Fall is the beginning of a long, wonderful season of entertaining family and friends. Whether you’re getting together for football, fall parties, holidays or birthdays, it seems there’s always a reason to have people over in the coming days.
When entertaining guests, there’s always the question of what to serve. A gorgeous fall cheese plate is always the answer. Is there any food more universally loved? Especially when paired with in-season fall fruits, slices of meat, and crunchy nuts.
We’ve compiled some of our best tips to creating a cheese platter that has something for everybody.
The Fruits
Buying in-season fruit guarantees freshness and value for price. Fall fruits have a very distinct taste, and are generally much sweeter than summer fruits like berries and watermelon.
For this platter, figs, pears, apples and grapes make wonderful accompaniments to the various flavor profiles – each providing a balance of sweetness and a unique flavor.
The Cheeses
Mozzarella – Fresh Ciliegine bocconcini (small balls of mozzarella) are easy to eat and provide balance to many of the salty bites on the plate. It pairs especially well with pears and apples.
Grana Padano – An Italian staple, Grana is very similar in taste to Parmesean. This cheese gives a savory bite to be enjoyed by itself or with anything else on the platter, especially with figs or
Gorgonzola – An Italian bleu cheese, this cheese pairs very well with walnuts and other nuts, or with sweeter fall fruits like grapes.
The Meats
Sliced deli meat round out a cheese plate. To go for a traditional Italian feel, consider using sliced turkey breast, Genoa salami, Prosciutto, or
Other Accompaniments
While any nuts are fine for a cheese plate, toasted almonds, chestnuts or walnuts add depth of flavor and a fall feeling to the spread. Toast with a little butter and cinnamon sugar, or directly in a pan.
