I love Halloween! I love the whole “spooky but fun” type of Halloween -- decorating the house, helping my boys with their costumes, and, of course, coming up with fun and delicious food ideas for the holiday. A charcuterie board is a favorite of mine for almost any occasion and for lots of good reasons! Flexibility, simplicity, and opportunities for creativity are a few of the advantages. Halloween celebrations are ideal for charcuterie. Here are three ideas to get your creativity flowing.

1. Color theme -- One of the easiest ways to make a Halloween-themed charcuterie board is to stick to items that are appropriate colors for the holiday. Finding orange, black, and purple items to fit the theme is super fun. Pick a cheese with purple in it (a mild Wensleydale or a Stilton with blueberries), purple grapes, and black olives; lots of orange in the form of candy, crackers, cheese, pumpkins, and leaves! It is a simple way to add a bit of cohesiveness to a Halloween theme. Halloween candy placed on the board really helps set the tone. 
2. Seasonal Decorations -- If you are new to making cheese/charcuterie boards, have no fear. There’s no right or wrong way to do it! As long as you have some cheese, crackers, and a few little nibbles of something sweet and something salty to go with it, you’ll be set. Once you’ve decided what items you’d like to serve on your board, add fun decorations like plastic spiders, skeleton bones, and decorative fall leaves. Be sure to wash and dry all of these things really well before putting them with food. You can also scatter some edible things like candy eyeballs and other treats that are spooky but edible throughout the display.
3. Skeleton Tablescape -- Finally, this specific plan is for a Halloween after Covid, when we can actually safely have a big bash with lots of people. I dream of finding a large poseable skeleton that would take up most of my dining room table. I will place a charcuterie feast all around the skeleton! Grapes flowing out through the rib cage, gummy worms in the eye sockets, and a bountiful selection of delicious foods creatively positioned in and around the skeleton would make an impressive, extra-large, extra-fun food offering -- charcuterie style!

Maybe one of the reasons I love serving charcuterie at my gatherings is that our Bellisari’s spreads and sauces work extremely well with cured meats, cheeses, pretzels, and more. A dollop of our Blistered Jalapeno & Fig Spread on top of sharp cheese and a cracker? Devine! Our Blue Cheese, Honey & Shallot Spread is a fabulous spread on a cracker, a lovely piece of French bread, or on a slice of apple or pear. Our Saigon Street Sauce is a mustard-based sauce and gives a little Asian flair to any meat or cheese combination. Depending on what you decide to serve on your board, there’s a Bellisari’s sauce or spread that would be the perfect accompaniment for your choices.

Happy snacking and happy Halloween from all of us at Bellisari’s!