Fall Charcuterie Board
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This simple, but elegant Fall Charcuterie Board is filled with delicious meats, cheeses, fruits, and crackers. If you’re looking for ideas on how to make a beautiful Autumn harvest board, check out this easy step-by-step guide! This board is fancy enough for a Thanksgiving appetizer, but easy enough to make anytime.
Table of contents
When it comes to charcuterie boards, I’ve never met one that I didn’t like! A board filled with tasty meats, cheeses, crackers, and fruits to share with friends and family, what’s not to like?
When it comes to creating boards for each season, I like to pair the fruits that are in season, with seasonal flavors, and meats and cheeses that pair with those flavors. In the fall, cranberries, apples, grapes and pumpkin are top of mind when it comes to seasonal produce and flavors. And I incorporated all of them in this board!
Cranberry pumpkin seed crackers, paired with cranberry jalapeno dip, freeze dried apple cinnamon chips, and fresh grapes, create a delicious combination of sweet and savory fall flavors.
For the cheeses, I added cranberry cinnamon goat cheese to the board for even more of those delicious autumn flavors, then paired it with hard cheeses that pair well with the fall fruits on the board. These cheeses include gruyere, gouda and Parmigiano Reggiano. I tossed in a variety of cured meats and the board was complete!
Why you’ll love this board
- It’s easy to assemble in just 10 minutes, with no cooking required!
- It’s versatile. You can leave off, or add anything you’d like to the board!
- It’s beautiful! The combination of colors and textures on the board make for a gorgeous presentation. It’s impressive enough to serve as a Thanksgiving charcuterie board!
What you’ll need
I purchased everything for this board (including the board itself!) at Target. I put together a list of everything I used to make this board, so you can easily add everything to your cart and pick it up on your next Target run!
- Freeze dried cinnamon apple slices and unsweetened dried apple rings – I used dried apples, instead of fresh apples, because fresh sliced apples brown quickly after they’re sliced. This way, everyone can enjoy the crunch of a delicious fall apple, and you never have to worry about them turning brown on the board!
- Cranberry jalapeno dip – this creamy dip is both sweet and spicy, and the perfect dip to pair with this board! If you want to switch things up, you can make my 5 minute Jalapeno Pumpkin Dip to serve on the board.
- Cranberry pumpkin seed crisps and fig and rosemary crisps – both of these crackers are delicious, crispy, and bursting with fall flavors
- Cranberry cinnamon goat cheese log – this delicious soft cheese adds sweet autumnal flavors to the board.
- Gouda, gruyere, and Parmigiano Reggiano – since we already have soft goat cheese, I decided to make the other cheeses on the board hard and firm cheeses.
- Charcuterie trio and Italian trio – I like to purchase variety packs of meats to add different flavors to the board and keep things interesting. The charcuterie trio is a combination of Calabrese salami, prosciutto, and capocollo. The Italian trio is a combination of Calabrese salami, milano salami and peppered salami.
- Grapes and blackberries – for the fresh fruit on the board, I added red grapes and blackberries. The colors and flavors of the fruits pair perfectly with the other ingredients on the board.
For the board itself, I used a large board that’s 18 inches round. I used four small bowls for the cranberry dip, blackberries and dried apples, and served the board with a cheese knife for the goat cheese, and a small spoon for the cranberry dip.
How to build it
- Add the dried apple rings, apple slices, blackberries, and cranberry jalapeno dip to four separate small bowls. Place one bowl in the middle of the board. Arrange the other three bowls around the outside edge of the board, with space between each bowl.
- Arrange both types of crackers on the edge of the board on opposite sides.
- Slice or dice the different cheeses and separate them on different quadrants of the board.
- Fill in the board with the sliced meats between the cheeses.
- Add the grapes along the outer edge of the board, and to fill in any blank spaces on the board.
Additions and substitutions
Want to mix things up on your fall charcuterie board? Try adding any of these fruits, cheeses, or accoutrements, or swapping out anything on the board with these additions.
- Other cheeses that would pair well with this board: brie cheese, blue cheese, or cheddar cheese
- Other fruits that would pair well on the board: sliced pears, figs, fresh apple slices, or dried apricots
- Other accoutrements to add: honey, jellys, jams, or preserves (blackberry, cranberry, apple, or fig), pumpkin butter, nuts (almonds, walnuts, or candied pecans), or olives
Tips and tricks
If you’re making the charcuterie board in advance, you can dice the cheese, but keep it in the fridge with the meats, grapes, blackberries and dip until you’re ready to serve the board. You can go ahead and assemble the other ingredients on the board up to 2 hours in advance. Cover it tightly.
About 15 minutes before serving the board to guests, uncover what you already have assembled, then add the diced cheese, sliced meats, grapes, blackberries and dip.
This cheese board is really large and can feed up to 10 people as an appetizer or snack board. You can also cut the ingredients in half if you’re making it for a smaller crowd.
When planning how much meat and cheese to put on a charcuterie board, I recommend around 3 ounces of cheese per person and 2 ounces of meat. Add 2-3 fruits or other snacks to the board, and 2-3 different types of crackers or bread.
The 3 3 3 3 rule for building a charcuterie board says that each board should have 3 cheeses, 3 meats, 3 types of bread/crackers, and 3 accompaniments, like fruits, nuts, dips or veggies. This is a good starting rule and you can adjust it to you taste.
More fall appetizers
Add all of these appetizer recipes to your fall menu plans. They’re great for Halloween parties, before your Thanksgiving meal, or served at a dinner party!
Fall Charcuterie Board
Ingredients
- 1.25 ounces freeze dried cinnamon apple slices
- 4 ounces unsweetened dried apple rings
- 10 ounces cranberry jalapeno dip
- 5.3 ounces cranberry pumpkin seed crisps
- 5.3 ounces fig and rosemary crisps
- 8 ounces cranberry cinnamon goat cheese log
- 7 ounces parmigiano reggiano Cheese
- 5.3 ounces gouda cheese
- 7 ounces gruyere cheese
- 6 ounces salami, mixed variety
- 2 ounces capocollo
- 2 ounces prosciutto
- 6 ounces blackberries
- 1 pound red seedless grapes
Instructions
- Add the dried apple rings, apple slices, blackberries, and cranberry jalapeno dip to four separate small bowls. Place one bowl in the middle of the board (I used an 18 inch board). Arrange the other three bowls around the outside edge of the board, with space between each bowl.
- Arrange both types of crackers on the edge of the board on opposite sides.
- Slice or dice the different cheeses and separate them on different quadrants of the board.
- Fill in the board with the sliced meats between the cheeses.
- Add the grapes along the outer edge of the board, and to fill in any blank spaces on the board.
- Serve the goat cheese with a cheese spreader and the cranberry dip with a small spoon.
Notes
- Get everything you need to make this board from Target!
- This cheese board is really large and can feed up to 10 people as an appetizer or snack board. You can also cut the ingredients in half if you’re making it for a smaller crowd.
- When planning how much meat and cheese to put on a charcuterie board, I recommend around 3 ounces of cheese per person and 2 ounces of meat. Add 2-3 fruits or other snacks to the board, and 2-3 different types of crackers or bread.
Nutrition Facts
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