Turophile \TOOR-uh-fyle\ noun: a connoisseur of cheese; a cheese fancier; Paula Anderson – the ultimate cheese lover.

Given a choice between an ooey gooey chocolate something or a fabulous piece of cheese with a slice of crusty French bread, the cheese wins hands down every time.

Do you fancy feta? Clamor for cheddar? Stuck on Stilton? Crave Camembert? Pine for Parmesan? Lust after Limburger? (Okay, I'll stop but I could go on... how about Ga-ga for Gorgonzola?) If so, this week's cheesy column is just for you. Enjoy!

SOFT AND SEMISOFT CHEESES

Bel Paese: Italian, made from cow's milk; mild, buttery taste.

Brie: French, made from cow's milk; very creamy and buttery.

Cambert: French, from raw or pasteurized cow's milk; creamy and slightly tangy.

Feta: Greek, from sheep, goat or cow's milk; crumbly, tangy, salty.

Gorgonzola: Italian, from cow's or goat's milk; a semi-soft pungent blue cheese.

Havarti: Danish, from cow's milk and enriched with cream; buttery flavor.

Limburger: Belgian, from cow's milk; very strong taste and aroma.

Monterey Jack: American, from cow's milk; semi-soft and mild flavor.

Montrachet: French, from raw goat's milk; creamy and mild.

Mozzarella: Italian, from whole or skimmed cow's milk; spongy and mild.

Muenster: German, from cow's milk; mild flavor.

Port Salut: French, from cow's milk; smooth and buttery.

Roquefort: French, from raw sheep's milk; semi soft, blue-veined, sharp flavor.

HARD CHEESES

Appenzeller: Swiss, from raw cow's milk; firm with a fruity taste.

Cheddar: English in origin, made from cow's milk; firm and mild when new, firm and sharp when aged.

Cheshire: English, from cow's milk, firm; mild Cheddar if white or orange.

Edam: Dutch, from cow's milk, know for its red wax casing; mild when young, sharper when aged.

Emmentaler: Swiss, from partially skimmed raw or pasteurized cow's milk; mild with a nutty flavor.

Fontina: Italian, from cow's or sheep's milk; nutty with strong aroma; good melting cheese.

Gouda: Dutch, from cow's milk; mild and nutty.

Gruyere: Swiss, from cow's milk; firm, with widely dispersed holes and nutty flavor.

Jarlsberg: Norwegian, from cow's milk; firm, buttery, with a slight tang.

Parmesan: Italian, from partly skimmed cow's milk; only those stamped Parmigianino Reggiano are authentic; hard and dry with a sharp flavor.

Provolone: Italian, from cow's milk, usually smoked; firm, mild.

Stilton: English, from cow's milk; a crumbly blue.

HELPFUL TIPS

~ When buying bulk cheese, 4 oz. equals 1 cup shredded.

~ Store cheese in airtight containers, plastic bags or plastic wrap in the refrigerator – four months for soft cheeses and six months for hard.

~ Cheese can be frozen but expect a slight change in texture. Best used in cooking or baking rather than out-of-hand eating.

~ When melting cheese, keep the temperature very low. High heat = tough, stringy cheese.

~ When adding cheese to a soup or sauce, shred it (melts faster) and add it at the end of cooking time.

WATERCRESS, PEAR AND BLUE CHEESE SALAD

1 small head Boston lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces

10 oz. watercress leaves

2 ripe pears, cored and each cut into eight pieces

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/2 cup pecan halves, lightly toasted

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 large shallot, peeled and minced

1/2 tsp. sugar

3/4 tsp. salt

Divide lettuce and watercress among four salad plates. Arrange pear slices over greens and sprinkle with blue cheese and pecans. Combine oil, lemon juice, ground pepper, shallot, sugar and salt in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake well. Pour dressing over salads. Yield: 4 servings.

NOT YOUR MAMA'S CHICKEN PARMESAN

8 oz. ziti, cooked according to package directions

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1/2 tsp. salt

12 oz. grape (or cherry) tomatoes

1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/8 tsp. dried crushed red pepper flakes

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves

1 1/4 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided use

6 oz. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Combine oil, garlic and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Place tomatoes in a medium bowl; mix in 2 Tbsp. of the garlic oil, and the oregano and red pepper. Add chicken to the large bowl containing the remaining garlic oil; and turn to coat.

Place 1 cup Parmesan in a pie plate and dip one side of each chicken piece into cheese to coat; place chicken cheese side up, on half of a rimmed sheet pan and scatter tomatoes on the other half of pan.

Roast in a preheated 500 F oven for 10-12 minutes or until chicken is firm to the touch. Top chicken with slices of mozzarella and cook 1-2 minutes or until cheese melts. Divide cooked pasta evenly onto four plates and top with chicken and tomatoes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Yield: 4 servings

Cheesy Jalapeño Pulled Bread

1 large, round loaf of bread, unsliced

12 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/4 cup (or to taste) chopped pickled jalapeños

1/4 cup chopped green onions, including greens

4 Tbsp. butter, melted

Slice the bread almost all the way through in a cross-hatch pattern, spacing an inch between the slices.

Place the shredded cheese in a large bowl. Toss with the green onions and jalapeños. Add melted butter and toss (using clean hands) to combine.

Place a sheet of aluminum foil large enough to wrap the bread in on a sheet pan; position bread in center of foil. Stuff all the nooks and crannies of the bread with the cheese mixture; wrap tightly with foil. (May be made ahead to this point; keep refrigerated.)

Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 15 minutes; peel foil down away from the bread and cook for 10 minutes more or until all of the cheese has melted. Place on a platter and let everyone pull pieces of bread from the loaf. Yield: about 8 servings.

Paula Anderson is a freelance journalist specializing in food, entertaining and nutrition. She writes for several newspapers, as well as Maine Food & Lifestyle Magazine. She divides her time between Scarborough and Big Pine Key, Fla., where she lives with her husband Peter and their kitty Mina. Correspondence can be addressed to her at the Boothbay Register, P.O. Box 357, Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538 or the Wiscasset Newspaper, P.O. Box 429, Wiscasset, ME 04578. You can also write to her directly via email at pander@maine.rr.com.

“Cheese has always been a food that both sophisticated and simple humans love.” M.F.K. Fisher, "How to Cook a Wolf" (1942)