In my steady march towards eating a more plant-based diet, it has become clear that two immovable objects stand in my way: charcuterie and cheese. What can I say? Cultured and preserved dairy and meat products accomplish phenomenal depths of umami, richness, and acidity.
But it’s not just that they’re delicious. These ingredients are also the base of my entertaining. A charcuterie board doesn’t require cooking anything, just assembly, so it’s ideal for busy cooks who need to focus on the main event. Also, they look amazing. You don’t need to be a food stylist to arrange an array of colors and textures on a snack board or series of plates. I make some form of grazing board for most hosting occasions, but certainly for Thanksgiving, when I have plenty of other cooking to think about.
A Thanksgiving charcuterie board is the perfect appetizer to kick off holiday feasting. Strategically placed, it’ll keep guests away from the kitchen (how I prefer it). And it keeps hunger at bay until the time comes to gather around the Thanksgiving table. You don’t need cheese knives or much special equipment, but be prepared to sacrifice some utensils for the night (just hold onto your nice paring knife).
My favorite part is that you can customize your Thanksgiving board to whatever you (and your guests) like eating. I promise I don’t have many rules, but there are some key principles I try to follow. Here are my tips and a few of my best charcuterie board ideas to get you started:
1. Seek a range of textures
This is as true for cheeses as it is for cured meats. While serving just one amazing cheese and one fantastic style of charcuterie works, having two or more of each is even more enjoyable to eat, thanks to the contrasts between products. A soft cheese, whether fresh chèvre, a triple-cream, or other bloomy-rinded cheese, paired with something semi-firm like a French Tomme or young Manchego, rounded out with a sharp and nutty aged cheddar or Gouda, expresses different aspects of cheese from mild to intense.
The same goes for preserved meats. For a special occasion, a silky paté or a pile of thin mortadella are rich but gentle, while prosciutto or country ham bring more salty complexity, and harder salami like soppressata pack the most intensity, particularly their spicier variants.
For me, the Thanksgiving charcuterie board is all about assembly, but if you must cook something, consider a simple round of baked brie topped with a store-bought relish, chutney, or even some reserved cranberry sauce or mostarda. Or go for nostalgia and roll up a Classic Cheese Ball.
2. Beware the pre-sliced stuff
Avoid pre-sliced cheese entirely (unless you’re making sandwiches). Setting out big chunks of cheese and letting folks serve themselves is the way to go. When it comes to charcuterie, there are a few brands (see below) whose pre-sliced products are great, but best of all is getting exactly what you want, sliced fresh at the deli counter as close to when you plan to serve it as possible. Many of the best salamis are sold whole and need to be sliced, which is easy enough with a sharp knife and steady hand (I believe in you!). Once cut, sliced meats begin to oxidize and dry out immediately, so keep them tightly wrapped and arrange just before setting out for peak flavor.
The genius, built-in blade can do it all.
3. Look for trusted producers
Farmers markets are a fantastic place to find artisanal products made in your area, but many supermarkets carry excellent options these days too, from producers who, just a few years ago, were only found in specialty markets. Charcuterie producers Fra’Mani, La Quercia, and Olympia Provisions offer phenomenal, American-made products on par with the best preserved meats in Europe. Just a few slices of Olympia Provisions soppressata, with its bloomy and entirely edible casing, hits a level of divine porkiness that makes me feel completely satisfied.
Supermarkets these days offer fantastic selections of domestic cheese producers too. Brands like Cowgirl Creamery (check out their Mt. Tam) and Jasper Hill Farm (their Harbison is a mini Camembert-style round aged in birch wood, which sounds weird but is the most delicious cheese perhaps ever, are two notable options with widespread distribution. Imports, like the cheeses of Neal’s Yard Dairy, are well-represented at supermarkets like Whole Foods and are universally excellent (try their Cheshire or Red Leicester). There are so many incredible choices from all over the world. Use the time leading up to the holiday to try some options and develop a sense of what you like, from the funky intensity of aged goat cheeses to bracingly sharp hard cheeses like aged Gouda.
4. Visuals matter
There’s a quiet beauty to a plate holding nothing more than rosy slices of ham, but that isn’t what a Thanksgiving charcuterie board is all about. Autumnal vibes are essential. Can you plop a mini pumpkin on there for whimsy? Why not? A great appetizer platter brings multiple elements together on one surface or in one area. But that doesn’t mean everything has to be directly on the board. Place that plate of ham on one side and then load up a shallow bowl with fresh goat cheese drizzled with olive oil and a sprinkling of fresh thyme and set it on the other. Fill the space between with some salami, toasted nuts, fresh or dried fruit, and suddenly you look like a genius.
5. You need crackers or bread. Maybe both
Serving some kind of cracker or bread is essential. But again, mix it up—and don’t be afraid to try something new. I like Rustic Bakery’s sel gris flatbread crackers, Italian crostini-style crackers, fancy chips like this, or delightfully thin Torres brand chips. These sweet and salty Spanish crackers are fun to eat on their own. Whatever you do, go for crackers with a neutral flavor—unless you’re serving cheeses that won’t be overshadowed, like a powerful blue cheese. If in doubt, a very thinly sliced baguette will work with most things; just make sure to slice it at the last possible moment so it doesn’t dry out—or turn it into crostini, which will hold for a few hours.
6. Mind your temper
Tempering cheese and other foods means letting them rest at room temperature so they can reach their ideal texture. For example, soft-ripened cheese (like Brie or camembert) and triple-creams (like Saint-Andre) will be quite firm straight out of the fridge but will relax into the most luscious state of semi-fluidity as they lose their chill. Cold charcuterie may have striations or nodules of fat that are unpleasantly firm but turn tongue-meltingly soft at ambient temperatures.
7. Include something unexpected
This is the moment to pull out that cute cheese board you got from a yard sale or use a few special plates you wouldn’t dare use on a weeknight. Rustic-chic knives like Palacios and other thrift store finds were made for Thanksgiving snack board duty. Other touches can be simple flourishes like a sprinkle of chopped fresh herbs on chèvre or a plate of pickled dilly green beans or other pickled veggies to balance a rich spread. Seasonal fruit (fresh or dried) is a favorite option of mine, like dried apricots, Turkish figs, or the glory that are dried prunes d’Agen, and dried cranberries, as well as nuts like pistachios or candied hazelnuts (a bite of something crunchy and sweet with all that saltiness is never a bad thing).
It’s the ideal time of year for certain fresh fruits like persimmons, pomegranates, grapes, and figs. Asian pears are particularly nice if you’d like something juicy and crisp. I’ll reiterate: you do not need to zhuzh these things up; just slice and go. But extra-milers might lay crisp bacon lardon on halved fresh figs drizzled with vinegar-maple syrup.
