The Definitive Canadian Wine and Cheese Cookbook.

John Abbott is a professor of history at Laurentian University’s Algoma University College. He is the co-author of The Border at Sault Ste Marie and The History of Fort St. Joseph.

This really is a celebration of an industry’s rebirth. Within the memory of Canada’s oldest generation, entire counties were stripped of their small cheese factories as the art of cheese making and aging languished in the doldrums of corporate stewardship. Those of that generation are twice blessed: not only have some medium-sized cheese factories survived the blitz, offering properly aged cheddar at the factory retail shop, but a generation of artisanal cheese makers have drawn milk from sheep and goats, and inspiration from Europe and the possibilities of Canadian micro-environments, to produce a wide range of cheeses that rival in quality those of Europe. In The Definitive Guide to Canadian Artisanal and Fine Cheese Gurth Pretty gave consumers access to the sources. In this present volume he not only offers superb recipes for every meal in the daily round but also engages Tony Aspler’s knowledge of wine and food relationships.

Brief essays on cheese as an ingredient in cookery, the basic principles of matching cheese with wine, cheese categories, buying and storage, and cutting and arranging on platters with sides of compatible fruits constitute the general introduction. There follows a wine and cheese primer which concludes with lengthy lists of Canadian and international pairings of specific cheeses with specific wines. It is succinct and complete in essentials.

The recipes are often inventive. Try crumbled cheddar and bits of bacon in your morning waffles. Wash them down with sluices of Muscadet or a pint of bitter. Push the envelope and use a well-aged cheddar the second time round. Aspler’s recommendations for wine and beer, and Pretty’s for making ahead or altering the ingredients, are offered in sidebars. The sources for the cheese and comments on the dish are placed in introductions above the list of ingredients. At the top of the page Pretty lists preparation time, cooking time, and the number of servings the recipe will yield. La Chute Chaudière Cheddar and Watercress Tart and the Hazelnut Wafer Chocolate and Peach Mascarpone Gateau are to die for. Buy the book!