The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide: Over 150 Recipes with Instructions on How to Buy, Store, and Serve All Your Favorite Cheeses

Paula Lambert is a godsend to cheese lovers everywhere. She so yearned for delicious cheese that she built her own factory, the Mozzarella Company, in Dallas, Texas. The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide is her indispensable resource on buying, storing, cooking, and serving cheese, and even making your own cheese at home. In more than 150 recipes, Lambert presents a down-to-earth approach to cooking with many varieties, whether it's Gruy re, Camembert, or just tried-and-true Cheddar. Learn to put the cheeses you love into every meal, from appetizers like a Savory Herbed Cheesecake to such desserts as an Orange-Ricotta Almond Tart.

With so many wonderful cheeses available, it can be difficult to choose among them. To help navigate this abundance of riches, The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide contains descriptions of a hundred cheeses by taste, texture, country of origin, and type of milk used to make them, as well as suggestions on selecting cheeses and putting together a cheese course when entertaining.

Reflecting various influences -- Southern, Mexican, Southwestern, and Italian -- The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide is at once international and familiar, and always full of flavor. Because Lambert is a cheesemaker, she is not afraid to experiment in the kitchen, and she shares her delicious results. From the bold and unusual Artichoke, Spinach, and Goat Cheese Spring Rolls to the delicious and traditional Fettuccine ai Quattro Formaggi, cheese is the main focus in each of these artfully creative recipes. She also includes recipes for courageous and unintimidated cooks to make their own Cr me Fra che, Fresh Cream Cheese, Cottage Cheese, Mascarpone, Ricotta, Queso Blanco, and Aged Tomme at home.

For home chefs and anyone interested in learning more about the delicious world of cheese, The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide is ideal. Every cheese lover will be thrilled with the mouth-watering results.

Amazon.com Review
Twenty years ago, Paula Lambert was just your average Texas housewife. But when she became addicted to fresh mozzarella while traveling in Italy only to return home and find there was no fresh mozzarella in Texas, both an entrepreneur and a cheese factory were born. In The Cheese Lover's Cookbook, Lambert shares the vast knowledge she's garnered in two decades at the helm of the successful Mozzarella Company, which now boasts 35 types of cheese and twice as many awards.

Lambert's passion for cheese shines in enticing recipes that draw on her Southwestern, Italian, and Southern influences. The book flows effortlessly between such down-home favorites as Cowboy Cheese Dip (made with Velveeta!) and more adventurous treats such as Baked Gnocchi with Sage-Parmigiano Crust or Blue Cheese Quesadillas with Mango Salsa. Chapters cover brunch through dessert, including appetizers, salads, soups, pastas, vegetables, meats, and breads. For brunch, Ricotta Pancakes with Banana-Pecan Syrup--a moist, fluffy, invitingly rich concoction reminiscent of the famous New Orleans dessert Bananas Foster--fits the bill. Crustless Cheddar Quiche with Onion and Bacon Topping (more like a savory flan than a classic quiche) would be equally satisfying for brunch or lunch. Entr es range from the vegetarian Layered Vegetable Gratin Provencal bound by strongly flavored Gruy re, to tangy Poached Salmon with Feta Mayonnaise, to succulent Rack of Lamb with Goat Cheese Crust. An array of inviting desserts, from the intensely chocolatey Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownies to the wonderfully refreshing Cinnamon-Ricotta Sorbet, rounds out the recipe section.

But this is much more than just a cookbook: it's an informative guide that details the history of cheese, provides nutritional information, and offers tips on how to buy, store, and serve cheese. For the truly ambitious, Lambert includes step-by-step instructions for making both fresh and aged cheese at home. A chapter on pairing wine with cheese takes the mystery out of finding just the right match, and indispensable charts expertly guide those interested in substituting or experimenting with more unusual cheeses. For any cheese lover, this practical and wonderfully entertaining guide is a truly comprehensive resource. --Robin Donovan