Autumn Foods: Autumn Harvest Platters and Ploughman Platters

Post by Sharon 

When we think of autumn season, we often imagine hot soups or chili, but there is a variety of harvest-inspired meals to be made from nibbling trays of a variety of foods. As a Scandinavian and having been raised with Smorgasbord, I tend to prefer nibble varieties for a bit of flavor in each bite, and a wide variety of food types represented. Here's some great nibble tray ideas inspired by autumn harvest!

HARVEST PLATTER

Some people call them harvest platters and others just cheese boards, but autumn is THE season to make these. If you keep these ingredients in your fridge and pantry, you can also make many autumn-inspired recipes, so none of this goes to waste.

BREADS/CRACKERS: Go for rye, pumpernickel, seedy crackers or Triscuits. Think chewy texture when choosing.

CHEESES: Sharp cheddar, blue cheese, brie - any or all of these or ones of similar taste.

FRUITS: Pomegranate seeds, pears, granny smith apples, figs, dates.

OLIVES/PICKLED: Pickled cucumbers or veggies, olives.

MEAT:  Salami, proscuitto.

NUTS/SEEDS: Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pistachio nuts, walnuts. 

SWEET:  Honey, apple butter, dark chocolate.

WINE/BEER: A German ale or Guinness is good for a beer lover. For wines, consider a Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Pinot Noir. 

PLOUGHMAN'S PLATTER

Gotta love the Brits. They designed lots of cool meal ideas for carrying off to a work day. This lovely platter is my #1 favorite meal of all time. No kidding. When fall rolls around, this is all I think about. Some refer to it as a sharing platter made up of cold meal items. 

This cold platter can contain - 

PICKLED: Pickled onions, gherkins.

VEGGIES: Onion slices.

BREAD: Good old-fashioned homemade peasant bread, airy and crusty. 

PROTEIN: Hard-boiled eggs, ham, salami, proscuitto.

CONDIMENTS: Chutney, seeded mustard, butter.

CHEESES: Cheddar (white and yellow).

FRUIT: Pears, tart apple, berries.

DRINK: I suggest pairing it with an apple cider. It is the season! 

Take this concept and make it your own. When I was a kid, we had smoked salmon spread and sardines on our platter.