Pumpkin Cheese Tray

Celebrate the great pumpkin with this orange & black themed cheese tray

A grazing board expands the menu at the party without requiring a ton of meticulous preparation. Use cookie cutters and a strong color palette to adapt it for a variety of party themes. The version here was created for our Pumpkinfest party so it includes an orange and black theme, a pumpkin shape, and a pumpkin butter to tie it together.

Start by prepping any materials required for assembly. Punch shapes out of bread to decorate the tray-here, I used a bat cookie cutter and pumpernickel. Wash any fruits that will go on the board. Unwrap the cheese so it can come to room temperature for serving.

Make a wheel of brie thematic by using a cookie cutter to press a shape in the cheese. Scrape out some of the cheese to make a well. Those little scraped out bits are yummy nibbles for hungry ghouls helping with party prep.

Fill the shape in the brie with a fruit spread. To match the pumpkin theme, I chose apricot preserves for the orange hue. Orange marmalade, peach preserves, or pumpkin butter would also be great selections. Stir the spread to loosen it up before spooning into the shape so it is more spreadable.

Start assembly. First, arrange the blocks of cheese on the platter. Choose orange-themed cheeses to replicate this pumpkin themed tray. Pictured here are Cotswold with chives, cheddar, brie with a pumpkin shaped cutout, and toma cheese coated in togarashi.

Add small bowls for spreads and any components that are especially liquidous to keep them from seeping into other elements of the tray. Pictured here are pumpkin butter, pickled carrots, and oil cured olives. If serving olives with pits, add a bowl to the side for pits.

Add fruits to fill in negative space on the board. Bunches of black grapes and blackberries add a fresh flavor to the tray and envelop the orange cheese with their deep hues.

Keep filling negative space on the board with dried fruits like apricots and black mission figs. They can act like dams to keep any moist items on the board from getting crispy things soggy.

Add crackers or breads to the board in the remaining space. Here, I used a dark colored buckwheat cracker but a black sesame snap would also be a good choice. Avoid putting crackers against moist items like berries to keep them from getting mushy.

Add embellishments like the bread cutouts as the finishing touches. Use toothpicks with mini signs on top to label the various cheese.

Finish the board by adding serving utensils like cheese knives or serving spoons for the spreads.