Perhaps the idea of cutting into a perfectly ripe grand brie is more appealing to you than cutting into a beautifully decorated cake. Making a “cake” out of whole cheeses is a trendy alternative to the traditional tiered cake. Even though we love getting stuck into a soft slice of chocolate, red velvet or carrot cake, it’s no secret that often times the wedding cake does go to waste.
If you are not convinced of, by the mere taste, then perhaps consider the practical reasons. A cheese “wedding cake” can be cut as soon as you arrive at the reception and served with preserves, fresh fruits and delicious breads as an exciting alternative for canapes. You can keep the cheeses available the whole evening for guests to snack on. And I bet after coffee is served, a few guests will make a dent in all those lovely cheeses. Leftovers can easily be divided between guests or served at a family gathering the following day.
Creating your own cheese wedding cake with Fairview Vineyard Cheesery can easily be done. All the cheeses you need to create a stunning cheese “wedding cake” are freely available. You can even pick up the most delicious preserves from their deli on the farm. We can highly recommend the syrupy mandarin and cardamom preserve.
The Fairview Vineyard Cheesery produces a range of over twenty cow’s milk and goat’s milk artisanal cheeses that are sold in all major stores. Fairview offers a range of locally and internationally awarded artisanal cheeses including white mould, blue mould, feta and cream cheese styles. The cheesery sources the bulk of its cow’s milk from a leading Jersey milk dairy. The Saanen goat’s milk used for production is supplied by the resident herd of over a thousand goats. Fairview is proud of the fact that they recently became the first Carbon Neutral Cheesery on the African continent, certified by The Carbon Protocol of South Africa.
Images: Tasha Seccombe
To create this “cheese wedding cake” Fairview suggests using the following cheeses:
1. Grand Brie: A mild flavoured, soft white mould cheese with a creamy flavour.
2. White Rock with Cranberries: White veined blue cheese with added cranberries and natural fruit essences. A lovely combination of sweet fruits and tangy blue cheese. A great favourite in the tasting room at the farm!
3. Blue Rock: A full fat blue veined award winning Roquefort style cheese, with a rich flavour and firm yet creamy texture.
4. Vintner’s Brie: A traditional recipe, full flavoured, soft white mould cheese with a creamy ‘mushroom’ flavour. This Brie will ripen from the outside towards the center. This cheese is ideal for cheese boards and cooking.
5. Roydon: A Camembert made from a secret hand-crafted traditional recipe, is another award- winning cheese in the Fairview selection.
6. Paarl Granite: Basic cheese recipe is based on Reblonchon style cheese with added vegetable ash. The Reblochon style cheese is a Semi Hard cheese, the aroma of the cheese will be yeasty/moldy and slightly pungent. It has a moist, smooth and supple fatty palate?. The flavour opens in the mouth, leaving a slightly nutty aftertaste.
7. Traditional Camembert: A mild white rind cheese with a soft texture and creamy mushroom-flavour; our Camembert is made the traditional way which allows it to soften and develop in flavour as it matures.
8. Crottin: A rich and flavourful white mould cheese, made from a 100% goats milk.
To store & serve the cheese:
All Fairview’s cheeses need to be stored in the fridge. Regarding serving, all the white moulds like Bries, Camemberts, Roydon, Crottin should be taken out of the fridge at least an hour before serving. This allows the cheese to warm up a bit and become creamier and better tasting. The longer they stay out of the fridge, the more they soften up and mature. This results in more flavour and creamier mouthfeel. It’s up to the person’s personal preference. The traditionalists prefer white moulds to be runny and gooey. Almost running off the plate! The blue moulds and Paarl Granite can be removed from the fridge shortly before serving. As long as the cheese isn’t ice cold. If any cheese is too cold, you can’t taste anything, similar to wine.
To order cheeses for your wedding:
Telephone number: +27 21 863 2450
General enquiries: info@fairview.co.za
Win:
One bride and groom can win a Fairview Cheese Wedding Cake to the value of R 1 500
To Enter:
Tell us what your favourite Fairview cheese is, by leaving a comment at the bottom of the article.
The small print:
Price may not be exchanged for cash.
We regret that the competition is only for people living in South Africa.
Entries close 11 March 2013
Cheese to be collected from Fairview
This prize does not include any preserves etc (only cheese)
Service Providers
- Photographer: Tasha Seccombe Photography,
- Styling : Nicola Pretorius,
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