Fall Fruit Tray Ideas You'll Love

An easy fall fruit tray idea featuring the perfect cheeses to pair with fall fruit! Plus, more fall fruit entertaining ideas featuring fruits and cheeses.

Whenever I'm composing a fall fruit tray with cheese, I first-and-foremost take into consideration the occasion at hand, followed by the time of year. In my experience, using seasonal ingredients makes for a more festive platter, and for the fall, I’ve found that apples and pears do nicely.

FALL FRUIT TRAY WITH FRESH FRUITS AND JAMS

USE FALL INSPIRED JAMS

Jams and dried fruits also make wonderful additions to cheese platters, providing both a vibrant in flavor and a contrast in texture. For this platter, in particular, I pulled in quince paste and dried cranberries. If you aren’t down with quince, have no fear — an apple or pumpkin butter, or even a nice spiced pear jam, would make for a lovely on a fall fruit tray. And, regardless of the season, I just can’t seem to resist a scatter of purple grapes, as they pair well with almost all cheeses, and add a great deal of body and height to the platter.

USE FRUIT THAT'S IN SEASON

So, we’ve considered the season, which lead us to our choices in fresh fruit, now let us consider what cheese will pair well with that fruit. Sliced apples and pears are perfect for fall fruit trays as they are in season and look great on a platter. Just be sure to soak them in lemon water and pat them dry before you add them to your platter. 

HOW TO KEEP FRUIT FROM DISCOLORING ON A FRUIT TRAY

To do this, simply fill a large bowl with cold water and squeeze the juice of a lemon inside. Add the sliced apples and/or pears, and let them soak for a few minutes.

CHEESE TO PAIR WITH A FALL FRUIT TRAY

A Gruyere, a nice sharp, aged Cheddar and Wensleydale with Cranberries would be absolute perfection alongside a fruit and cheese platter featuring apples and pears. If you can’t handle the idea of fruit in your cheese, nix the Wensleydale and head on over to a nice Gouda instead.

SERVE WITH CRACKERS

The last element to our platter is the crackers. Your crackers should allow the flavor of your selected cheeses to shine, not cover them up. This is not the time for heavily salted, crazy flavored crackers. Instead, choose an assortment of water and stone ground crackers, serve and enjoy.

MORE FALL FRUIT ENTERTAINING IDEAS:

Cinnamon, apples, brie. Yes, please. This is my kind of fall fruit and cheese platter! Baked Brie with cinnamon apples and walnuts is a surefire party hit. Serve it on a platter with cinnamon and sugar dusted toast points.

Or try this party cheese ball with white cheddar cheese, goat cheese, dried cranberries, almonds, and thyme is perfect for any fall gathering. Serve it on a platter with stoneground crackers, scattered cranberries and almonds.

This fall salad features apples, blue cheese, spinach, bacon, and pecans with a maple-dijon dressing hits the spot every time!

And lastly, you might want to check out this fall-inspired pear salad with honey walnuts, goat cheese, and a perfect apricot balsamic dressing.

 

Would pair well with:

Buttery White Wine, such as Chardonnay

Light Red Wine, such as Pinot Noir