Cheese - New “Wheys” to Take Your Event to the Next Level

By Linwood Campbell, CPCE, National Association for Catering and Events/Horseshoe Casino, Cincinnati

Whether it’s from wedding couples, corporate event planners, or someone organizing a social event, caterers and event planners hear the same refrain over and over again—“How can our event and menu be unique and different?”

With only so many food options to go around, it’s always helpful to take a look at something that’s familiar and common, but prepared, dressed up, or paired with other food items to create something that’s new. It doesn’t have to be an exotic recipe or an ingredient from some other land to pique people’s interest. Instead, it can be an item that is familiar, but used in a new way. The challenge is to prepare your clients to be open minded.

“Say cheese!” for individuality

Cheese is one of those foods people have seen over and over again, and are perhaps bored with, or even find humorous. Yet, did you know it’s also a perfect way to illustrate how to use something old (aged, perhaps) and create something new and fun? It even allows opportunities for branding and individuality for meal customization, an important trend today. What are some examples?

Cathare is a goat's cheese covered in charcoal powder and traditionally marked with a medieval cross. Inside, it is white, soft, and creamy. Wedding planners can do a twist with this and offer a cheese course, replacing the cross with a monogram of the bride and groom on the top. This makes for a smashing accent to the cheese course for dinner and a great upsell opportunity for the caterer.

Another idea of something that is unique and different and growing in popularity, particularly for smaller events, such as corporate board dinners, rehearsal dinners, and smaller weddings is a very upscale cheese cart in which the guests can create their own cheese course tableside and select the options that are appealing to their individual palates. Another unique presentation is to serve a pasta dish for a family-style event in a medium-size cheese wheel that has been cored out. This makes for a very creative conversation piece during the dinner.

Sara Hill, manager of Cheese Education and Training for the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, says cheese displays can be customized from simple to elegant to artisan depending on the wedding budget and preferences of the customer. Also, sweet or savory condiments or dried fruits and nuts can be added to garnish the cheese and complement the flavors. Greens and wedding flowers can be incorporated into the display to carry on the wedding theme.

A Different Type of Cheese Cake

An emerging and amazingly creative trend, says Hill, is the cheese wheel wedding cake! As couples seek to create something new and interesting, they are skipping the traditional cake and opting for a tiered cheese wheel. These can be decorated with flowers and other garnishments to make it appear traditional.

Fun pairings

If that’s a step too far, there are always new ways to create unique pairings. One way is by sending the group on a scavenger hunt. At each stop, there is a creative wine or beer and cheese pairing. Consider pairing cheeses and beers that share common flavor notes. “Sweet caramelly flavors of well-aged cheddar play off the dark fruit maltiness of English-style brown ale. Tangy, slightly funky aged Swiss matches well to yeasty wheat beers and Bocks and aged Gouda’s butterscotchy caramel flavor pairs well with the rich, deep caramel flavors of Stout,” suggests the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board in its publication, Simply Sensational. On the other hand, “sweet, fruity beers such as Belgian Lambic pair well with cheeses on both sides of the age spectrum, from fresh Mozzarella and soft ripened Brie, to robust bleu andaged Parmesan.”

With wines, whites are generally less acidic with more fruit notes. This means pairing options are wide and varied. Consider younger, fresh, and mild cheeses like Fontina, Gouda, or Havarti. Red wines are more acidic and drier. Their fuller flavors mean pairings are more difficult. Full-flavor cheeses are the way to go. Think gorgonzola, Swiss, or cheddars.

Picks and bites®

Hill says that small hors d’oeuvres are the best way to entertain and provide great food for guests. The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board calls these Picks and Bites® and suggests using them to create fun, shareable small plates or light meals. Mix and match to offer contrasting colors, flavors, and styles, or follow a theme.

Hill suggests an Italian-style plate that would include an antipasti pick with artichoke, caper berry, salami chunk, red pepper, parsley sharp provolone, and olive oil; a Roman bite with bread coin, oil-cured tomato, romano cheese chunk, cracked black pepper, and olive oil; and a Belgian bite with Belgian endive, ricotta cheese, olive tapenade, and parsley garnish. 

“The combinations are endless!” says Hill. Try a slice of Brie inserted into a strawberry—while the combination may not be new, the presentation is everything. For updated appeal, try a slice of watermelon with a feta cheese garnish. Or try a green salad pick, with cucumber chunk, grape tomato, feta cheese cube, pitted Kalamata, olive oil drizzle, and oregano garnish. For presentation’s sake, load them all up on a fresh eggplant for a beautiful display.

Non-dairy options?

The move toward offering options in consideration of allergies and dietary restrictions, doesn’t mean having to say no to cheese. Vegan cheeses are available and are made primarily from nuts: usually cashews or almonds. Others are made from dairy-free milks or even tofu. There are six basic types of vegan cheese:

• Cheese sauces

• Firm cheeses that contain agar or vege-gel

• Spreadable nut cheeses

• Tofu ricotta

• Cheeses using a nutmilk or cheese bag and sometimes a probiotic bacteria to culture

• Cheese toppings, usually nutritional yeast-based Parmesan substitutes

Consider using some of these cheeses for guests with allergy issues or a vegetarian diet.

Cheese…for dessert?

Let’s not forget that cheese is versatile. It pairs nicely with fresh fruit, which offers endless possibilities. Simply Sensational suggests that a provocative bleu cheese combines nicely with dried apricots and toasted pecans, a combination that can be imitated with other combinations of dried fruit and nuts. Aged Gouda and toasted nut brittle have similar qualities, with butterscotch, nutty, salted caramel, and butter notes, that combine for a palate pleaser. And, of course, the ultimate dessert pairing—cheese and chocolate! “Savory cheese and sweet chocolate make a unique and irresistible dessert pairing. When bringing the two together, keep in mind that the sweetness of chocolate can overwhelm the palate. As such, it’s best to enjoy the savory flavors of most cheeses first, then follow with chocolate,” says Simply Sensational. Dessert ideas include:

• Aged Wisconsin Gouda and dark chocolate English toffee

• Wisconsin mascarpone and novella with chocolate brownies

• Wisconsin Gruyere with milk chocolate and rosemary cashews

• Wisconsin bleu with dark chocolate truffles and port wine

• Wisconsin-aged mixed-milk cheese with dark chocolate and sea-salted caramels

Cheese—who knew?

As you can see, cheese is one of those menu items that offers great versatility. There are a variety of flavors, combinations, pairings, and fun presentation styles that can make any event memorable, so maybe it’s time to start looking at cheese in a new way.