Morgan McGlynn

I can't quite bring myself to give four stars. This woman has totally unrealistic ideas of what is possible in a normal house. Of course it would be ideal to mature your cheese at 10° for several monthe, but not in my house.

However, the book is interesting, and has many good looking recipes, even if you cheat and use store bought cheese (from the supermarket, and not a specialty cheese store, horrors!) and not the home-made variety. If I were to make my own mozzarella - "you could whip up your own ball of creamy cheese" - I would not then mix it with spinach and artichoke and bake it to make a warm dip.… (mehr)

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

Cheese boards are gorgeous yet can be daunting to assemble. Not only are the mathematics of servings tricky to figure out, there are the multitude of pairings (fruit, vegetables, crackers, breads, pickled items, meats, alcoholic beverages!) and the challenge of assembling everything in a beautiful yet functional manner. Morgan McGlynn breaks things down in an accessible way in this gorgeous book that supplies ingredient lists and assembly instructions along with sumptuous full-color photography.

The foremost issue to address: the author is British but the cookbook is absolutely fine as a guide to American turophiles. Some of the cheeses are not available here at all (those being English and French ones), but most are if you live near a larger city (or even a small town with an Aldi) or are fine with an online order from a major purveyor. The cheeses that are not available wouldn't be hard to substitute. The one board that struck me as humorously odd was a Cinco de Mayo board, which included the British classic Red Leicester and Italian Parmesan along with actual Mexican cheeses; mind you, the cheeses would all be delicious, but I felt like a good Cheddar (British, American, wherever) would have been more appropriate than Red Leicester.

I appreciated how the book listed clear instructions on each recipe. The number of people served by each board is listed, and cheese amounts are included in grams and ounces, making it internationally-friendly. I have to mention the photography again, too. It is truly stunning. This would be a great coffee table book.… (mehr)

I received an electronic galley of this book via NetGalley.

I am known for my passion for artisan cheese. For me, it's a Pokemon-like gotta-catch'em-all joyful hunt. However, I've never tried making cheese, even though I'm a baker and I love experimenting with diverse recipes in the kitchen. What little I had read about home cheese-making left me very intimidated.

That attitude has shifted after reading this book. Morgan McGlynn is a cheese-monger and cheese-maker in the UK, and she has written a book in which I feel like she gently took me by the hand and showed me step by step how to make my own cheese. The book is organized by level of difficulty, too--start with fresh cheeses like mozzarella and ricotta, and work up to hard cheeses (hard in texture, harder and more time-consuming to make) like aged Cheddar and Brie.

This isn't simply a recipe book, though it does indeed feature recipes for 18 cheeses plus some 40 recipes for utilizing that cheese. This is a book about the basics: the science of cheese explained in straightforward terms, a breakdown of the equipment needed to safely and successfully make cheese, and also information about professional cheese-makers along with a list of some of the best cheeses in the world to seek out. To make this all even better, there are abundant full-color photographs that illustrate the steps and show what the finished results should look like.

Oh, and I should add that all of the information is presented in measurements friendly for readers/cooks in Britain, America, and elsewhere. The recommended places to buy supplies are also not focused on one specific locale. McGlynn wants to help you make cheese, no matter where you live.

I think I'm going to get a large pot and a few other new additions for my kitchen and finally give homemade cheese a go. The idea does still intimidate me, but now I feel like I have a guide to help me on my way.… (mehr)

Cheese, my second favorite C word, coffee being number one. I love cheese, go on cheese tours and make fresh cheese, mozzarella and ricotta often. I have always felt intimidated to go further in cheese making levels, until I read this book. I love this books, it was a quick and easy read.
Simple, this book makes it all look so simple, with clear directions and amazing photos. The steps are written so that beginning people and seasoned cheese maker can comfortably follow along. I finished my first brie, and am letting it age right now. Yes, I do have my fingers crossed that is comes out as the creamy cheese I love. I raise sourdough starter and will be making fresh sourdough to eat with it, in about 25 days. Oh the recipes, wait till you see the gorgeous photos of the recipes to use the cheese with, you might swoon. My next two huge challenges I will tackle are Swiss cheese then my favorite cheese family blue. I thought blue cheese would be so hard to make, the recipe seems easy, with clear steps.
There are tips, recipes for butter, jams, pairing foods and more in the back. There is even a section on making a cheese board- great for a dinner party.

Thank you to the publishers for an advanced copy for review… (mehr)