Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 8 to 10 servings
- Total: 2 hr 10 min
- Active: 1 hr 10 min
Ingredients
Quick Candied Nuts (see recipe below)
Sweet Potato Spread (see recipe below)
Pumpkin Baked Brie (see recipe below)
Herby Cheese Ball (see recipe below)
Cranberry relish or jam
8 ounces orange Gouda or Mimolette, sliced
1 (7-ounce) package deli-sliced herb turkey breast
Crudite, such as trimmed green beans, sliced carrots, or boiled halved baby potatoes
Fresh fruit, such as apple and pear slices tossed in lemon juice, grapes on the vine, halved figs, whole dates or pomegranate seeds
Dried fruit, such as golden raisins, cranberries, apricots or apple chips
Decorations, such as small gourds, pine branches, autumn flowers, fresh herb sprigs or candy corn and candy pumpkins
Sliced baguette or crackers
Quick Candied Nuts:
1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper, optional
2 cups raw and unsalted mixed nuts
Sweet Potato Spread:
1 (15-ounce) can sweet potato puree
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup maple syrup
Grated zest of 1 orange
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup mini marshmallows
Pumpkin Baked Brie:
1 sheet puff pastry
1 tablespoon pumpkin butter or apple butter
1 (4.4-ounce) mini wheel Brie
1 large egg yolk
Pretzel stick and sage leaf, for garnish
Herby Cheese Ball:
8 ounces smoked Gouda, cubed
8 ounces cream cheese, diced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Nonstick cooking spray
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Special equipment:
kitchen twine- Arrange bowls of candied nuts and sweet potato spread on a board. Place the baked Brie and cheese ball on small plates or directly on the board. Spoon the cranberry relish into a ramekin and set on the board. Fill in around everything with slices of Gouda, folded turkey breast slices, crudite, fresh and dried fruit, decorations and baguette slices.
Quick Candied Nuts:
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Add the brown sugar, salt, cayenne if using and 2 tablespoons water to a large skillet. Set over medium heat and stir until the mixture is melted and bubbling. Add the nuts and continue stirring to coat in the sugar mixture. Stir until the nuts are toasted and thickly coated, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet in an even layer and cool completely, about 1 hour. Break apart any large clumps.
Sweet Potato Spread:
- Combine the sweet potato puree, tahini, maple syrup, orange zest, salt, cinnamon and cloves in a medium bowl. Whisk until fully combined. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover with plastic and chill for at least 1 hour or until ready to serve. Just before serving, place the marshmallows in a small saucepan. Set over low heat and stir until the marshmallows are melted, about 1 minute. Drizzle the melted marshmallow over the spread with a spoon.
Pumpkin Baked Brie:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
- Unfold the pastry sheet onto the prepared baking sheet. Cut out a 6 1/2-inch circle and remove the excess dough. Spoon the pumpkin butter into the center of the round and set the Brie on top. Fold the edges of the circle up to cover the Brie and pinch the seams together. Flip over so the seams are facing down. Cut 6 pieces of kitchen twine, each 7 to 8 inches long, and tie each around the pastry, pulling gently to create indentations like a pumpkin. Trim the excess twine from the top. (The wrapped and tied brie ball can be covered with plastic and refrigerated overnight.)
- When ready to bake, beat the egg yolk in a small cup and brush it over the surface of the pastry. Bake until the pastry is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool for about 5 minutes, then trim off and discard the twine. Insert a pretzel stick and sage leaf at the top to resemble the stem of a pumpkin. Serve immediately.
Herby Cheese Ball:
- Add the Gouda to a food processor and pulse about 4 times to it break up. Add the cream cheese and Dijon and process until mostly smooth, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the mixture onto a plate.
- Spray your hands with nonstick spray and shape the cheese mixture into a ball. On a separate plate, mix the chives, rosemary, sage and pepper together. Roll the cheese ball in the herb mixture, coating all sides. Set back on the plate and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight before serving.