Elevated Fall Cheese Board
Sep 25, 2023
Cheese Boards Charcuterie Boards Fall Recipes Thanksgiving Board Ideas
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Time for #BoardsWithGourds! A few years ago, I came up with this hashtag to showcase an easy way to make your cheese boards fall-friendly. Simply add a mini pumpkin to create a festive charcuterie spread, et voila! You’ve got the perfect snack or appetizer for Friendsgiving, Thanksgiving, or any other autumn gathering.
As I like to say this time of year, just “Put a pumpkin on it.” With that in mind, you can basically turn any of my boards into a festive fall feast… but I of course have a ton of autumn-themed boards for you to try, like my Pumpkin Cheese Ball, Pumpkin Baked Brie, Fall Burrata Board, Cheesegiving Board, Caramel Apple Board, and Fall Dessert Board, to name a few. And remember, you can always search my board ideas by holiday. Happy fall!
Fall-ify Your Boards
Like I said, you can make any board a fall board if you really want to! Use these colors and items to really send the point home–don’t forget to add a pumpkin or two for gourd measure (sorry, I had to!).
Fall Colors
- Red
- Burnt Orange
- Mustard Yellow
- Brown
- Olive Green
- Beige
- Indigo
- Burgundy
- Dusty pink
Themed Treats
- Candy Corn
- Cadbury Harvest Mix Milk Chocolate Candies
- Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Biscotti
- Trader Joe’s Maple Leaf Cookies
- Trader Joe’s Petite Pumpkin Spice Cookies
- Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Joe-Joe’s
- Limited Edition Maple Cream Oreos
- Limited Edition Apple Cider Donut Oreos
- Maine Crisps Savory Fig and Thyme Crackers
- Good & Gather Cranberry Pumpkin Seed Crackers
- Favorite Day Pumpkin Spice Pretzels
- Stacy’s Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips
Fuyu vs Hachiya Persimmons
There are tons of different kinds of persimmons, but the two most common ones you’ll probably find at your local grocery store are Hachiya and Fuyu. The Fuyu is a little bit more forgiving and can be eaten when it’s hard, like an apple. Hachiya, on the other hand, is a little trickier–wait to eat it until it’s very ripe and has an almost jelly-like texture, otherwise it’s pretty much inedible because of the tannins that create an unpleasant chalky feeling in your mouth.
They’re easy to tell apart because Hachiya are larger, more oblong, and a deeper reddish-orange whereas Fuyu are smaller, stouter, and a light orange. I always recommend using Fuyu on boards because they hold up better and there’s no risk of that taste.
Fall Produce
I always encourage creativity and substitutions, so when you’re shopping for this board, bring this list with you for some seasonal inspiration. Get more info here!
Fruit
- Apples
- Cranberries
- Figs
- Grapes
- Pears
- Persimmons
- Pomegranates
- Raspberries
Vegetables
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Celery
- Eggplant
- Bell peppers
- Pumpkin
- Sweet potatoes
- Winter squash
Show Me Your Boards
I hope this post inspires you to create delicious fall cheese boards. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the beautiful spreads and snacks you create from my tips. If you make something inspired by this post, please tag me at @ainttooproudtomeg so I can see and share!
And, If you liked this recipe, please rate and review.
Fall Cheese Board
Ingredients
Cheese
- Mimolette sliced
- Autumn Chimay
- Triple Cream Brie
- Unexpected Cheddar sliced
- Stilton
- Blueberry Vanilla Chèvre sliced
Meat
- Salami folded
- Calabrese folded
- Salame Secchi sliced
Produce
- Persimmon sliced
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
- Pomegranate quartered
- Thomcord Grapes
- Dried Orange slices
- Mini Pumpkin for garnish
Accoutrements
- Raw honey
- Walnuts
- Chocolate Acorns
- Rosemary for garnish
- Cornichons
- Pistachios
- Castelvetrano Olives
- Hazelnuts
- Marcona Almonds
Carbs
- Cranberry and Hazelnut Crackers
- French Bread sliced
Instructions
- Like always, I like to start with my small bowls to anchor the board, so place the bowls of honey, olives, and cornichons evenly spaced in the center of the board, then add the larger pumpkin(s) to help set up your design.
- Next, fan the sliced cheeses and crackers out around the bowls.
- Use the berries and pomegranates to fill in any holes, being sure to break up similar colors, then tuck in the salami, calabrese, and salame secchi. Add the grapes, walnuts, persimmons, dried oranges, and chocolate acorns to the empty spots around the edge of the board.
- Finish off with rosemary and any other festive decorations.
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Beautiful board! Are the chocolate acorns (and pumpkins) made or ordered? If made, how? If ordered, from where? Thank you, this will be beautiful on the Thanksgiving table!
Good Question. The chocolate acorns are store-bought. I made this board a few years back and I believe I got them at Trader Joe’s or World Market. Otherwise, you can likely find online on Amazon or simply add regular chocolate.
I “Fall” for this gorgeous fall themed charcuterie board every year. Not only is it visually stunning, Meg provides a list of all the easy to find ingredients to recreate this beauty. Pair these tips with Meg’s mapped out cheeseboard that you can buy at Amazon or World Market and you got yourself a winning presentation to host the best parties!
Where do you get those tiny little pumpkins? Also, are most of the ingredients from Trader Joe’s? Thank you!