There’s no better way to kick off your Thanksgiving feast than with a show-stopping appetizer, and this turkey-shaped charcuterie board is equal parts adorable and delicious!
It goes without saying that the main event at Thanksgiving is the food. Sounds great in theory, but as a host, it can be stressful to get this very special meal just right, and in a way that pleases everyone. Will there be enough food? Too much food? Everyone’s favorite mashed potatoes? And then there’s the proverbial wish, “can everyone please just get along?”
This whimsical appetizer will start the day (or night, if you do an evening meal) off right. Absolutely adorable and chock full of tasty light bites, this festive lead-in to the real turkey is a fun way to greet guests and will tide them over until the main event.
Another positive? You can put the kids (or other willing helpers) to work๏ผand they will likely relish this job. They can use whatever level of creativity they possess to make the turkey body and feathers look fabulous.
The turkey charcuterie board is also transportable, and it can be a fun appetizer to bring to a Friendsgiving celebration. We also love a turkey made with fruit kabobs. Emily’s kids will attest that this version has been especially popular at school functions.
Anything goes when crafting your charcuterie “feathers,” but we have some tips to make it come together easily:
- Choose foods that won’t wilt or brown too much.
- Don’t cut things so small that the skewer breaks them apart or use food that is very hard๏ผyou want easy-to-skewer items.
- Skewer your items vertically, for maximum feathering effect.
- Put the skewers close enough together and layer them so the turkey starts to look, well, fully feathered! This is about 20-25 skewers.
- Using glue to decorate the body with felt feet and nose, plastic eyes, and other non-edible decorations is fair game, but you can also opt for a fully edible version, as pictured.
Iโd love to know if you try this recipe! Leave a comment, rate it, and donโt forget to tag a photo @fountainavenuekitchen on Instagram and Facebook. Your feedback is always appreciated. 💛
Turkey Day Charcuterie
Equipment
- 25 bamboo skewers any size works, but we use the 12" skewers and feel they work best for both decoration and eating
Ingredients
- 1 pear, cut in half vertically
- 1 tablespoon vanilla icing, or craft glue per preference
- Optional decorations for the pear "body": a piece of candy corn for the nose, pretzel sticks for legs, pecans for feet, and a pair of candy eyes
- 25 small mozzarella balls (ciliegine is a nice size)
- 25 cherry tomatoes
- 25 pitted green olives
- 25 1-inch orange cheddar cheese cubes
- 25 slices thin cut salami rounds
- 25 artichoke heart quarters (from one 14-ounce can whole artichoke hearts, drained and quartered)
- 25 dried apricots
- 25 basil leaves
- Options: Many substitutions are possible, including using other varieties of pitted olives, dried fruit (a pretty color always helps!), meat (such as hard salami rounds or even Lebanon bologna๏ผfor locals of course!). Cooked tortellinis, pepperoncini peppers, and even fresh fruit like grapes are nice options too. Plan on 25 pieces so you have one for each skewer.
Instructions
- Make the body of the turkey: With the flat side down and the narrow end of the pear acting as the "head," use a dot of vanilla icing (or craft glue) to stick on the eyes and nose. Set aside to dry.
- Make the feathers: Arrange your ingredients in an assembly line to build the skewers. Start by skewering one mozzarella ball, moving it to about 2 inches from the blunt base of the skewer. Add a cherry tomato (I skewer them vertically) and an olive. Next, add a cheese square. Then take a salami slice, fold it twice, and skewer it so it sits horizontally. Skewer an artichoke (handle gently, they are delicate) with the fan facing horizontally. Finally, vertically skewer the apricot. Repeat to make 25 skewers.
- Final Touch: Once all the skewers are finished, and you are ready to assemble. Add the basil leaf to the dull end of the skewer for the final touch. I do this just before serving to prevent wilting or browning.
- Assemble the turkey: Find the halfway point (from top to bottom) of the pear body, and stick one skewer in each side. These will be your base skewers, from which you will build up.
- Continue adding skewers until you fill in the sides and top of the pear, like feathers. You will need to layer some on top of one another and can tuck some skewers in without actually spearing the pear. It will start to feel crowded, but the visual is nice when the skewers are close together. (That said, if you can't get them all in, reserve some to add later or serve on the side of the platter.)
- Place two pretzel sticks at the bottom of the pear to look like legs. These don't need to be pushed into the pear. The pear can sit on top of the edge of the pretzels. You can also break the pretzels to make them shorter, if needed.
- Angle a pecan out from the bottom of each pretzel stick to look like feet.
- Gobble, gobble!!
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