has large holes in its paste, whereas genuine Gruyère, which can only be Swiss, has just a few small holes. In flavour Gruyère is at once sweeter, more aromatic and tangier than Emmental.
Halumi (goat) A soft to semi-hard Cypriot cheese, which is very salty but quite mild.
Handkäse (cow) A soft German skimmed-milk cheese. It has a very distinctive and suggestive smell.
Kefalotiri (goat, sheep) A very hard Greek cheese made of goat's or ewe's milk (or a mixture of the two), and used for grating like Parmesan. It has a very salty, pungent flavour.
Labna (goat, cow) A fresh Middle Eastern cheese (see recipe p. 371) made from goat's- or cow's-milk yoghurt.
Laguiole (cow) A semi-hard French cheese made from the milk of Aubrac cows. Like Cantal, which it resembles closely, it can be eaten at various stages of maturity.
Lancashire (cow) A semi-hard British cheese with a whitish, crumbly paste. Its flavour changes considerably during ripening from mild and slightly acid to pungent. It is a good melting cheese. Best when made with unpasteurized milk.
Leicester (cow) A hard British cheese, dyed dark orange-red with annatto, with a close texture and nutty flavour that develops with age.
Manchego (sheep) A hard Spanish cheese with a rich, powerful but unaggressive flavour. Possible alternative: Brebis des Pyrénées.
Maroilles (cow) A semi-soft French cheese with a very strong and distinctive smell and a flavour that is only slightly less assertive.
Mascarpone (cow) A fresh Italian cheese (also known as Mascherpone), with a tart, sweet flavour and high cream content.
Mitzithra (sheep) A fresh Greek cheese made from ewe's milk and the whey left over from the manufacture of feta. Alternative: ricotta romana.
Mozzarella (buffalo, cow) A soft Italian spun-curd cheese with a fresh, slightly tart flavour and very good melting properties. It is only slightly salted. The genuine product, made from buffalo milk, has a more pronounced taste than the cow's-milk version, which is now manufactured all over the world.
Munster (cow) A soft French cheese whose flavour is surprisingly mild compared with its fierce smell.
Mycella (cow) A semi-hard Danish blue cheese. This creamy yellow cheese is the better-flavoured of the two Danish blues (the other is Danablu).
Oaxaca (cow) A soft Mexican spun-curd cheese with a mild flavour and excellent cooking properties. Possible alternative: mozzarella.
Parmesan (cow) A very hard Italian cheese made from partially skimmed milk. It is widely employed in cooking in its grated form. Strictly speaking, the term Parmesan should apply only to grana parmigiano-reggiano, but it is often used loosely outside Italy to refer to the wider family of grana cheeses, which includes grana padano, grana lombardo and grana lodigiano as well as grana parmigiano-reggiano. Each type of grana is made in carefully defined areas.
Pecorino (sheep) A semi-hard to very hard Italian cheese, widely used in cooking in its grated form. There are several types, including pecorino foggiano, pecorino romano, and pecorino siciliano, which contains peppercorns in the paste. Pecorino is often used in the same way as Parmesan, though its flavour is sharper and usually much saltier. Possible alternative: Parmesan.
Pélardon See Goat cheese.
Petit Suisse See Curd cheese.
Picodon See Goat cheese.
Port-Salut (cow) A semi-soft French cheese with a softish texture and bland flavour.
Provolone (cow) A semi-soft to hard Italian spun-curd cheese which comes in several varieties and shapes. The two main types are dolce and piccante, which are, respectively, medium-strong and strong in flavour.
Quargel (cow) A soft Austrian cheese with a suggestive smell. Possible alternative: Handkäse.
Quark See Curd cheese.
Rabaçal (sheep, goat) A semi-hard Portuguese cheese made of ewe's or goat's milk, or both. Possible alternative: Brebis des Pyrénées.
Raclette (cow) A semi-hard French cheese recently devised specifically for use in the recipe raclette.
Reblochon (cow) A semi-soft French cheese with a very subtle, fruity flavour and a deceptively pervasive smell.
Ricotta (sheep, cow) An Italian cheese made from whey and much used in cooking. It is usually unsalted and sold as a fresh crumbly cheese, though in Italy it is sometimes salted and matured. Traditional ricotta – ricotta romana – is made from ewe's-milk whey left over from the making of pecorino romano.
Rigotte (cow, goat) A semi-hard French cheese made from cow's or goat's milk.
RogeretSee Goat cheese.
Roquefort (sheep) A semi-hard French blue cheese, made with ewe's milk from various parts of France but matured in the caves of Roquefort. It has a crumbly consistency. It has a very strong, salty flavour, and is often used almost as a condiment.
Saint-Nectaire (cow) A semi-soft French cheese with a pleasantly musty smell and nutty flavour.
Salers (cow) A semi-hard French cheese made from the milk of Salers cows. Like Cantal, which it resembles closely, it can be eaten at various stages of maturity.
Samsø (cow) A semi-hard Danish cheese with tiny holes in its paste. It has a sweet and nutty flavour. Possible alternative: Reblochon.
Sbrinz (cow) A very hard Swiss cheese with a strong aromatic flavour. It is widely used grated in cooking.
Stilton (cow) A semi-hard British blue cheese with a slightly creamy yet crumbly texture and a rich, complex flavour.
Tomme fraîche de Cantal (cow) A fresh French cheese with an elastic texture and a very mild, creamy flavour. It is immature Cantal that has been partly pressed but not salted. A good melting cheese. Possible alternatives: mozzarella, mozzarella and Caerphilly in equal quantities or Cotherstone.
Vacherin fribourgeois (cow) A semi-hard Swiss cheese mainly used in fondue. It has a delicate, slightly sharp flavour. Not to be confused with another Swiss cheese, Vacherin Mont d'Or. Alternative: Raclette.
Wensleydale (cow) A semi-hard British cheese with a flaky texture and almost honeyed after-taste. Now made only with pasteurized milk by creameries.
White Stilton (cow) A semi-hard British cheese with a crumbly texture and creamy flavour.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Classic Cheese Cookery"
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Copyright © 2003 Peter Graham.
Excerpted by permission of Grub Street.
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Table of Contents
Acknowledgements,
Preface to the Third Edition,
Introduction,
CHAPTER ONE Choosing and Using Cheese,
CHAPTER TWO Soups,
CHAPTER THREE Cold BLD[Entrées]BLD,
CHAPTER FOUR Deep-fried Dishes,
CHAPTER FIVE Toasted Cheese,
CHAPTER SIX Melted Cheese,
CHAPTER SEVEN Cheese and Egg,
CHAPTER EIGHT Pasta, Gnocchi and Polenta,
CHAPTER NINE Pancakes,
CHAPTER TEN Pies and Tarts,
CHAPTER ELEVEN Cheese and Fish,
CHAPTER TWELVE Cheese and Meat,
CHAPTER THIRTEEN Cheese and Vegetables,
CHAPTER FOURTEEN Salads,
CHAPTER FIFTEEN The Cheeseboard,
CHAPTER SIXTEEN Sweet Dishes,
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Appetizers and Biscuits,
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Sauces, Pastry and Home-made Cheese,
Selected Bibliography,
Index,