A couple of years ago, my favorite Aussie, who then lived above me, introduced me to a delightful neighborhood cheese shop. In a neighborhood of Agata & Valentina and Citarella, one might think that a shop devoted entirely to delicious cheeses could be superfluous; however, that is not the case.
I love cheese. Perhaps this is because it pairs so nicely with all of my other favorite indulgences; bread, honey, wine...
Along with all of the wonderful things that I adore about cheese, I also love all of the accoutrements that go along with a good cheese sampling; cheese knives, cheese boards, cheese markers, big, bold red wines.
From Brooklyn Slate...Love!
Yum....
Despite my deep, torrid love affair with cheeses, sometimes, when faced with the gazillion options that a cheese shop presents, the process of choosing cheese can be highly overwhelming. If your local cheesemonger seems only to speak French, like mine, I find Max McCalman's beautiful book,
Mastering Cheese to be especially helpful! Apart from the gorgeous photography, I am totally in love with the chapter "Stunning Stinkers--" the alliteration alone wins me over completely.
This is beautiful coffee table book and, even better, a fabulous guide for those times when language barriers have you acting out cows and goats in your local cheese shop. If sparing the public exposure to my limited acting skills is not motivation enough to learn French, I don't know what is! But, in the meantime, this book is a valuable resource!
Also of note:
The Cheesemonger's Kitchen by Chester Hastings...
Don't you just love the word "cheesemonger?!"
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