A Fall Charcuterie Party

This year I finally did two things I’ve been wanting to do for a few years now. The first was to start an annual fall cocktail party and the second was to try making a charcuterie board. This amazing time of year is the perfect reason to set aside time to connect with friends and family, especially when it’s so easy to get caught up in the “busyness” of the season. We are all about family and friends around here and love our traditions because they bind us together and provide us with fun memories. A cocktail party was new ground for us, but I knew a charcuterie board would work well with it. After seeing all of the beautifully presented charcuterie boards on Pinterest I decided this year I was going to have a Fall Charcuterie party.

A charcuterie board is perfect for an autumn cocktail party with its bountiful presentation and focus on beautiful food. It is heartier food for the time of year when the stores are overflowing with new crops. Charcuterie boards are also not difficult to put together. You’ve probably seen pictures of impressive charcuterie boards that have you both impressed and salivating and intimidated; however, there is nothing complex about this popular food trend. With a little advanced planning you can make your own delicious charcuterie board. And even if yours doesn’t look Pinterest perfect it still looks impressive to the average party guest.

One thing you’ve probably noticed about charcuteries is the boards they are displayed on. These presentation boards are widely available and come in all shapes and sizes. Before you buy one though, consider how you want your table to look. Since I wanted an autumn centerpiece on the table, I opted out of doing a long display board running down the center. Instead, I chose 2 smaller ones to set on opposing sides of the table. For the center, I chose a glitzy autumn look with a marriage of gold and harvest. Gold pumpkins, tulle, a large candle and a table runner with golden autumn leaves are the centerpiece of the table. However, a charcuterie board down the middle of the table sans the decor is elegant as well. There is no right or wrong way here. Just make a table plan before you start buying to avoid frustration later.

A Fall Charcuterie Party

Tip: It helps to map out your table before hand.

Charcuterie boards traditionally involve a variety of meats along with a number of other things such as cheeses, breads, crackers, preserves, nuts, dried fruits, pickles, etc. We have an amazing German meat market that is an institution in nearby Portland, so we purchased a variety of meats there. Also included were Italian meats such a prosciutto and salami. I created one “German” charcuterie and one “Italian” charcuterie. Use the meats you like.

The arrangement of the meats, cheeses, etc. is up to you. My strategy was to look at pictures of different charcuterie boards to get my creative juices flowing. Before I put down the meat and cheese slices I decided where I would put things like preserves or pickles. These are better in small dishes and it’s a good idea to place them first. After this I alternated between layering meats and cheeses. Some crackers were tucked into certain spots, and I added some rosemary. Lastly, I put some delicious table grapes in various spots.

Tip: A good variety of items is key on a charcuterie board.

We served both hard and soft cheeses with the meats including gouda, Brie, Havarti, and cheddar. Among our bread choices were pumpernickel and sourdough with additional gluten-free options. Cocktail breads are perfect for charcuterie boards because the loaves are tiny and pre-sliced. Think of the tiny sandwiches you can make such as this mini-Reuben.

Other traditional charcuterie boards feature fruits, nuts, preserves, pickles, olives, etc. I chose fig preserves and lingonberry preserves because they both pair well with meats. We had an assortment of olives and other spreads so people could enjoy their meats a variety of ways. Picking out gourmet olives, mustards, and pickles was fun! I also found some Berlin-style pickles at the German deli to put out. Get creative here and look for blue cheese stuffed olives, spiced nuts, chutneys and whole-grain mustards to set out.

Because the charcuterie display took up the whole table, I set up an additional table for cocktails. This is also a good tip for spreading people out at a party, so everyone doesn’t clog up one area. I used more gold pumpkins and gold tulle on the cocktail table. Tulle is one of my favorite display items, especially for professional shows. There is no easier and inexpensive way to glam up a display and make it look fuller than tulle. Wine and beer were served along with this Peach Prosecco which was a hit!

Tip: have a separate drink table further away to keep people from congesting one area.

Candles always set the mood on a fall evening giving a hygge feel to the soiree. We had plenty of autumn themed candles around the house. Candles are my favorite for cozy elegance!

Of course, I bought more than needed and ran out of room on the charcuterie boards-lol! But it was all good. The time we spent with friends was good fun and the chemistry of our guests was great. Our first annual Fall Charcuterie party was a success and is a tradition we are keeping!