Description

This Halloween Meat and Cheese Board is a visually stunning and delicious appetizer perfect for a spooky gathering. It features a variety of cheeses, charcuterie, fruits, and other accompaniments, arranged artfully on a large board for easy snacking.

Ingredients

Scale

Cheese (Suggestions – adjust to your preferences and availability):

5 ounces blue cheese (such as Gorgonzola, Roquefort, or Stilton)
6 ounces pub cheese (or other spreadable cheese)
5 ounces triple cream cheese (such as Brie, Camembert, or Saint-André)
4 ounces cheddar cheese (sharp, white, or smoked), cubed or sliced
8 ounces Brie cheese (or another soft, creamy cheese)

Fruit (Suggestions – adjust to your preferences and availability):

1/2 cup dried blueberries
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh blackberries
8 fresh figs, halved or quartered
1 pound purple grapes (or green grapes, or a mix)
8 ounces dried cherries (or other dried fruit)
2 plums, sliced

Charcuterie (Suggestions – adjust to your preferences and availability):

9 ounces assorted charcuterie (such as salami, prosciutto, soppressata, chorizo, etc.)

Other Items:

4 ounces honeycomb (or honey in a small bowl)
8 ounces marinated olives (a mix of varieties is nice)
1 cup Marcona almonds (or other nuts)
1 cup candied walnuts (or other candied nuts)
1 cup cornichons (or other small pickles)
4 ounces blackberry preserves (or dark cherry preserves, or fig jam)

Crackers and Bread:

8 ounces assorted crackers (various shapes, sizes, and flavors)
2 ounces pretzel sticks

Instructions

Prepare Ingredients:
- Wash and dry all fresh fruit.
- Slice cheeses as needed (cubes, wedges, or slices). Leave soft cheeses like Brie whole or in large wedges.
- Prepare any charcuterie that needs slicing or rolling.
- Place olives, honeycomb (or honey), and preserves in small bowls.
Arrange Cheese and Bowls:
- Place the blocks/wedges of cheese on the board, spacing them out. A common arrangement is to place cheeses in the four corners and in the center, slightly staggered for visual interest.
- Place the small bowls (containing olives, honeycomb/honey, and preserves) on the board, creating focal points and anchors for the other ingredients.
Add Charcuterie: Arrange the charcuterie around the cheeses and bowls. You can fold, roll, or fan out the meats to create different textures and visual appeal.
Add Fruit:
- Start by placing the larger fruits, like grapes and fig halves/quarters, around the cheeses and bowls.
- Fill in the gaps with smaller fruits like blueberries, blackberries, and dried cherries.
Add Nuts and Cornichons: Scatter the Marcona almonds, candied walnuts, and cornichons around the board, filling in any remaining spaces.
Add Crackers and Pretzels: Arrange the crackers and pretzel sticks around the edges of the board, or place them in separate bowls or baskets alongside the board.
Serve: Serve immediately, or cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a short time before serving.

Notes

Customization: This is a very flexible recipe. Feel free to adjust the types and amounts of cheese, charcuterie, fruit, and other items to your preferences and what you have available.
Theme: For a Halloween theme, consider using dark-colored fruits (like blackberries, black grapes, and figs), cheeses with a spooky appearance (like a black wax-covered cheese), and adding Halloween-themed decorations (like plastic spiders or small pumpkins).
Presentation: The key to a beautiful charcuterie board is to create a variety of colors, textures, and shapes. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different arrangements.
Serving: Provide cheese knives for the cheeses, small spoons for the olives and preserves, and tongs for the charcuterie.
Storage: If you aren’t going to serve right away