How to Build a Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board with Honey

A charcuterie board is the easiest way to feed a crowd on Thanksgiving. There's no oven space needed, it comes together in about 25 minutes, and everyone can graze while the turkey finishes. Our version is built around honey, because honey and cheese are one of the best pairings there is.

Savory cheeses and cured meats, bright citrus and berries, a little crunch, and something sweet from the hive. Here's how to build a Harvest Honey Board that looks as good as it tastes.

What you'll need for a Thanksgiving charcuterie board

Cheeses (about 1 lb total)

• Brie, cut into a large wedge
• An aged cheese like Parmesan or aged Gouda, broken into shards
• A soft-ripened goat cheese, sliced
• White cheddar or Havarti, cut into thick slices

Meats (about ½ lb)

• Salami, sliced into rounds
• Soppressata or a spicy salami, loosely folded

Fruit, fresh and dried

• Dried orange or blood orange slices
• A fresh blood orange, cut into wedges
• Kumquats, halved or sliced
• Strawberries, raspberries and blueberries
• A crisp apple, thinly sliced and tossed with a little lemon juice
• Pomegranate seeds, for color
• Dried apricots and golden raisins

From the hive

• Anellabees Honey Caramels, in a small bowl
• Anellabees Chocolate Butter Honey Candies, in a second small bowl
• Anellabees Raw Honey, for drizzling

Crunch and garnish

• Green Castelvetrano olives
• Pistachios in the shell and walnut halves
• Crackers or a sliced baguette, on the side
• Edible flowers like pansies, and a few small sprigs of greenery

You'll also want a large platter, two small bowls and a cheese knife or two.

How to build a charcuterie board, step by step

1. Start with the bowls. Fill one small bowl with honey caramels and another with Chocolate Butter honey candies, and set them on the platter first. They anchor the layout and keep everything else from sliding around.
2. Add the cheeses. Place the brie, aged cheese, goat cheese and cheddar in different spots around the platter so each part of the board has something to slice.
3. Fold in the meats. Fan the salami rounds along one edge and tuck the folded soppressata next to the bowls.
4. Add the fruit. Layer the orange slices and blood orange wedges near the cheeses, then fill in with kumquats, berries and apple slices.
5. Fill the gaps. Pile olives, pistachios, walnuts, dried apricots and raisins into the remaining spaces until the board looks full.
6. Garnish and serve. Scatter pomegranate seeds and edible flowers over the top, and drizzle a little raw honey over the brie. Set the board out 30 minutes before guests arrive so the cheese can soften.

Honey and cheese pairings to try

• Raw honey and brie. A drizzle of honey makes creamy brie taste even richer.
• Honey caramel and aged cheese. Salty, sweet and chewy in one bite.
• Chocolate Butter honey candy and dried orange. Chocolate and orange, a classic combination.

Tips for the best Thanksgiving board

• Make it ahead. Slice the cheese and wash the fruit the night before. Keep them covered in the fridge, then build the board an hour before guests arrive.
• Cut the apples last. Slice the apples just before serving, or toss them in lemon juice so they don't brown.
• Set the table. Light a beeswax candle nearby for a warm glow.
• Bringing it as a guest? A box of honey caramels and a jar of raw honey make an easy hostess gift to go with it.