Product Description

If you’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 cheeses—from luscious triple crèmes to the “boss” blues—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 them—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 world’s foremost experts on these matters. As the maître fromager (or “cheese master”) at the acclaimed restaurants Picholine and Artisanal in New York City, he spends his entire day, every day, dealing with cheese—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 world’s greatest cheeses (and what those cheeses are) at home.

The Cheese Plate begins with the fundamentals: history, what exactly cheese is, and how it’s made. Then Max moves onto the subject that has made him a star in the culinary world—the art of cheese tasting. To begin with, it’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 you’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, you’ll want to construct cheese plates, from a quick lunch assortment to a full after-dinner tasting extravaganza. Finally, you’ll appreciate a rundown of the best cheeses in the world—where they’re from, what they look and taste like, their perfect wine accompaniments—so that you can become a maître fromager in your own right.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48450 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-05
• Released on: 2002-03-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

Amazon.com Review
Thanks to increased exposure to the world's finest cheeses, Americans are finally learning to love and appreciate this versatile food. But how to enjoy cheese at home? Max McCalman, maître fromager at Manhattan's three-star Picholine restaurant, provides real help. The Cheese Plate, written with David Gibbons, offers introduction to the world's cheese repertoires, cheese manufacturing and finishing methods, how to choose cheese and pair it with wine and other foods, and more--all of which is sensibly and accessibly presented. Without attempting a comprehensive investigation, McCalman nonetheless touches all the necessary bases, providing just the right blend of fundamental and sophisticated counsel.

Beginning with chapters that explore cheese creation--a fascinating partnership of animal, terroir (place of origin), and skills honed over the millennia--the book then provides succinct buying, storing, and serving advice. (Buying rule No. 1: cultivate a cheese monger.) Here and throughout, McCalman offers a wealth of diverse investigations like the Seven Degrees of Ripeness (1, too young; 4, peak; 7, "fuggedaboudit") and Is Shrink-Wrapping Bad for Cheese? (yes, cheese must breath); he also provides informative asides on cheese makers like Britain's famed Neal's Yard Dairy, plus cheese-plate blueprints for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A final section profiles McCalman's favorite cheeses, country by country. With color photos, a glossary, and list of resources, the book is an exemplary place to begin or further a cheese-at-home education. --Arthur Boehm

From Publishers Weekly
Max McCalman, maetre fromager at New York's Picholine and Artisanal restaurants, with writer David Gibbons, has prepared The Cheese Plate as an introduction to world-class cheeses. McCalman offers a brief overview then points the way toward profiles of various producers, discussions of how the various cheeses are made, how to store, unwrap, serve, what's good and what's not, pairings for tastings, tips and arcana. Susan Salinger's 55 full-color photographs enrich this presentation.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Originally hired as the maitre d' of New York City's three-star Picholine restaurant, McCalman gradually became the full-time "maitre fromageur" when the cheese course became a popular draw on its own. Since then, chef/owner Terrance Brennan has opened another restaurant, Artisanal, with a menu centered on cheese, and McCalman oversees that as well. His new book makes it easy to see why his fellow employees sometime refer to him as "Mad Max." However, McCalman knows he is obsessed, and he doesn't take himself overly seriously but he does provide an amazing amount of information on his specialty. The Cheese Plate isn't a cheese guide per se, although it concludes with a glossary to the author's favorites from around the world; rather, it's a comprehensive, wide-ranging exploration of the topic, from the history of cheese to production to buying and storing, with separate chapters on tasting, cheese pairings, and, of course, suggested cheese plates for any occasion. Steve Jenkins's Cheese Bible provides more information on individual cheeses, but McCalman's unique book is recommended for most collections.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Perfect Aid to All Levels of Fromager
Masterpiece of a work on cheese. Eight sections guide one through about all there is to know about the subject from a maitre fromager, cheese master.

The sections begin with a history of the subject, then proceeding into a needful discussion of the difference between "artisanal" (handmade) versus "process" cheeses. Chapter Three breaksdown the steps in cheese making.

Chapter Four is a most profitable read, How to buy, store and serve various kinds of cheeses. Neat features here are "How Much? Per-Person Serving" Calculator and "How to Detach A Stuck Wrapper."

Section Five gets us where we want to grow, Tasting. It is remarkably similar to wine tasting, with descriptors such as color, modifiers, density, texture, flavor, and subjective elements.

Chapters Six and Seven are the meat of the book: Cheese Pairings and The Cheese Course. Here we learn to put all learned to use at the menu stage, be it appetizer, last course, or whole course itself. Here are practical suggestions with different settings and differing levels of expertise suggested.

Finally, a tour of the world of cheese, country by country with the author's assessment provided. What I really appreciate here is the addition of "Recommended Pairings" and "Similar Cheeses" .

This well done book will enhance anyone's delving into the world of fromage, with this expert guide moving us into new areas of exploration.

Sumptuous Book
This is a beautiful book full of very useful information, like pairing wines with cheese and how to choose cheeses for a tasting party, and georgeous color photography. This is not a cheese finder, it's a book on how to enjoy cheese. Paired with the Cheese Primer by Steven Jenkins, the cheese neophite will have all the information needed for enjoying the world cheeses.

The Best Cheese Book In Print
What I loved about this book is that it takes an in-depth approach to cheese as opposed to the encyclopedia method. From this book you will learn more about how cheese is made, the factors that the raw materials (milk) will effect the quality of the cheese, along with the rather difficult question of wine and cheese parings. The other nice factor is that it is written in such a matter-of-fact way that it is a pleasure to read.