The Modern Cheesemaker: Making and cooking with cheeses at home

Great book, wonderful pictures and well described. Some of the advanced cheese making recipes are probably not doable for the average household, but good to know how to make. I am trying recipes and they are easy to follow. Well written!

Morgan McGlynn has been a fan of cheese her whole life. In fact, she loves it so much she bought a cheese shop when she was only 21. Working at the store, tasting cheeses, traveling to cheesemakers to stock her shop, she has learned a lot about cheese. She has even started making her own. And now she is sharing all her best cheese secrets with us all in The Modern Cheesemaker.Written with novices in mind, McGlynn takes readers step by step through the process of making cheese, from simple cheese that can be made with ingredients you can probably find in your kitchen to more complicated recipes that take specialty ingredients and can age for months. She includes tips on cheese making equipment (you don’t need much to get started) and ideas on knives and slicers to use to create the ultimate cheese board.In other words, you can put as little or as much effort in as you want, invest a lot or not so much, the options are as numerous as the types of cheeses available.After a quick introduction to the history, basic process, and equipment of cheesemaking, McGlynn gets to the important part—the recipes. First she starts with simple fresh cheeses, like mozzarella, ricotta, burrata, and mascarpone. And along with the recipes to create these cheeses, she includes recipes you can use these cheese for, like Lemon and Raspberry Ricotta Cheesecake, Curd Cheese Dip, and Burrata and Lemon Penne.After the fresh cheeses, she takes us on a tour of cream and soft cheeses, so you can make your own cottage cheese, cream cheese, and Brie. Then it’s on to goat’s cheese, with ideas for creamy and crumbly ones, and recipes like a Courgette (Zucchini) and Goat’s Cheese Tart or Goat’s Cheese and Spinach Filo Swirls.Then things get harder, as both the recipes and the cheese get harder, going through an aging process. You can choose semi-hard cheeses like Paneer, Swiss Cheese, Halloumi, and Feta; or you can go for the hard cheeses, and try your hand at Cheddar, Gouda, or Red Leicester. And then you can go to use those to make Very Naughty Mac and Cheese, a Classic Croque Monsieur, or a Tortellini Bake.And let’s not forget the Blue Cheese.Throughout all these recipes for cheeses and for tasty dishes made with cheeses are vignettes of cheesemakers from around the world and lots of beutiful photographs. Add in some expert advice about serving cheese, wine pairings for different cheeses, and how to create an exquisite cheese board for any season, The Modern Cheesemaker is a beautiful reference for cheese lovers of all kinds.Galleys for The Modern Cheesemaker were provided by White Lion Publishing through NetGalley, with many thanks.

In The Modern Cheesemaker, McGlynn shares 18 cheesemaking tips and over 40 cheese recipes inspired by her love for cheesemaking from a young age. This guide provides a complete hands-on guide to making cheese from scratch.The author opens this book with by introducing the reader to the history of cheesemaking, cheese seasons and the best season for optimal cheese production; she elaborates using cheese from the mountains (The Alps and Pyrenees).The first section is devoted to the ingredients: cow’s milk, goat’s milk, sheep’s milk, acid, salt etc). Here, the author suggests the quality of milk for the best results. This section also covers cheesemaking equipment (Cheesecloth or muslin, large saucepan, thermometer, wooden spoon etc), and the basic steps in making cheese with illustrated step-by-step instructions to make the cheesemaking process accessible for anyone to try at home.The cheeses in this book are divided into five categories: Fresh cheese, cream and soft cheese, Goat’s cheese, semi-hard cheese, Hard cheese and blue cheese. Each entry begins with a brief overview of the cheese as well as a summary of the cheesemaking process.Each of the cheeses listed here is further broken down into different kinds of cheese, as well as recipes to try at home. For instance, under Fresh Cheese, you will find kinds of cheese followed by a recipe or two. Some examples are curd cheese ( curd cheese dip), Ricotta, Mozzarella, Mascarpone (Mascarpone Chocolate Pots with Honeymade Honeycomb. The chapter also features a star cheesemaker from different regions in the world.Under the cream and soft cheese section, you will find a variety of delectable cheeses such as cream cheese, cottage cheese, Brie (Grilled Brie with Caramelized apple and honey).In the subsequent chapters, (Semi-hard cheese and Hard cheese), the author presents more challenging cheesemaking techniques and introduces the art of ageing cheese, known as affinage. She shows the reader how to make semi-hard cheese such as Paneer cheese, Swiss cheese, Halloumi and Feta cheese including recipes such as Cheese straws and Raclette. Hard cheese: Cheddar, Red Leicester and Gouda.The author also includes some cheesemonger tips and offers different ways to flavor cheese. Another chapter is dedicated to cheese pairing and explains the balance of tastes, textures, and fragrances, as well as the author’s favorite pairings. Included in this book are seasonal cheese boards featuring cheese in all four seasons and tips on storing cheese.The Modern Cheesemaker concludes with an extensive list of additives and cultures used for cheesemaking, equipment and where to source them, as well as the author’s selections of cheeses from around the world.Highly recommend to cheese lovers and experienced hobbyists.Many thanks to Morgan McGlynn, NetGalley, and Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Had buy another book as the supposed cheese guru left out quite a few important steps in some the cheeses, just because she knows she obviously expects everybody to know, so I threw this in bin, found cheaper book, better instructions

It is a good read at first look. When I wanted to make the Raspberry Ricotta Cheese Cake, however, I found the instructions puzzling, it started off with "set the oven to 170 Degree C" but then ended up not going into the oven at all, but being chilled for a few hours ( even though it has raw eggs in it) tried to contact the author through the facebook page of her shop, no reply.Next, I tried her Ricotta. I've made Ricotta before and was wondering about the amount of Vinegar used, it seemed too little. And yep, curds didn't form as they should.I tried a few more easy receipts, and at last, the Brie, which turned out a bit of a disaster and prompting me to go onto YouTube to see what others are doing here. Turns out that either the measures, waiting times or processes are way off, steps are being left out...A nice overview of what's out there to make, but nothing to go by, if you want to make cheese yourself

Really enjoyed reading this book. I'm not a serious cheese maker, I just dabble and for that the book is great.I loved the additional dish recipes and the pictures are beautiful but the dishes have been hit and miss (the upside down blue cheese puff pastry dish was a mess).I have tried a few of the easy cheeses and they have worked, although my curds didn't form as well as hers the end product was good.

Excellent read but haven’t tried the recipes Yet.Ordered the required ingredients though...

A very interesting read. Tried the mozzarella and found it really easy. Can’t wait to try some others.