The Definitive Canadian Wine and Cheese Book

The Definitive Canadian Wine and Cheese Cookbook
By Gurth Pretty and Tony Aspler

For those looking to take the wine and cheese party to a new level of sophistication, Gurth Pretty and Tony Aspler have prepared The Definitive Canadian Wine and Cheese Cookbook. Apart from Pretty’s previous book, The Definitive Guide to Canadian Artisanal and Fine Cheese, a heartier homage to fromage has not been brought to table.

While the first contained a bibliophile’s wealth of provincially-delineated cheese knowledge, Pretty and Aspler have teamed their prodigious palates to create over 100 harmoniously paired dishes - each ripe with heady hits of cheese. Equipped with a cheese glossary, a guide to buying and storing and a section on the principles of matching cheese and wine, along with both Canadian and International pairing charts, this is nonetheless a cookbook.

Clearing the basics of wine and cheese 101 in short order, Pretty and Aspler focus on their particular fortes as they breathe fresh inspiration into every conceivable corner of the meal. From the Black Truffle Cheese Omelette paired with either an Ontario Pinot Noir or Barolo to the Butter Tart Marscapone Ice Cream paired with a Muscat Beaumes-de-Venise, the recipes tend towards mouth-watering and are further edified by Pretty’s culinary recollections and tips together with Aspler’s pairings that include not only wine, but where applicable beer and spirits as well.

Other stand-outs bring lesser known cheeses to the forefront: Quark and Fundy Smoked Salmon Gateau, Gralic Oka Gratinee Soup, Pistachio-Crusted Veal stuffed with Bouq-Emissaire, Lamb Burgers with Dragon’s Breath, Raclette of Beer-Washed Cheese, Frere Jacques Lupini Bean Salad and Apple, Maple & Sheep Cheese Tarts to name a few.

While the varied vocabulary of cheese names can make the head reel at first, the glossary makes for simple substitutions and the more educative aspects of the book only deepen its pleasure for the gourmet within us all. It’s a world away from Scott and Joey sitting on the porch eating crafted cubes of cheddar and yet the book leaves you with the same words upon your lips. “More cheese please!�

These are the types of recipes that come in a few styles: pish-posh cornucopias of cocktail pleasers, simply delicious comfort foods, and sophisticated dishes worthy of dinner invites. Throughout, the professional acumen and personal recommendations of Pretty and Aspler easily elevates the most cautious cook to new levels of wine and cheese experience.

Does it live up to its title as The Definitive Canadian Wine and Cheese Cookbook? Let’s hope not. Again, those immortal words that began with cheddar and only got better. “More cheese please.�

Filed by Jason McRobbie