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| Cheese Larder |
| Tasty tips from a cheese-loving guru. |
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The "Cheese Larder", located in Melbourne's Richmond Hill Café, provides cheese lovers with the finest produce and one of the greatest ranges available.
"Discovering the depth of flavours available in a well-made raw-milk cheese is rather like discovering colour television after years of black-and-white broadcasts" says master cheese connoisseur Will Studd, author of the book "Chalk and Cheese" and co-owner of The Cheese Larder.
Will Studd has been at the forefront of the Australian specialist cheese industry since the early 1980s. His interest in cheese began a decade earlier in London, where he established a chain of delicatessens called Relish. In 1981, Will migrated to Australia, where he has done much to broaden the horizons of this new local industry in his role as a distributor and media commentator.
Will is Australia's sole member of France's Guild des Fromagers. He was also the inaugural chairman of the Australian Specialist Cheesemakers' Association and is a partner (with Stephanie Alexander) in Richmond Hill Café and Cheese Larder and the Calendar Cheese Company.
The Cheese Larder sells a select range of produce as well as the very finest range of cheeses stored and matured in optimum temperature and humidity-controlled conditions. There is a series of maturation rooms full of large wheels of cheese slowly and pungently, aging.
According to Will, we should store our cheese at 9-12°C, wrapped in cloth in a damp place, such as a cellar or cool cupboard with a good airflow. This is impossible for most of us and in our climate the refrigerator is the usual place for storing cheese. (Will recommends using the vegetable crisper section of your fridge.)
Unwrapped cheeses will dry out very rapidly, particularly the softer, high-moisture types. It is better to wrap cheese in calico cloth; greaseproof paper is next best. Failing that, foil or plastic wrap will do (however, avoid wrapping blue cheese in foil). Natural cheese that is wrapped for too long in an impervious film can develop harmless surface moulds and "off" flavours that may dissipate if the cheese is unwrapped and exposed to the air for an hour or so. Therefore, make sure you unwrap your cheese well before dinner, cut away any surface mould and allow the cheese to come to room temperature before eating.
Different cheeses keep for different lengths of time, with the hard types (for example, parmesan) lasting the longest. Cottage, ricotta and cream cheeses have a short storage life. Check that they still smell sweet and appetising, not sour. Their maximum life is 5 days unless the cheese has been vacuum-packed, although sometimes it is much less.
Preparation and Serving
When preparing a cheese platter, if you have one perfectly ripe cheese do not bother with a wider selection. It is better to consume one perfect cheese at a meal than to end up with a collection of tiny pieces that will all dry up in the refrigerator over the next few days. If you are determined to offer a selection, do not have more than 3 cheeses. Remember to unwrap the cheese well before you plan to eat it, and allow it to come to room temperature.
There is no reason to serve sliced kiwi-fruit or unripe hard strawberries with any cheese in the world! Crusty bread is the best all-rounder with cheese, and apart from serving oatmeal or wheatmeal biscuits with a mature cheddar, bread is always preferable to biscuits. A sourdough loaf with a dense crumb and chewy crust is most suitable (it's also nice grilled or toasted). Olive bread works very well with goat's cheese, and a walnut loaf works with blue cheeses. Breads with sultanas in them are excellent with some washed-rind, 'aromatic' cheeses.
It is certainly not the case that one can only serve a dry, full-bodied red wine with cheese. One skilled winemaker suggests as a general rule that the lighter the cheese, the lighter the wine. Try a late-picked white wine or a dessert wine with a creamy blue cheese. Sauvignon blanc can partner goat's cheese well, as can a light pinot noir.
When cooking with cheese, too high a temperature will force moisture out of the protein tissue, making the cheese stringy. Always add cheese to sauces at the last minute and cook just long enough to melt the cheese.
Chalk and Cheese by Will Stud
Chalk and Cheese, written by Will Studd, is an invaluable guide to the huge range of cheeses available today. Will explores the unique regional traditions that have produced so many different types of cheese - from fragile, fresh goat's cheeses to aged wheels of traditional cheddar - and explains how to make the most of this nutritious, natural food in all its forms.
This easy-to-use publication includes tasting notes on more than 120 individual cheeses, invaluable tips on how to choose, store and serve cheese, and recipes from some of Australia's leading chefs. It explains how cheeses vary from season to season, and what to look for if you want to buy each type of cheese at its very best.
The Richmond Hill Café and Larder Cheese Club (over 500 members) has a yearly $30 membership fee which includes access throughout the year to six specially prepared cheese packages with extras like chutneys and quince pastes. The packages cost $60 on average, including delivery, and include a range of local and imported cheeses. There is also a busy events program with tastings and seminars, and the opportunity to meet local cheesemakers.
Once the annual fee is paid, members have the opportunity to order specialty, peak-season cheeses at less than retail prices. The club delivers (in a specially designed cool-box) to your door anywhere in Australia and includes information about the cheeses you have chosen, explaining how to use and store them.
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More Info
Richmond Hill Café & Larder,
48-50 Bridge Road,
Richmond Vic 3121.
Ph: (03) 9421 2808 Fax: (03) 9421 2818.
Phone for café, shop and cheese room hours.
Will Studd's book "Chalk & Cheese" is available from specialty food shops, major book shops and department stores.
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Disclaimer
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