Product Description

When a tiny cheese shop opened for business on a quaint Berkeley street in 1967, there was little hint of what the shop—and the neighborhood—would grow into over the next 30 years. The Cheese Board became a collective a few years later, and Chez Panisse opened across the street, giving birth to one of the country’s most vibrant food neighborhoods, the epicenter of California’s culinary revolution. Known and loved by locals and travelers alike, the Cheese Board is equal parts bakery, cheese store, pizzeria, and gathering place—a patchwork of the local community, where a passion for good food runs deep. For the first time ever, THE CHEESE BOARD presents the classic recipes that have made the store one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most acclaimed gourmet destinations. Complete with a history of the shop and neighborhood, a cheese primer, and all the classic recipes—including the corn-cherry scones, cheese rolls, and zampanos, all of which have a cult following—THE CHEESE BOARD is as rich and varied as the institution that inspired it.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37241 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-01
• Released on: 2004-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Review
"The Cheese Board is the soul of my neighborhood in Berkeley. I go there probably three times a week-not only for cheese and the world-class bread and pizza, but also for the sheer sense of community that permeates the place. This fine book, long overdue, will now enable us groupies to bring even deeper shades of the inimitable Cheese Board spirit into our kitchens." -Mollie Katzen, author of The Moosewood Cookbook"What a treasure this book is-filled with recipes for Cheese Board specialties I'¬?ve loved for years, plus the inside story on how this quirky business really runs. After reading it, I wanted to drop everything and join the collective." -Janet Fletcher, author of The Cheese Course"This book is important, first because it is a lively historical document of a truly amazing place, but also because the recipes are so wonderful. My pizza repertoire has been infused with a fabulous jolt of new ideas." -Peter Reinhart, author of American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza and The Bread Baker'¬?s Apprentice"The Cheese Board has all of the best things: cheeses and olives; breads and pizzas; the most knowledgeable, friendly, and attentive staff ever. The collective'¬?s policy of encouraging people to taste everything in the shop created a sensation, a destination, and an education. Now all of the Cheese Board'¬?s expertise and excellent recipes are here to behold." -Michael Wild, chef-owner of BayWolf and author of The BayWolf Restaurant Cookbook"A real expression of the Cheese Board'¬?s philosophy, this book speaks in the voices of the members of the collective, revealing how their work intersects with and pervades their lives. The stories and the recipes for the favorite breads and pizzas developed in the 36-year life of this vibrant Berkeley institution are all here." -Lindsey Shere, author of Chez Panisse Desserts

About the Author
THE CHEESE BOARD COLLECTIVE hailed as a paradigm of collective-run business. The Cheese Board shop is frequently cited in national food media "best of" lists and is a major food destination in Berkeley, California.

Customer Reviews

Generousity of Table and Knowledge
There are two types of generosity that one deals with in regard to cooks, bakers and other culinary artists. The first is generosity of table where what is put before you food wise reflects time, effort, attention and care. Memorable meals, hosts and foods all show a generosity of the table.

What is harder to find is generosity of knowledge where a cook will give you their prize techniques, recipes and knowledge for no other reason then to spread knowledge and pleasure though it might dilute their "brand" or mystique. You know people who never let go of a prize recipe because it is too valuable, too precious; something to be passed on to generations.

I am happy to say that this cookbook reflects both kinds of generosity. The Collective really tries to convey the table type of generosity by providing a lot of blurbs from members and clients. Trying to give the atmosphere of a cheese shop where you and the seller spend time establishing trust and tasting models one thin cheese slice at a time.

This book displays the generosity of knowledge by providing ALL the recipes loved by customers of the Cheeseboard. I spent a fortune buying the Olive Provolone bread, zampanos and other heady bread goodness that could be bought every time I left home and returned. When I left Berkeley sometimes I would think back longingly to bread from the cheeseboard during my travels.

Now to the technical aspects. The book is definitely designed for people who have had previous experience with baking though they do show some rudimentary things like the window pane for gluten development. Still I would say that this book is not for the beginner but someone already comfortable with the bread making process.

It is not as technically exhaustive as Silverton's _Breads of La Brea Bakery_ or Rheinhart's _Baker's Apprentice_but it does provide basic ideas and recipes that are used.

Layout --
The layout is not as user friendly as I would like with clear break-out steps so it is highly recommended that you read the recipe before using because the movement of the eye is not broken with subheaders and lines.

The color of the paper is cream with use of black and red typography. It is done as a paperback that with use will become the scratch and sniff type of cookbook easily. If you bake and collect consider getting two copies because one will get quite a beating.

Recipes -
Solid gold for those who know how to bake and have the necessary equipment, like a baking stone. For those who have no patience to spend DAYS doing a sourdough starter this is not the book for you. Also, if you are a newbie to baking bread use Reinhardt's _Baker's Apprentice_ as a way better introduction since this book assumes you know what tacky and elastic dough refers to.

I recommend this book highly with its anecdotal style, generosity of knowledge for any baking collection especially, a collection specializing in the northern California food revolution. However, for those just starting the adventure of baking there are way better teaching books.

Fun book with some great recipes
If you ever been to the Cheese Board in Berkeley, you've experienced how fun, and delicious it is. It's a destination, not just a food store.

The book is the same way. The recipes are delicious, and actually work. But it's filled with fun facts and info on the Cheese Board history and culture.

So far, I've made the challah (Excellent!), banana muffins (very good), ginger shortbread (good), and simple whole wheat bread (bit of a disaster).

The only criticism I have is its overemphasis on sourdough. Many of the recipes assume creating sourdough with their recipe, so if that's not to your taste, it's not clear exactly how to proceed.

Berkeley Institution in a Book
When I recently returned to Berkeley and discovered The Cheese Board book, I bought it sight unseen. It was the best purchase I've ever made.

Who can imagine an amazing bakery providing recipes for every single product that they carry? The Cheese Board owners painstakingly recreated their large-scale recipes for the home baker. Scones, "chocolate things," pecan sticky rolls, legendary sourdough crust pizza....it's all in there!

If you have fond memories of the Cheese Board as a former Berkeley resident, it's likely this book can bring tears to your eyes through photos of the evolving shop and the various owners who may have served you.

If you haven't experienced the Cheese Board (where I've been a customer for 20 years) but want to delve into delicious baking experiments and make the best pizza possible, I highly recommend this book.