You! – Yes, You! Are you one of those who want to serve something just more different than the conventional menus that both couples and guests are worn-out of? We understand! Who wouldn’t want to tease around with the most relishing appetizers just before the main course that’s awaiting them? Do you want to take a break from the traditional candy and cake stations or mac and cheese bars in a wedding and say cheers to an unconventional idea? Then here it is! Cheese stations for your cocktail hour!
For your love of cheese, we might as well help you to curate the perfect cheese bar with everything complementary on the palate to serve amusing bites that all your guests would love to indulge in for a quick snack. From picking out the best cheeses and making the most remarkable culinary pairings, we have a fully-fledged guide to help you put together a delightful treat on your wedding day! Here’s your exclusive guide!
The Essentials to Set Up a Cheese Bar at a Wedding
Say hi to a wedding twist as you form a palate of classic cheese for your food station with an assortment ranging from soft, hard and aged. So, how do you exactly set up a cheese station? The most basic step is to first understand cheese and organise an array! With the wide variety of cheeses the culinary background offers, it is important to select cheeses that may deem fit to your table. Cheeses can be classified in a variety of way such as moisture level, place of origin and the type of milk used.
Fresh and Soft Cheeses
Appearance: Pale
Flavour: Mild to tangy
Examples: Ricotta
Mozzarella
Burrata
Chevre
Feta
Brie
Camembert
Bucheron
Semi-Soft Cheeses
Appearance: Smooth and creamy interior
Flavour: Earthy and nutty
Examples: Fontina
Havarti
Colby
Monterey Jack
Semi-Hard and Medium-Aged Cheeses
Appearance: White/Yellow and sometimes contains air bubbles
Flavour: Strong with a distinct tang
Examples: Edam
Young Cheddar
Manchego
Gruyere
Jarlsberg
Hard-Aged Cheeses
Appearance: Pale to medium-yellow
Flavour: Strong, tangy and salty
Examples: Aged Cheddar
Cheshire
Aged Gruyere
Aged Gouda
Parmigiano Reggiano
Comte
Pecorino
Blue Cheeses
Appearance: White with light blue to blackish blue veins
Flavour: Strong and tangy
Examples: Roquefort
Gorgonzola
Cambozola
Bleu d’Auvergne
Stilton
Note: You may want to serve at least one familiar cheese that may be a safe option to conservative eaters.
You picked out your choices of cheese. Now what? Deciding on how much you are going to serve, of course! If you are planning on setting up a cheese station before dinner, you may want to stick to 3-4 ounces per guest. But, if the main feast is this, you may consider buying 1.5 pounds of cheese for 4 guests, 3 pounds for 8 guests and so on.
Timeless Pairings of Cheese and Wine
The most popular of foods are usually paired with an astringent food. And that’s how we love wine with our cheese. The chemical compounds such as tannins in wine are mildly acerbic which makes the mouth to pucker up slightly. Well, after all, we don’t really like to eat fatty food with a completely dry mouth, do we? Therefore, this is why astringent food opposes fatty food which helps to create a balanced mouthfeel resulting in a whole new blast of flavours. And not only that – just as cheeses vary in texture and flavour, wines vary in acidity and sweetness.
So, what are the best tips to put together a reveling combination? The most important thing you need to take into consideration for a heavenly combo is the age and intensity of both the cheese and wine.
Firstly, watch out for those tannins as mentioned earlier. Rich, aged cheese love tannic red wines, we are telling you again! Avoid young cheese with the red wines strong with tannin as the wine would feel too sharp. Nevertheless, if you would choose otherwise, serve young cheese with red wine that is low in tannin such as Beaujolais or Lambrusco.
Plus, the saltiest cheeses go well along with sweet wines as the saltiness adds to the sweet sensation of the wine. For this, you may want to opt for hard Grana Cheese, Blue Cheese, Aged Gouda Cheese or Feta Cheese. And what not? Do you know that fruit and nuts are best friends of cheese? Young cheeses love the blend of juicy and sharp-tasting fruits. Try pairing bitter nuts with Cheddar Cheese and Stilton Cheese with dried fruits.
We have yet another essential point you may think through to put together an amazing pairing – cheese and wines that originate from the same place! For example, French Goat Cheese with Loire Sancerre Wine that is rich in grass and mineral qualities and Red Burgundy Wine with Epoisses de Bourgogne Cheese that has a skin washed with a brandy made with Burgandian grape skins.
However, here’s a quick list of pre-made pairings we have in store for you if you are unable to wrap your mind around the best combination:
· Camembert Cheese and Champagne
· Port Wine and Blue Cheese
· Prosecco Wine and Parmesan Cheese
· Sauternes Wine and Fondue Cheese
· Cabernet Sauvignon Wine and Aged Gouda Cheese
· Chardonnay Wine and Gruyere Cheese
· Rioja Wine and Manchego Cheese
· Riesling White Wine and Ricotta Cheese
· Malbec Wine and Aged Cheddar
Other Accompaniments for Cheese
We don’t want your wedding feast to be boring with limited options from only cheese to wine. How about we add some sweet and salt that may make your ordinary cheese station into an extraordinary one? Serve dried apricots, pears or tart cherries for a blast of flavours. All the same, here’s a flawless combination based on specific cheeses:
Blue Cheese: Honeycomb, Le Conte pear, caramelised onion jam, blackberries or a sweet cracker made of oat.
Chevre: Sun-dried tomato tapenade and marinated olives, blackberry/raspberry and a water cracker or sourdough bread.
Cheddar: Cranberry and a water cracker or horseradish and beets. This can also be served with honeycrisp apple and salted pistachios.
Parmesan: Fig or pear with baguette, hard sausage and sweet mustard.
Triple Cream: Fig spread and Marcona almonds.
If you can have cheese on other days, then why not on your wedding too?
