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Easy Fall Cheese Board

Easy Fall Cheese Board

The following recipe and photography was provided by recipe developer and food photographer, Ashley Durand of Plate & Pen.

There’s never a bad time for a cheese board, but something about the fall season gives me extra inspiration to create the most beautiful grazing boards. Maybe it’s because the colors of the cheeses and crackers at Heinen’s mimic the warm autumn hues so naturally, or maybe it’s because mouthwatering specialty cheeses pair so well with a cozy glass of red wine on a cool fall evening.

I won’t question the reason; rather, I’ll share exactly how I channeled the season’s best flavors and colors into this easy and impressive Fall Cheese Board. Let’s dig into the details!

Easy Fall Cheese Board

The focal point of this board is the pumpkin-shaped cheeseball. Its so easy to make – all you need is saran wrap, butchers twine and Heinen’s Wisconsin Sharp Cheddar Spreadable Cheese Ball with Almonds & Pecans from the Specialty Cheese Department. Here’s how it’s done.

  1. Remove the cheese ball from its packaging and wrap it in the saran wrap.
  2. Take a considerable length of the twine and wrap it around the cheese like you are tying a ribbon on a present. Fold both ends of the twine over the bottom of the cheese ball, make a loop and pull upwards back to the top. Fold it again to where it looks like ridges on a pumpkin. It’s important to pull very tight on each flip once you tie off the knot at the top, then press the twine in to the cheese even more to ensure deep ridges form.
  3. Once the twine is secured, place the cheese ball in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Once set, cut the twine carefully.
  4. Use the backside of a butter knife to bluntly press in where the twine was to make sure the ridges stay.
  5. Cut a short piece of cucumber, with the skin on, and push it into the top of the cheese ball to act as a pumpkin stem.

Once the “pumpkin cheese ball” is ready, it’s time to build the board. Grazing boards like this are meant to be an expression of creativity, so I encourage you to arrange the ingredients any way you like, but if you’re looking for inspiration, here are my pro pointers:

  • It’s best to space the dips that are in bowls and spreadable cheeses first, then add their dipper partners to fill the gaps. I started by placing the fig spread, caramel sauce, apricot ginger goat cheese, feta-stuffed olives and “pumpkin cheese ball” on the board.
  • Place the fruit slices near the caramel sauce and the crackers and nuts around the edges of the board.
  • To one corner of the board, add fresh veggies.
  • Finish by adding the harder cheeses to the middle near the “pumpkin cheese ball.”
Easy Fall Cheese Board

Whether you’re attending a fall gathering, like a dinner party or Thanksgiving, catching up on your favorite reality show with friends or simply looking for an elegant way to celebrate the end of the week, this Fall Cheese Board will satisfy the eye and taste buds!

Easy Fall Cheese Board
Easy Fall Cheese Board
Prep time:
30min
Total time:
30min

Servings:
8-10

Ingredients

Crackers, Nuts and Spreads

  • Heinen's rosemary & thyme fruit crisps
  • Heinen's cranberry orange hazelnut fruit crisps
  • Heinen's sesame water crackers
  • Heinen's fig spread
  • Heinen's candied pecans
  • Heinen's rosemary Marcona almonds
  • Walnuts
  • Pepitas

Fruit and Caramel

  • Caramel dipping sauce
  • Apples, sliced
  • Strawberries, sliced
  • Kiwi, sliced
  • Pineapple, cubed
  • Grapes

Vegetables and Olives

  • Baby carrots
  • Cucumbers, sliced
  • Heinen's feta-stuffed olives

Specialty Cheeses

  • Heinen's French brie, cubed
  • Heinen's extra sharp cheddar cheese, cubed
  • Heinen's extra sharp white cheddar cheese, cubed
  • Heinen's Wisconsin spreadable sharp cheddar cheese ball with almonds and pecans
  • Cranberry chipotle cheddar cheese
  • Apricot ginger goat cheese
  • Melkbus truffle cheese

Instructions

To Form the “Pumpkin Cheese Ball”

  1. Remove the cheese ball from its packaging and wrap it in the saran wrap.
  2. Take a considerable length of the twine and wrap it around the cheese like you are tying a ribbon on a present. Fold both ends of the twine over the bottom of the cheese ball, make a loop and pull upwards back to the top. Fold it again to where it looks like ridges on a pumpkin. It’s important to pull very tight on each flip once you tie off the knot at the top, then press the twine in to the cheese even more to ensure deep ridges form.
  3. Once the twine is secured, place the cheese ball in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Once set, cut the twine carefully.
  4. Use the backside of a butter knife to bluntly press in where the twine was to make sure the ridges stay. Cut a short piece of cucumber, with the skin on, and push it into the top of the cheese ball to act as a pumpkin stem

To Assemble the Board

  1. Space the dips that are in bowls and spreadable cheeses first, then add their dipper partners to fill the gaps. Start by placing the fig spread, caramel sauce, apricot ginger goat cheese, feta-stuffed olives and “pumpkin cheese ball” on the board.
  2. Place the fruit slices near the caramel sauce.
  3. Place the crackers and nuts around the edges of the board.
  4. To one corner of the board, add fresh veggies.
  5. Finish by adding the harder cheeses to the middle near the “pumpkin cheese ball.”

Note: The above assembly instructions are simply suggestions. Feel free to arrange the board any way you like. 

Easy Fall Cheese Board

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