Steven Jenkins is our foremost cheese authority--in the words of The New York Times, "a Broadway impresario whose hit is food." Now, after years of importing cheeses, scouring the cheese-producing areas of the world, and setting up cheese counters at gourmet food shops, he's decided to write it all down. Full of passion, knowledge, and an expert's considered opinions the cheese primer tells you everything you need to know about the hundreds of cheeses that have, in the last few years, become available in this country. Region-by-region, he covers all the major cheeses from France, Italy, Switzerland--the top tier of cheese-producing countries--plus the best of Britain, Ireland, Spain, the United States, Austria, Germany, and other countries. Along the way he tells how to pick out a healthy Pont l'Eveque; why to reconsider the noble Fontina for more than just cooking; how to avoid those factory-made chevres; why to seek out the sublime Vacherin Mont d'Or; and how to start exploring--Bleu de Bresse, Cabrales, Crottin de Chavignol, and so on. A complete primer, it includes information on the best ways to store and serve cheese, including which wines to serve alongside them; how to orchestrate a proper cheese course; and the unimportable cheeses to look up when abroad.

A WORLD BEYOND BRIE

Brimming with knowledge, enthusiasm, and decided opinions, Steven Jenkins's CHEESE PRIMER is everything you need to know to judge, savor, choose, store, and serve the terrific variety of cheeses now available. He presents a region-by-region guide through France, Italy, and Switzerland, as well as the British Isles, Spain, the U.S., and other cheese-producing countries. Here are all the well- and little-known cheese worth exploring-and some surprising heavyweights you may want to avoid ) imported Brie, for example.

A complete primer, its features include pairing wine with cheese, orchestrating a cheese course, and local gems to seek when traveling abroad.

Steven Jenkins is the first American to be awarded France's prestigious Chevalier du Taste-Fromage. He has created and/or revamped the cheese counters at Dean and Deluca, the Fairway Market, Balducci's, and other celebrated fine food shops in New York and across the country. "A Broadway impresario hos' hit is food" (New York Times), Mr. Jenkins lives with his family in New York City.

A WORLD BEYOND BRIE<P> Brimming with knowledge, enthusiasm, and decided opinions, Steven Jenkins's CHEESE PRIMER is everything you need to know to judge, savor, choose, store, and serve the terrific variety of cheeses now available. He presents a region-by-region guide through France, Italy, and Switzerland, as well as the British Isles, Spain, the U.S., and other cheese-producing countries. Here are all the well- and little-known cheese worth exploring-and some surprising heavyweights you may want to avoid ) imported Brie, for example.<P> A complete primer, its features include pairing wine with cheese, orchestrating a cheese course, and local gems to seek when traveling abroad.<P> Steven Jenkins is the first American to be awarded France's prestigious Chevalier du Taste-Fromage. He has created and/or revamped the cheese counters at Dean & Deluca, the Fairway Market, Balducci's, and other celebrated fine food shops in New York and across the country. "A Broadway impresario hos' hit is food" (New York Times), Mr. Jenkins lives with his family in New York City. <P>

Includes bibliographical references (p. 519-520) and index.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Say Cheese

About Cheese

In Store and At Table

Buying and Serving Cheese

France

Normandy and Brittany

The North: Flanders, Artois, and Picardy

Champagne and Ile-de-France

Alsace and Lorraine

The Loire River-s Valleys and Tributaries

Burgundy

Franche-Comte

Savoie and Haute-Savoie

Perigord and Quercy

Auvergne and Rouergue (The Causses)

Dauphine and Provence

The Western Pyrenees: Basque Country and Bearn

Corsica

Italy

Piedmont

Lombardy

Friuli-Venezia Giulia and the Veneto

Emilia-Romagna

Tuscany, Umbria, and the Marches

The South

Sardinia and Sicily

Switzerland

The British Isles

Spain

The Northern Coast of Spain

The Spanish Pyrenees

The Eastern and Southeastern Coast

The Interior of Spain

Lesser-Known Cheese of Spain

USA

American Cheese Types

American Cheesemakers

A Mixed Plate

The Cheeses of Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Austria, the Balkans, and Canada

The Scandinavian Countries

The Netherlands

Belgium

Germany and Austria

The Balkan Countries

Canada

The Great Cheeses

An At-A-Glance Buying Guide for the World-s Finest Cheeses

Bibliography

Photography Credits

Index