The Art of the Cheese Plate: Pairings, Recipes, Style, Attitude

Money to buy ingredients, time to track ingredients down and make the side dishes. Probably can't find a lot of cheeses if you live in a rural area or don't shop at higher end places. I can see how a chef or serious foodie would find use with this book

Exceeds expectations!Tia's curated cheese pairings reflect the palate of someone who excels in the intuitive. the textures seem to jump off the page, and I was mesmerized in going through the variety of often surprising and certainly unique combinations that largely are comprised of no more than 4-5 ingredients, and when honey, spices, olive oil, fruits, and fresh herbs are often among them, even those with less than full pantries can create these recipes. Let's face it, if you bought this book on Amazon, fresh direct, or amazon prime, it is probably not too far out of your comfort zone to find such ingredients. If this intrigues you, has you hungry, pushes you just to the realm of your comfort zone, then it has accomplished a large part of its' mission i believe. Embrace cooking, entertaining, splurging, learning.. this book provides all such know-how and motivation.In reading the preface, before drooling over stunning photos and plating arrangements, I discovered both an open and casual tone that I believe many people with a range of cheesiosity will welcome in trying out these recipes, and will then hopefully hold true to the author's directive of experimenting and tasting.. Quite simply there is honesty here that transcends the bombardment of food/dining trends, hyper social media activities etc..Well done!!

My journey with this book has just begun and I couldn't be more excited. At first glance, it seemed a little out of my comfort zone when it comes to cheese plates... and we make a lot of cheese plates. I was surprised not to find the rustic wood pieces, the slates, the broken marble pieces. I didn't find 100 more ways to make fig jam and ways to cover my cheeses with fruit and nuts. NO WAY. Keenan takes cheese out of the barn and onto the runway with some really sexy accouterments. I am ready to pickle raisins, mix olives with white chocolate, braise rhubarb in tequila, and make bacon and ritz cracker brickle. I love the idea of stocking up on fun china plates and being bold with the mix and match. Mostly, I love that Keenan gives us great descriptions of the cheeses we love and introduces us to the ones we want to begin a relationship with. People ALWAYS ask questions about the cheese we serve at our house and now I can just hand them this beautiful book... or just recite a simple description.

I returned this gift. It is regionally centered and someone in the Pacific Northwest will not be able to use it. We go to a fine cheesemonger. Substitutions, as well as wine and meat pairings would have been useful.

This gorgeous book has my mouth watering! Keenan's sharp wit and passion for her craft pairs beautifully with the unbelievable photography and styling. The pages GLOW with rich colors and descriptions. I had initially feared this would be a book I couldn't easily execute on, as I'm a cheese admirer but no expert in cooking, but I've already tried one of the recipes and found it delicious and surprisingly easy. I loved how the tongue-in-cheek "themes" of the cheese plates provided guidance for combinations and recipes that are greater than the sum of their parts. I was also relieved to see a number of names I recognized; these cheeses are accessible, and this book points me in the right direction for further exploration!

I entertain quite a bit and often put out cheese platesFor my guests. This book is going to seriously up my game and I can't wait for the next time I have the opportunity to bust out my new skills! I love all the recipes (carrot halwa!), which are straight forward yet include some unexpected combinations. And finally, the book itself is gorgeous and I've been loving flipping through, looking at the beautiful pictures and giggling at the whimsical cheese plate names (udder from another mother! Pecorino preservation society!). A wonderful gift for anyone who enjoys cheese or entertaining.

It's not only Tia's genuine, impassioned writing that makes this book so wonderful--it's her culinary and artistic aesthetic. In person, Ms. Keenan's pairings are the kind that stay with you for a lifetime. In print, the images and inspired content is no less unforgettable. This book is for those in-the-know, sure, but it's also the perfect instructive tome for those just getting to know cheese. And who better to learn from than the master herself? A winner, by every stretch of the cheese imagination.

Lot of great ideas.

Great

So disappointed. I wanted a book on cheese pairing ideas (I am newly into artisinal pizza and know little about cheese and exciting pairings yet). I am further behind on the topic than when I was without this book. This book has no useful index to look up the cheese for which I have access to in my neighborhood market. The book has recommendations for cheese from "3-Corner Field farm" and from "Nettle Meadow Farm" ?!?! Living in Canada's second largest city, where/how am I supposed track down this meticulously chosen cheese? There is no buyers guide. Maybe if you live in the East Upper USA this could be a great book and obviously you know where to buy all the cheeses. But then the cheeses are seasonal and you dont know what season you can look for them. I cant even regift this book because the next person wont be able to source the farm specific cheeses either. So disappointed and I need to recommend you test drive it at your local library to see if the book drives you insane before you buy it

Parfait