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Demystifying the World of Artisan Cheese
MASTERING CHEESE
Lessons for Connoisseurship from a Maître Fromager
By Max McCalman
and David Gibbons
Max McCalman is American's preeminent expert on Cheese. Awarded the exclusive title of Garde et Jure by France's Guilde des Fromagers, he was the first in-house Maître Fromager for an American restaurant and retains this title now for the Artisanal Premium Cheese Center, where he also is the Dean of Curriculum and Director of Affinage. Max McCalman has led countless classes on the ins and outs of cheese - everything from Cheese 101, to multi-class master's seminars for burgeoning cheese professionals. In MASTERING CHEESE: Lessons for Connoisseurship from a Maître Fromager (Clarkson Potter; November 17, 2009), he condenses his vast knowledge and expansive curriculum into a single, one-of-a-kind volume that is the ultimate master's class on cheese.
McCalman’s first two incredibly popular books, The Cheese Plate and Cheese, a Connoisseur’s Guide to the World’s Best, discussed the basics of cheese, but MASTERING CHEESE goes beyond introductory material, presenting in-depth information and details on everything from production methods and the laws that govern cheese naming, to choosing what cheese to buy at the grocery store and what wines or beers to pair with it. Organized into twenty-two distinct lessons, each lesson focuses on 8 to 15 cheeses and ends with how-to information on creating a tasting plate from the knowledge garnered, bringing the experience to delectable life. Some sample lessons include:
· Recognizing Great Cheese: How to Taste, Describe, Assess, and Judge It
· Cheese for Sale: Everything You Need to Know About Buying and Taking it Home
· Foolproof Logic and Perfect Progression: Putting Together Cheese Tastings
Taking the World Stage: America’s Artisans
Also included is an invaluable list of sources and resources, helpful charts, and an index of more than 300 cheeses to help the budding fromager along.
Incredibly accesible, MASTERING CHEESE is a must-have tool for pursuing one's passion for cheese. McCalman has imparted his unparallel expertise on every page and will have cheese lovers well on their way to true connoisseurship in no time.
About the Authors:
MAX McCALMAN is an undisputed master of cheese. He has been awarded the exclusive title of Garde et Jure by France's Guilde des Fromagers, and he was the first in-house Maître Fromager for an American restaurant. Max retains this title at Artisanal Premium Cheese Center, where he is Dean of Curriculum and Director of Affinage.
Max is a long-standing veteran of the food and hospitality industries, where he spent most of his professional life as a Maître d'Hotel and Sommelier before he developed the widely lauded cheese program at Picholine, Terrance Brennan's New York Times three-star and Michelin two-star restaurant in New York City. Max later established the critically acclaimed cheese programs at Brennan's Artisanal Fromagerie & Bistro and at the Artisanal Premium Cheese Center.
Max is a frequent lecturer, with appearances at the Culinary Institute of America, the annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, New York University, and the Artisanal Premium Cheese Center, where he regularly teaches courses. His first book, The Cheese Plate (Clarkson Potter, 2002), was nominated for both James Beard and IACP Awards for single-subject cookbooks, and Cheese, a Connoisseur’s Guide to the World’s Best (Clarkson Potter, 2005), was winner of the 2006 James Beard Award for Best Reference Book. His third book, MASTERING CHEESE: Lessons for Connoisseurship from a Maître Fromager (Clarkson Potter) published Nov. 17th 2009 is the ultimate master's class on cheese. Max lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn, N.Y.C with his daughter, Scarlett.
DAVID GIBBONS, a freelance writer, has collaborated on many books, including The Cheese Plate and Cheese, a Connoisseur’s Guide to the World’s Best with Max McCalman. He lives in New York City.
MASTERING CHEESE
By Max McCalman
and David Gibbons
Clarkson Potter
November 17, 2009 * Pages: 384
Price: Hardcover, $40.00 * ISBN: 978-0-307-40648-4
www.ClarksonPotter.com