The Cheese Plate Book

If youâ??ve ever had genuine farmhouse Cheddar from England, or real Alsatian Munster, or aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, you know that fine hand-crafted cheeses have absolutely nothing to do with the bland, shrink-wrapped, food-colored offerings that evoke school cafeterias. Artisanal cheesesâ??from luscious triple crèmes to the â??bossâ? bluesâ??are complex and richly rewarding, very similar to fine wines. And these cheeses get even more rewarding if you know something about their subtleties, their attributes, and how to get the most out of themâ??like which wines go with which cheeses (and why), or how a multiple-cheese tasting should progress, or what an appropriate portion size is, or which accompaniments work best, or why the Loire chèvres peak in autumn.

Max McCalman is one of the worldâ??s foremost experts on these matters. As the maître fromager (or â??cheese masterâ?) at the acclaimed restaurants Picholine and Artisanal in New York City, he spends his entire day, every day, dealing with cheeseâ??ordering it, tasting it, studying it, serving it. And The Cheese Plate is the culmination of his years of passion and study for this subject: the definitive work on how to enjoy the worldâ??s greatest cheeses (and what those cheeses are) at home.

The Cheese Plate begins with the fundamentals: history, what exactly cheese is, and how itâ??s made. Then Max moves onto the subject that has made him a star in the culinary worldâ??the art of cheese tasting. To begin with, itâ??s important to know how to buy, store, and serve cheeses, and then how to taste them (again, as with wines, the best results come with a little finesse). Then youâ??ll want to pair cheeses with other foods and beverages, especially wines, to bring out the best of both. And with all this expertise in hand, youâ??ll want to construct cheese plates, from a quick lunch assortment to a full after-dinner tasting extravaganza. Finally, youâ??ll appreciate a rundown of the best cheeses in the worldâ??where theyâ??re from, what they look and taste like, their perfect wine accompanimentsâ??so that you can become a maître fromager in your own right.