Halloween Charcuterie Board
There’s nothing better than a Halloween party, complete with creative costumes and the strains of Boris Karloff’s “Monster Mash” playing from a nearby speaker. The perfect pairing for all these festivities? A Halloween charcuterie board that is equally spooky.
Take your basic snack board and turn it into one from your guests’ greatest nightmares — in the most delicious way, of course!
From sweet treats to savory meats, these tips and tricks will leave you with a Halloween charcuterie board that is sure to leave your guests ghoulishly grinning.
Add in a bit of extra sugar. A sugar pumpkin, that is!
Nothing screams Halloween louder than a pumpkin. Jack-O-Lanterns have a long and storied history in Halloween and are the perfect addition to your Halloween charcuterie board lineup. Mini-pumpkins (aka sugar pumpkins) are an excellent choice because they are small enough to take up less room on your board, and they come in spooky colors that can accent your overall look — namely, ghostly white and fiery orange.
Make use of spooky Halloween props.
A local Halloween store like Lucy in Disguise with Diamonds is a great place to find props that will perfectly accentuate your Halloween charcuterie board–and you might find a unique vintage costume while you’re there.
A few fake spiders crawling on your block of brie? A skeleton’s hand clutching at slices of blood oranges or a caramel apple? Or how about adding a bit of black webbing underneath the board itself for ultimate effect? Take a walk down the aisles and see what kind of inspiration comes to you; there are thousands of ideas!
Add edible spooky eyes and other elements to your cheese boards and other foods.
Edible spooky eyes make an easy instant spooky (but fun) addition to your Halloween charcuterie board. Add them to your cupcakes, cookies, chocolates, and even your fruits or cheeses for immediate effect.
Even your meats can look creepy
Floral-shaped meats have become a huge trend with charcuterie boards. But add a pimento-stuffed eyeball to the center, and you change the look entirely.
Use a Halloween gingerbread house as your focal point.
There’s nothing like a beautifully made gingerbread house to catch the eye. And who said they are only for Halloween? You don’t have to be a wiz at the decorations and icing, either. You can grab kits from your local supermarket and make this a part of your Halloween charcuterie board the kids can help with (they will love it!).
Don’t forget the classic candies.
No charcuterie platter is complete without a bit of sweetness, and we’ve covered a bunch of ideas on this list. But don’t forget your classic Halloween candies. That’s right; we’re talking white chocolate, black licorice, gummy worms, and candy corn. The candies might be notoriously controversial (people seem to either adore their flavor or hate it), but you’ll have a great time listening to your guests weigh in on the love ‘em or hate ‘em aspect of your spooky treats.
Get creative with your cutting.
A section of any snack board should be dedicated to cheese platter favorites. It is simply a must! But with a bit of creative cutting, you can make it perfectly match your overall Halloween charcuterie board theme. Try blocks of brie cut into the shape of a ghost or slices of cheese that look like pumpkins.
Get creative with your accents, too!
Have a dish of puree or jam? Draw circles using sour cream (or sweet icing), and then use a toothpick to draw out the lines and create a spider web. Add a plastic spider to complete the effect!
Use small pumpkin bowls for sauces, dips, and candies.
Forget your boring old glassware or stoneware. Give small pumpkin bowls a good washing and put your caramel popcorn, ghost chips, black olives, and anything else that needs containing inside.
Don’t forget to give the little details a Halloween theme.
You’ve created a lovely (ahem, we mean TERRIFYING) Halloween-themed board. Don’t ruin the effect with boring decorative items, and that includes your serving plates and utensils. Forget white plastic plates. Opt for black plates and silverware, and consider including napkins that are on theme too. And don’t forget finishing touches like beverages (we think a good pumpkin spice drink or a Halloween-themed cocktail is always in order!
Want to serve a Halloween-themed dinner party without all the cooking and clean-up (talk about terrifying!)? The Austin Artisan has you covered. We love cooking up decadent dishes that are so delicious; it’s almost scary.
Contact The Austin Artisan and let us know what you have in mind, and we will put our culinary wizardry to work. Check out our dinner party page or give us a call at (512) 436-2401 to explore the possibilities.
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