Perfect Fall Cheese + Chocolate Board

Last weekend was Halloween so I just wanted to say a belated Happy Halloween to everyone! It’s been a while since my last post, and even finishing this was an uphill battle after what felt like years of respite (it’s only been a month since I’ve last posted on here lol). But to update everyone, I’m doing ok (though better than the beginning of fall). I have to be honest. Shifting into the colder season has brought down my mood some days. This tends to happen to me and a lot of people during this time. That being said, food and faith have become my comfort these days and I truly enjoyed setting up this fall-themed cheese board. So, I wanted to share with you for a bit of inspiration, and hopefully a little joy!

I traditionally love to dress up and go bar and club hopping with friends on Halloween, but for obvious reasons, I wanted to stay safe this year so I hosted an online Halloween game night! 10 of us played Among Us over Zoom as a drinking game and it was hella fun! Here’s some videos from last Friday’s game night:

And my favorite, the Rad Lady Bug, Radhika Kashyap:

To accompany my favorite drinks (red wine, of course) and an autumn spirit, I arranged one of my favorite things—a cheese and chocolate board!

I know it looks super extra but trust me, this was super fun and easy to assemble.

Here’s the list of my favorite cheeses, chocolates, breads, fruits and wine I’ve used:

CHEESE:

Firstly, cheese. This is crucial! Get yourself an unpleasant fromage and it truly ruins the experience. I‘ve had some bad luck with buying the cheapest Brie in the past so I’ve finally learned my lesson! Luckily, this time I got some of the best grocery Brie I’ve had. Here’s the exact one I used. The brand is Fromager D’affions. Perfect for your first time trying or buying Brie. I was surprised to find this at my local Key Food so if there’s one by you, I’d highly recommend buying in person since it will be cheaper:

https://dibruno.com/fromager-daffinois/

TIP: DO NOT GET EIFFEL TOWER BRIE. That was the first Brie I ever bought and it was absolutely the worst I’ve ever had. I guess I should have deduced from the stereotypical and touristy name that it wasn’t quite authentic. It’s literally named after the eiffel tower.

Garlic and herbs Goat Cheese - I’ve only really used the one from Mt. Chèvre and my mom and I truly enjoyed it! It’s not too intense and just perfect!

Aged Cheddar - I like to pair this with my favorite still red wine, (any Cabernet Sauvignon aka cab). Cabs tend to be strong and oftentimes light cheeses can get buried and forgotten after a sip. Aged cheddar is like that solid cheese partner that can keep up. They’re like the power couple of wine and cheese.

WINE

Rosa Regale (Red Sparkling Wine)

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again—Rosa Regale! Though a cab is the safe wine I get if I’m at a bar or want a secure good time. But Rosa. Honey. She’s class, and she‘s got that bubbly and sweet personality and taste! She’s the sparkling red star of this whole board. She definitely showed me a great socially distant time on Halloween and you definitely need to invest in a bottle of her soon!

Cabernet Sauvignon

This one I got specifically as a souvenir from my trip to Lake George. It’s a cab so it never disappoints! I am yet to find any brand of Cabernet Sauvignon less than satisfactory. She gets the job done.

BREADS

Though I usually settle with classic Carr’s crackers, I wanted to emulate a bold move my best friend Jacqulyn pulled once for a party—bagel crisps (or bagel chips). I have no allegiance to a particular brand. All I know is, these guys are amazing with cheese and spreads! If you love flavored bagels like Everything or Cinnamon, then you’ll definitely enjoy swapping your basic crackers with bagel chips. If you’re anything like me (the type of person who showers the Everything but the Bagel seasoning on literally everything), then you need to have these in your pantry. They also have a plain flavor for those of you who love to keep things simple. Respect!

Garlic Bread Toast

I noticed these near the bagel chips at my local grocery and had to try. They’re basically cracker-sized versions of garlic bread! For 99 cents, they‘re definitely worth the try. I will say that some pieces were a bit too strongly seasoned even for me. I think this would be a more brilliant experiment to make at home Instead of buying. Although it would definitely be more pricey.

