Fig Charcuterie Board

Whether they are in or out of season, you can create this fig charcuterie board and share your love for figs with all of your friends and family. Included on this board are dried figs, fig inspired baked brie, and fig marmalade.

Charcuterie board season can get bland after a while. With the same meats and cheeses seen over and over again, finding something different is necessary.

Thankfully, if you’re reading this, you are in luck. Inspired by the unique look and taste of figs, we are highlighting the flavor with a delicious fig marmalade, dried figs, and a fig-baked brie. With a slew of charcuterie meats to pair with this array of fig flavors, nobody will be bored with this board. 

In this post, you will learn about all the best charcuterie-board-style food items that pair with figs as well as a step-by-step process of how to plate and serve this board. 

• How to properly plate a cheese board, so it’s aesthetically pleasing.
• Tips for serving sizes and wine pairing suggestions. 
• How to store and make this charcuterie board ahead of time. 

If you enjoy this post and are interested in improving your cheese/charcuterie board skills, check out my charcuterie shopping list with over 100 food ideas to inspire your next cheese board or platter

 Each of the many ingredients plays a role in making this fig and cheese platter as diverse and enjoyable as possible.

Goat cheese log: Find yourself a soft goat cheese log with a mild flavor profile. The log shape makes it super easy to coat in chopped pistachios and it becomes a beautiful and super tasty aspect of the charcuterie plate. Fresh and soft goat cheese goes great with dried figs. 

Gruyere cheese: There are tons of different varieties and ages of gruyere cheese out there. Grab your favorite one or ask for a recommendation from a friend, family member, or the person working the deli counter. All gruyeres will have a complex nutty and creamy taste to them. 

Manchego cheese: This is a cheese that is typically aged for a while. With an intense, sharp, and zesty taste, this crumbly cheese (along with the others) completes a near-full spectrum of cheese styles for you and your friends to choose from. 

Brie: Soft and creamy, brie cheese is a great cheese for a charcuterie board. Offering a mild flavor and unique consistency, it's great for smearing on a cracker.

Pistachios: Be sure to purchase roasted and salted pistachios. These salty nutty green gems are the perfect complement to a log of creamy goat cheese. 

Pecans: In my opinion, this is the nut of the fall/winter. Pecan pie season typically aligns with charcuterie board season. Enjoy chopped pecans paired with fig marmalade and warm baked brie cheese. 

Honey: Just a touch of honey is all you need to take the goat cheese and pistachio pairing from good to great. Honey and cheese are a perfect pairing!

Fig marmalade: A fig charcuterie board would be slighted without some fig marmalade. Giving you the freedom to enjoy the taste of figs 12 months of the year, I find fig marmalade/jam is one of the best fruit preserves to pair with cheese. 

Rosemary: Finely chop up some fresh rosemary, and have it ready for the perfect garnish for the baked fig and pecan brie. 

Dried figs: Dried figs on a charcuterie board are a great option because you can access them year-round. The concentrated fig flavor is super tasty and they have a lovely chewy consistency. If you can access them, fresh figs are a great substitute (or you can do half and half). Be sure to slice up the fresh figs into halves or quarters if you choose to use them. 

Roasted pumpkin seeds with sea salt: Roasted pumpkin seeds with sea salt are a snack that you do not want to miss out on. Avoid waste during pumpkin carving season or buy the seeds from the store to get a really nice crunchy bite.

Hot Calabrese salami: Calabria is known for their spicy peppers (pepperoncini), and therefore, it is no surprise that Calabrese salami is often hot. Adding a little spice is great to contrast the creamy cheeses and sweet fig flavors on this cheese board. 

Hot capocollo: Another spicy meat to offer on this board. Having two flavors but varying textures is great for maintaining diversity on a charcuterie platter. 

Pepper Salami: Pepper salami is a classic and affordable charcuterie board ingredient. The black pepper coating adds a nice sharp bite to incorporate yet another lovely flavor onto this extensively diverse board. 

Italian dry salami: One of my favorites, Italian dry salami is versatile because it does not have any dominant flavors. This makes it great to pair with just about any cheese or cracker on the board. 

Gala apple: A nice crisp gala apple is the best way to add some fresh, sweet, acidity to the cheese board. Apple goes great with many cheeses, beautifully contrasting and complimenting the creaminess and saltiness of the cheeses. 

Seedless purple grapes: Purple grapes are not only a tasty treat, but they add a beautiful color and unique texture to make your charcuterie board even prettier.

Charcuterie boards can be intimidating with this many ingredients and components. Luckily, I’ll walk you through the process and show you how easy it truly is. 

The beautiful thing about charcuterie boards is that there are no set rules. You have the freedom to play around with ingredients and designs, and allow your creative spirit to fly. That being said, if you're new to the cheese board scene, follow along as I show you how I go about putting together this charcuterie board with figs. 

For the best visuals, place contrasting colors next to one another so each ingredient can stand out. Along those same lines, try and place items of different textures next to one another to express further contrast.

Lastly, an often overlooked feature to have in your charcuterie board is to have a change in height between items on the board (i.e. the container of pumpkin seeds will be taller than the crackers or the grapes).  

An overall guideline for my charcuterie board presentation goes from placing the largest items down first, spreading them apart, and then gradually filling the gaps with smaller and smaller items. 

For the Pistachio Honey Goat Cheese: Spread the chopped, roasted, and salted pistachios across a plate. Take your goat cheese log, and gently, roll it in the pistachios until the entire log is coated. Once coated, place the log on the cheese board platter. Drizzle the bit of honey over the log. 

For the Fig and Pecan Baked Brie: Heat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC). On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, place the brie cheese. Evenly, top the brie with the fig marmalade, chopped pecans, and chopped rosemary. Place the brie in the oven for 8 - 10 minutes. To test if the brie is ready, gently press on the top of the cheese. If it gives, it means it's melted inside and is good to go. 

Place the baked brie on the board in some open space. With the brie in place, pile the crackers around the cheese and also around the edges of the board. 

Grab 3 small serving bowls and fill them with dried figs, fig marmalade, and pumpkin seeds. Place these bowls spread throughout the open space on the cheese board. 

After the small bowls, brie, and goat cheese can be placed on the board. Then, add the manchego and Gruyère cheeses in open space on the board. 

Pile all the different meats around the cheeses. I like to either partially overlap the meats or fold them in ways so that they stand up. Additionally, I like keeping each type separated to avoid confusion if a guest does not like a certain flavor or spice. 

With the meats and cheeses in place, fill in any leftover gaps with the apple slices and grapes. If you want to add an even nicer finishing touch, add some fresh rosemary sprigs as garnish throughout the board.