We are huge cheese lovers and we love the alternative of a ‘cheese-cake’, and cheese boards for dessert or for starters! Any time really! More cheese, more often. That’s how we live.
Combos of cheese & why they work together for a cheese-cake tower
You always want to have a mixture of soft, firm, blue, and semi firm. We try to create a tower that not only looks amazing but ‘eats the right way’ and has a little bit of everything for everyone, so you’re not left with a mountain of the ‘not so popular’ cheeses.
Soft is the most popular- double cream, triple cream, brie, camabert, washed rind. Being soft limits them in a stacking application as they cannot go on the bottom, and are usually made in medium-small rounds – a good option here is to have your cheese-cake stack, and then offer up some more soft cheeses on the side when you get into the eating part).
They way they stack is important and sizing comes into play here. We source our cheese through Calendar Cheese Company and they are a big help when it comes to sizing and what’s in season and we go from there.
Styling
Figs when in season (which is usually peak wedding season – so that’s a win!), red grapes, vine leaves are all things which look great on a cheese-cake. For the more adventurous try things like fresh honeycomb (which pairs amazingly with a blue), cape gooseberries (when in season), pickled baby onions, and poached mini pears all look great but also are eaten well with cheese.
We love garnishing with edible things that make sense with whatever it is that you’re serving. That being said you also cannot go past a sprig of rosemary here and there.
Average Cost
For a five stack cheese-cake tower (as Rach & Tom had), you’re looking at approx $800 of wholesale cheese. You’ll also need to factor in lots of breads & crackers, cured meats & small goods (if desired), dried fruits, olives, quince paste, a plethora of pickles, nuts, grapes etc… As much as cheese is the best, you need accompaniments, and it would be a shame to spend all that money on a beautiful stack of cheese if your guests can’t enjoy it!
Source your cheese
We use mostly Calendar Cheese Company which source the best cheeses from Australia & abroad. We also source directly from some select suppliers such as Bruny Island Cheese Co, and some local Mornington Peninsula makers like Main Ridge Dairy, and Boatshed Cheeses, all of which make incredible award winning cheeses.
If our clients are after something particular, we source it. There are a lot of great cheesemongers around Melbourne who share our passion for cheese and source the best and most interesting cheeses.
All images by Photographer Daniel Milligan via Rachel and Voss’ Rainy Tanglewood Estate Wedding
Any other cheese-cake wisdom you can share?
Get out to your local cheesemonger, and talk to them about what you like and try samples! Cheese is such a special thing, and the further you venture down the cheese rabbit hole, the more and more you’ll fall in love with the wonders of the cheese world.
Ms Zigzag says: This is handy advice if you’re thinking about a cheese-cake tower for your wedding or any wedding-related event, but can be just as easily applied to when you’re putting together a cheese board at home.
About the author Mr Hall Catering: Food is everything to us at Mr Hall. We love what we do, and love sharing it! We take our ingredients pretty seriously, so we source the best stuff from as close as possible, this means our menus change with the seasons.
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