Start Your Feast With a Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board

If planning for Thanksgiving turns you into a turkey running around with its head cut off, then at leastlet me help you make snacking easy. Say hello to your new best snack friend: the Thanksgiving charcuterie board. This one has a mixture of autumn colors and flavors that makes for a beautiful spread that your friends and family will be talking about until — and coming back for — next year.

Thecheese and charcuterie from Harry & Davidmakes creating a cheeseboard easier than figuring out which pie to bake for Thanksgiving. You'll start by adding a variety ofhard and soft cheesesto please everyone's palate. While a stellar spread of cheeses is always a staple, I would be remiss to exclude a few items that will put your Thanksgiving charcuterie board on everyone's list of most memorable holiday moments.

One of my favorite parts about this time of year is that we can finally get our hands on the deliciously butteryRoyal Riviera Pears. Their sweet flavor and finger-licking juiciness pair perfectly with blue cheese likeRogue Creamery's Bluehorn, which is dense, creamy, and beyond decadent. It's perfect with pears because the sweetness from the fruit brings out the salty, sharp flavors from the cheese. Stack them both on acrackerand then add an extra dose of acidity with a small drizzle ofbalsamic vinaigrettefor a pre-made bite. You'll thank us later.

The pièce de resistance of this board is theBrie en Croute. This hand-trimmed brie is coated in garlic, basil, and pine nuts before being wrapped in a flaky puff pastry crust (making it completely irresistible). Fill up any free space on the board with tastycured meats,dried fruit, and nuts.

For a final dash of sweetness, add a few mouthwateringchocolate caramel applesand you have the perfectly balanced Thanksgiving charcuterie board.

Serve this delicious feast (before the actual turkey feast) with a bottle ofchardonnay.