Synopses & Reviews
Just a century ago, cheese was still a relatively regional and European phenomenon, and cheese making techniques were limited by climate, geography, and equipment. But modern technology along with the recent artisanal renaissance has opened up the diverse, time-honored, and dynamic world of cheese to enthusiasts willing to take its humble fundamentals — milk, starters, coagulants, and salt — and transform them into complex edibles.
Artisan Cheese Making at Home is the most ambitious and comprehensive guide to home cheese making, filled with easy-to-follow instructions for making mouthwatering cheese and dairy items. Renowned cooking instructor Mary Karlin has spent years working alongside the country’s most passionate artisan cheese producers — cooking, creating, and learning the nuances of their trade. She presents her findings in this lavishly illustrated guide, which features more than eighty recipes for a diverse range of cheeses: from quick and satisfying Mascarpone and Queso Blanco to cultured products like Crème Fraîche and Yogurt to flavorful selections like Saffron-Infused Manchego, Irish-Style Cheddar, and Bloomy Blue Log Chèvre.
Artisan Cheese Making at Home begins with a primer covering milks, starters, cultures, natural coagulants, and bacteria — everything the beginner needs to get started. The heart of the book is a master class in home cheese making: building basic skills with fresh cheeses like ricotta and working up to developing and aging complex mold-ripened cheeses. Also covered are techniques and equipment, including drying, pressing, and brining, as well as molds and ripening boxes. Last but not least, there is a full chapter on cooking with cheese that includes more than twenty globally-influenced recipes featuring the finished cheeses, such as Goat Cheese and Chive Fallen Soufflés with Herb-Citrus Vinaigrette and Blue Cheese, Bacon, and Pear Galette.
Offering an approachable exploration of the alchemy of this extraordinary food, Artisan Cheese Making at Home proves that hand-crafting cheese is not only achievable, but also a fascinating and rewarding process.
Review
“With her handsome new book, Artisan Cheesemaking at Home, Mary Karlin has raised the stakes for urban homesteaders.” San Francisco Chronicle
Synopsis
A contemporary guide to making 100 artisan cheeses at home — from classic favorites to popular, modern varieties — written by cheese-making authority Mary Karlin.
In recent years there has been an explosion in the artisan cheese movement and a kitchen crafting revival. Artisan Cheese Making at Home inspires and encourages do-it-yourselfers with approachable, easy-to-follow instructions to produce mouthwatering cheese at home. From quick and satisfying ricotta and panir to higher payoff cheeses like triple creme camembert, tallegio, and blue gouda — all of the featured cheeses can be made with readily available milks and common kitchen equipment. While most other cheese books take a homey approach to cheese making, this comprehensive, four-color tome embraces the full range of contemporary artisan-style cheeses and is destined to become a modern classic. Written by an experienced cooking teacher and filled with cheese-making tips from some of today’s most influential cheese makers, Artisan Cheese Making at Home proves that hand-crafting cheese is not only easy, but also a fascinating and rewarding process.
About the Author
Mary Karlin is a passionate cook, cooking teacher, freelance food writer, and the author of Wood-Fired Cooking. She was a founding staff member and is currently a visiting chef-instructor at the award-winning Ramekins Culinary School in Sonoma, CA, where she has taught cheese making, wood-fired cooking, and Mediterranean-themed cooking classes for more than ten years. Mary is also a chef-instructor at Relish Culinary Center in Healdsburg, CA, and Great News! Cooking School in San Diego, CA, as well as at other culinary organizations around the United States. Mary splits her time between Northern California and Arizona. Visit www.artisancheesemakingathome.com.
Table of Contents
Foreword vii
Introduction 1
Chapter 1
Cheese Making Basics:
Equipment, Ingredients, Processes, and Techniques 4
Chapter 2
Beginning Cheese Making:
Fresh Direct-Acidification Cheeses, Cultured Dairy Products,
Fresh Culture-Ripened Cheeses, and Salt-Rubbed and Brined Cheeses 34
Chapter 3
Intermediate Cheese Making:
Stretched-Curd and Semisoft, Firm, and Hard Cheeses 72
Chapter 4
More Advanced Cheese Making:
Bloomy-Rind and Surface-Ripened Cheeses, Washed-Rind and Smeared-Rind Cheeses, and Blue Cheeses 132
Chapter 5
Cooking with Artisan Cheeses 192
Acknowledgments 234
Glossary 235
Resources 239
Bibliography 241
Index 242