CHOCOLATE

If you know me at all, you know that I am a chocoholic. I always have been and always will be. I appreciate chocolate in all it’s glorious forms—dark, milk, white, chocolate with orange, chocolate covered bacon. I truly have no limits in what I’ll try and how I enjoy my beloved treat. When it comes to a cheese and chocolate board to share with family and/or friends, I like to know that everyone will have a good time, whether their palettes are ready for mixing savory and sweet flavors or not. I feel a deep sense of excitement whenever I see “potato chip chocolate cookie” on a menu but I’m very aware that a lot of my American friends for some reason (I’m sorry I’m not sorry to say this), are not as adventurous when it comes to food. So, while I’m going to try not to judge you for squirming at the idea of a “cheese and chocolate board,” just know that behind the scenes I am praying for the day my most basic American friends can finally understand that sweet and savory work! Every cake has some salt in it, like every good cookie or dessert. People love cheesecake! I’m just saying if you wanna keep waking up in 2020, dip your fries in a chocolate milkshake and thank me later. You’ve been asleep this whole time and it’s time to get woke!

Wow, that went on a tangent!

Anyway, these are my favorite chocolate brands, flavors and variations perfect for your next party or binging home alone watching reality TV to distract yourself from the election anxiety (it’s going to be ok, I think?).

I always make sure to get dark and milk, but if I wanted to GO OFF here’s my comprehensive list and yes, in this order:

1.) Godiva

-the dark and milk bar, the chocolate biscuits, their chocolate covered strawberries

2.) Lindt

-dark chocolate with orange (trust me), both dark and milk bars, the white chocolate bar, all their truffles

3.) Cadbury

- FLAKE variation. Thank me later.

4.) Ghirardelli

- I enjoy the assorted packages that are bitesized though I will say I’ve felt this brand to be a bit overrated. I can’t deny that for some reason I love using this for baking but I don’t really reach for it in stores.

5.) Milka

-for when you’re feeling adventurous and want to spice things up, but can’t help that your favorite type of chocolate is still the basic milk chocolate from Hershey’s. No shame in that! You can still impress your friends with something classic with a hint of eccentric. I love the ones that are half milk chocolate and half cookies and cream. It’s made for the little kid inside all of us who couldn’t decide which one to ask our parents to buy.

FRUITS

Say what you will, but no cheese board is complete without fruits. Even if you’re the type of person who does not enjoy sweet and savory together, everyone at the party deserves the option of being able to put cheese and a grape stacked together on a cracker. Grapes especially are a great palette cleanser for all the salty cheese and dry crackers. Not to mention that they pair great with wine.

I just found out about Cotton Candy grapes and have not looked back since. If you have a sweet tooth like me, these will really make you happy. But if you want to lean into a more refreshing option, then any variety of green grapes should do.

I also spread out some very Pinterest-y pomegranate seeds next to the chocolates. I’m not going to lie, while they looked super inviting in person, they did not taste as pleasant. Maybe the ones I got packaged at the farmer’s market were just sour, so I might try this again by cutting out a fresh pomegranate myself.

The rest of the fruits I used for the board were picked at random from my local farmer’s market. They were handpicked apples, peaches, and pumpkins from upstate New York. While I’m personally not a fan of pumpkins (controversial opinion, I know), I live for some freshly picked apples. They are just so much more delicious than regular, often genetically modified and polished apples from the grocery. Of course, not everyone has access to a farmer’s market or fresh handpicked New York apples but if you get the chance, then you definitely won’t want to miss out on the experience and sharing that with your lucky guests!

Aaaaaand that’s it for this lengthy blog post! Thank you all who have been checking in on me during this time and actually curious about this blog. I cannot believe the outpouring of support and feel so blessed and grateful that what I’ve had to say has been meaningful to you guys so far. I will be back with some more fall-themed food as I will be posting about making apple pie from the apples I handpicked myself soon! You have all motivated me to finally come back to this and keep my Monday and Thursday posting schedule active again.

Til Monday!

xoxo,

Franchette