Fall Charcuterie Board

​2020 has been full of ups and downs for all of us.  The holidays may look different this year, but if you are able to gather with your family and friends, try this fall charcuterie board!

Charcuterie boards are a great start to any event. They are a welcoming note for guests to enjoy while they settle in and get comfortable and will tide them over until the main course. Below is our take on a fall board to serve as inspiration for this years Thanksgiving gathering. 

This board can be tweaked and assembled according to the resources you have available.  Throughout this post we will add notes on how to dress up or down your board. 

Let's get down to business, here is everything we included in our board:

Cheeses:

• Mild Hoop Cheddar 
• Smoked Gouda
• Muenster
• Triple Cream Brie
• Cranberry and Cinnamon Goat (seasonal)

Meats:

• Boar's Head Genoa Salami **Dress Down with your local deli meats**
• Boar's Head Chorizo **Dress Down with your local deli meats**
• Boar's Head Italian Dry Sausage **Dress Down with your local deli meats**
• Hickory Thick Cut Bacon

Fruits and Sides:

• Green and Red Apples
• Homemade Pumpkin Spice Nuts **Recipe below**
• Caramel Sauce and Heath Bits
• Whole Cranberry Sauce

Breads and Crackers:

• Crusty White Baguette
• Pita Chips
• Roasted Garlic Triscuits 

Garnishes:

• Fresh Cranberries
• Forged Greenery

Beverages:

• Red Wine Tastings
• White Wine Tastings

 
There were a few items we played with that are not traditionally found on other charcuterie boards you may come across, but they work really well for a harvest board.  For this board we added:

• Hickory Thick Cut Bacon **Dress Up by substituting with candied bacon**
• Boar's Head Chorizo
• Whole Cranberry Sauce
• Fresh cranberries for color 
• Apples with Carmel Sauce and Toffee Bits
• Homemade Pumpkin Spice Candied Nuts
• Red and White Wine Tastings
• And the star of our board...The Cranberry and Cinnamon Goat Cheese

​Making homemade pumpkin spice candied nuts is very simple and can be baked in the oven while you are assembling the rest of your board. We used this simple recipe:

• About a pound of your favorite nut or nuts (we used a mix of pecans, almonds, and walnuts)
• 1 egg white
• 1 cup of white sugar
• A couple teaspoons of Pumpkin Pie Spice (we kept adding until it smelled delicious) 

Mix all ingredients together and then spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 250 degrees for 60 minutes stirring every 15 minutes or so.  Let cool and serve! 

The items that will really wow your guests and set your board apart from the others are the hard chorizo and cranberry cinnamon goat cheese (we found both at our local Publix). If you can't find these exact items, do not fret! You can easily substitute any meat with a little kick and a goat cheese with sweet warm flavors. 

Everyone knows that wine and cheese are a perfect pair.  Let your guests sample different wine and cheese combinations by setting out shot glasses of reds and whites. This allows your guests to experience different pairings easily and without having to commit to a single glass. 

​For this board, we skipped the traditional store bought herb garnishes for greenery forged from our own yard.  You can, of course, still opt for the traditional rosemary and sage stalks if that is the look you prefer.  But if you're up for the adventure (and for cutting costs!), search around your yard or neighborhood (ask permission before snipping your neighbor's greens) and we bet you can find a substitute that looks as fabulous as store bought!  Just make sure to skip the poison ivy... 

We hope that this post will serve as some inspiration and that you have fun hosting your next event, whenever it may be. 2020 has certainly been challenging for all of us. If you are able to have the opportunity to be with loved ones, please enjoy and let us know how your board turns out in the comments.  We hope you have a safe and happy holiday season!