Prepare for festive fall gatherings with this Fall Charcuterie Board. Combine sweet and savory ingredients to make the perfect Trader Joe’s cheese board.
Hands-off
Easy cleanup
You’ll Learn: How to mix and match ingredients to build a stunning board
Worth It: No cooking means you get to spend more time with your guests
Bonus: Easy to scale up or down
create a perfectly balanced trader joe’s cheese board
There are many different squashes that come in season once fall hits, and this roasted kabocha squash is one of my favorites. Kabocha squash is also known as a Japanese pumpkin, and has a flavor profile similar to sweet potatoes and pumpkins. It can be roasted, steamed, cooked into soup, or pureed!
Roasting it with some cinnamon and maple syrup really brings out those delicious fall flavors we all know and love. Hopefully this recipe will encourage you to try a new type of squash if you have never had this kind before!
what are the best trader Joe’s cheeses
Trader Joe’s cheese section is a gold mine. They have all different types of cheeses. Some of them are privately labeled with the Trader Joe’s logo and some come directly labeled with popular brand names.
These are some of the BEST Trader Joe’s Cheeses:
- Unexpected Cheddar – Trader Joe’s Twist on a classic cheddar cheese. It’s more tangy than a standard sharp cheddar. It is perfect for cheese boards, salads and sandwiches
- Saint Andre – This is a superior triple cream brie imported from France. Enjoy on a cheese board of spread directly onto a baguette and enjoy with wine.
- Creamy Toscano Cheese – Throughout the year there are different varieties of this rich and creamy cheese available. The Syrah soaked Toscano cheese is my favorite
- Old Amsterdam Aged Gouda – Aged gouda is the perfect addition to any cheese board. It is super smooth with rich crystals of flavor inside. It is also perfect for a grilled cheese.
- Halloumi Cheese or Garlic Bread Cheese – Both of these are frying cheeses. Cut them into slices and fry until the outside is crisp and the inside is soft. I like to have these for breakfast or on top of a salad.
- Seasonal Goat Cheeses – Throughout the year Trader Joe’s adorns their traditional chevre with different fruits. During the fall they sell a cranberry chevre and during the summer they sell a blueberry chevre
- Dorothy’s Comeback Cow – This one isn’t always available, but when it is.. GRAB IT! It comes directly from Dorothy’s creamery in Illinois and it is a delicious and soft brie with a thick rind.
- Italian Truffle Cheese – If you love truffle, you NEED this cheese. I love to serve this around the holidays with champagne to make it an extra fancy affair.
Some of my favorite surfaces for cheese boards
There are so many fall charcuterie board ideas. It all starts by picking the correct surface for serving. These are some of my favorite surface options for cheese boards.
Ingredients
The key to making the perfect fall charcuterie board is to balance the ingredients. Make sure to take your guests into account. You will want a mix of sweet, savory and spicy as well as a variety of textures.
- Choose 3 cheeses – Pick cheese with different flavors and different textures. I usually pick one soft cheese like a brie, blue cheese, or goat cheese, one medium soft cheese like this kaas, and one aged cheese.
- Pick 1 meat – I almost always choose a cured meat like salami or pepperoni for this. You can pick a mild or spicy salami. I usually only use a spicy salami if I haven’t chosen a spicy cheese. If you are making these for a larger crowd, add a second meat like ham prosciutto.
- Pick 3 condiments – My favorite condiments for a cheese board are mustard, jelly and pickles. If I don’t have anything spicy on the tray yet then I choose a spicy mustard for dip. I pick my jam or preserves based on the season so for fall and winter I usually pick fig spread. You could also use olives instead of pickles. If you have a soft cheese, honey could also be a good addition to the board.
- Add a fruit or veggie – I almost always use apples for this time of year, but in the very warm summer months it is sometimes nice to use a freshly sliced cucumber. Some other options are blackberries, apricots, pears or red grapes.
- Select a versatile cracker – For me this is usually a thin cracker that works with many types of cheeses. If I don’t know what to pick, plain or peppered water crackers always work well.
- Pick 2 garnishes – sweet and spicy garnishes make the cheese board fun for a crowd. I look for a candied or spiced pecans or walnuts and some kind of small treats like the yogurt covered pretzels, chocolate, caramels, or pumpkin spice cookies on this board.
How to make
Step 1: Slice apples and prep
To begin, slice the apple into thin slices. Brush the surface with lemon juice to prevent browning.
Step 3: Clean tray and slice cheeses
Clean the plate or tray that you will arrange the cheese board on. Slice the salami into rounds and cut the spicy cheese and hard cheese into slices.
Step 4: Place condiments in small bowls
Next, place the mustard, fig butter and cornichons into small bowls and arrange them on the cheese board.
Step 5: arrange cheese, meat, apples and crackers on the board
Create a salami river by winding the pieces of salami through the bowls on the cheese board.
Arrange the cheese around the board and place the soft brie cheese wedge on the board whole.
Then, lay apple slices in an overlapping layer near the soft cheese and place the crackers in any empty space on the board.
Step 6: Garnish with candied nuts and mini yogurt pretzels
Finally, fill any empty spots with the candied nuts and the mini yogurt covered pretzels. Place toothpicks, small knives and small spoons on the tray for serving.
If you would like to add more decor to your board, add in some mini pumpkins, rosemary, or even sprinkle some candy corn on the board.
Make Ahead
You can make this fall snack board ahead of time. Just follow all of the steps for assembly, but do not place the crackers, nuts or pretzels on the board.
Cover the cheese platter tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. Remove it about an hour before serving and place the crackers, nuts and pretzels on the board for the best appetizer! Add any utensils that you need to the board, and enjoy!
Check out these other charcuterie recipes
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Fall Charcuterie Board
Ingredients
- Chianti Artisan Salami or any roll of hard salami
- Saint Andre or any triple cream brie cheese
- Creamy toscano cheese with cinnamon or any hard aged cheese
- Dutch spicy kaas or any soft spicy cheese
- One apple – I like honeycrisp but granny smith is great too
- Fig butter or other fruit spread
- Cornichons or other small dill pickle
- Whole grain dijon mustard
- Pumpkin cranberry crisps or any other thin cracker
- Maple almonds or other candied nut
- Pumpkin spiced yogurt pretzels or other bite sized candy
- Lemon juice for the apple
Instructions
- Slice the apple into thin slices and brush the surface with lemon juice to prevent browning.
- Clean the plate or tray that you will arrange the cheese board on. Slice the salami into rounds and cut the spicy cheese and hard cheese into slices.
- Place the mustard, fig butter and cornichons into small bowls and arrange them on the cheese board.
- Create a salami river by winding the pieces of salami through the bowls on the cheese board.
- Arrange the cheese around the board and place the soft brie cheese wedge on the board whole.
- Lay apple slices in an overlapping layer near the soft cheese and place the crackers in any empty space on the board. Fill any empty spots with the candied nuts and the mini yogurt covered pretzels.
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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