The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide

The Cheese Lover's
Cookbook and Guide

By Paula Lambert

The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide
"Paula Lambert, one of our national culinary treasures, has put together a mouth-watering collection of cheese-friendly recipes, both classic and creative. Good as the dishes are, I'd buy the book simply as a basic guide to cheese: it is thorough, clear, intelligent, and concise.—David Rosengarten, host of Taste and co-anchor of In Food Today on the Television Food Network.

In 1981 Paula Lambert was a Texas housewife. Today, she is known as one of the great American cheesemakers, with over seventy-five awards to her credit. Paula opened her Dallas-based cheese factory, The Mozzarella Company, after longing for the same fresh mozzarella cheese she loved eating while living and vacationing in Italy. In recent years there has been a renaissance of high-quality cheesemaking across the United States, and pioneer Paula Lambert is partly responsible. Finally, she is sharing her passion and vast knowledge of cheese in her debut book The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide.

Combining artisanal cheesemaking skills with a dash of Southern charm, Paula Lambert has produced and created incomparable cheese, from classic fresh Mozzarella to the Tex-Mex flavored Ancho Chile Goat Milk Caciotta. Paula's recipes also reflect her Southern, Italian, Southwestern and Mexican influences. Some dishes are recognizable as classic recipes, changed slightly to modernize, others are Paula's own mouth-watering inspired creations. The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide is an all inclusive, useful, and inspired book about cheese, that additionally contains easy-to-follow recipes that transform simple dishes into something extraordinary. Chapters include a history of cheese, nutritional breakdown, types and characteristics (with charts), how to buy, store, cut and serve, simple and easy ways to make several different types of cheese at home, as well as over 100 recipes.

Paula exposes the myth that people afflicted with lactose-intolerance must avoid cheese. Lactose is the main carbohydrate and natural sugar contained in milk, and lactose-intolerance is the inability to digest this sugar. However, many people who claim to be lactose-intolerant are often self-diagnosed, and as a result there is a great misunderstanding of which products actually contain lactose. Citing the New England Journal of Medicine, Paula revels that cheese, yogurt, and other cultured dairy products are virtually free of lactose because their original lactose was consumed and converted into lactic acid when the milk was fermented. Lactose only exists in milk and milk products; therefore, cheese is tolerable-and delicious.

Using cheese as the central ingredient, the recipes in The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide creates a range of new flavors for everyday and special meals. Begin a meal—or party—with Paula's eye-opening starters: Ancho Chile and Sun-Dried Tomato Salsa with Goat Cheese; Spicy Cheddar Cheese Straws; Grilled Zucchini Cigars Stuffed with Feta and Mascarpone; or down-home Texas Cowboy Cheese Dip. As well as smooth or tangy salads and soups: Baked Goat Cheese Salad, Wild Rice and Smoke Chicken Salad with Blue Cheese; Fruit Salad with Honey-Ricotta Dressing; Cheddar Cheese-Beer Soup with Black Pepper Croutons; or Fennel-Asiago Bisque.

Create a memorable dining experience with delicious brunch or lunch recipes, including: Rapini Frittata with Mozzarella; Orange-Cream Cheese French Toast with Raspberry Coulis; Ricotta Pancakes with Banana-Pecan Syrup; Uptown Get-Down Macaroni and Cheese; Light Feta Tacos; or Blue Cheese Quesadillas with Mango Salsa. Then warm up your nights with such mouth-watering dinner and dessert recipes as: Grilled Swordfish Steaks Stuffed with Pepper Jack Cheese; Rack of Lamb with Goat Cheese Crust; Apple Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Icing; Cannoli Filled with Pistachio Ricotta; Chocolate Layer Cake with Strawberries and Mascarpone; Lemon Goat Cheese Tart; or Cinnamon-Ricotta Sorbet.

A renowned cheese maker, entrepreneur and cook, Paula Lambert's unbelievable energy includes her current post as President of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), her membership in culinary societies and recognition in the James Beard Foundation's Who's Who of Food and Beverage of America.

About the Author

Paula Lambert's Mozzarella Cheese Company produces and sells over thirty-five different types of cheeses throughout the United States to restaurants, gourmet stores, and directly to individuals. She is currently President of the International Association of Cooking Professionals (IACP) and is recognized in the James Beard Foundation's Who's Who of Food and Beverage of America (only 150 members).

Paula grew up in Fort Worth, TX, and later spent five years in Perugia, Italy as a graduate student. She currently lives in Dallas, TX with her husband.

Buy the Book!

The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide
By Paula Lambert
Simon & Schuster, November, 2000
Hardback, $35.00
384 pages, 16 full-color photo-illustrations
ISBN: 0-684-86318-9
Information provided by the publisher.