Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese

Book excerpt: Consider this your invitation to world's greatest cheese party! Peek behind Philadelphia's largest and oldest cheese counter for a lively guide to pairing cheese with everything from beer and cocktails to olives and charcuterie. The store's resident cheese blogger, Madame Fromage, brings to life 170 of the world's greatest artisan cheeses, drawing on stories and knowledge from the store's third-generation owners. Accessible for cheese newcomers and connoisseurs alike, this guidebook breaks down the mysterious world of cheese into personality profiles like "Baby faces," "Vixens," "Mountain Men," "Stinkers," and "Pierced Punks," sliding along a scale of texture, age, and pungency. These cheeses are then paired off for occasions like Cocktails & Nosh, Cheese for One, Book Club Cheese Night, and Craft Beers & Artistan All-Stars. Also included are 30 recipes, from Zeke's Bacon Maple Grilled Cheese to Cheddar Ale Soup; an extensive dairy lexicon; and notes on how to taste cheese like a cheesemonger. Part recipe book, part family history, part cheese encyclopedia, Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese is a fresh, new take on a favorite food group.