With credit to my insanely creative friend Meg Quinn, here is a Halloween-themed board sure to liven-up any upcoming mummy, ghost, or zombie’s party. For inspiration and ease of construction, it’s worth checking out this quick demo of Meg in action on her instagram, @ainttooproudtomeg.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 (13-oz) brie wheel
- 2 oz blueberry jam (raspberry or blackberry also work)
- 4 yogurt covered pretzels
- 1 stick of string cheese
- 16 oz young manchego, sliced into triangles
- 12 oz Italian dry salame
- 1 (12.5-oz) package Columbus Meats Charcuterie Tasting Board (Calabrese Salame, Castelvetrano olives, chocolate covered cranberries, crackers)
- 10 oz mild cheddar, cubed
- 30 oz dark purple grapes
- 8 dried orange slices
INSTRUCTIONS
- Chill brie in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
- For the brie skull:
- Cut wedges out of the sides of the bottom third of the cheese (to make a mushroom-like shape), then round the edges at the top to create a skull.
- Slice off a ½-inch topside of brie and set aside (view this quick demo). Spread the jam on the bottom piece of brie. (Think of the two brie pieces as slices of bread for your sandwich.)
- On the set-aside piece of brie and using a paring knife, cut out a rectangle for the mouth, a triangle for the nose, and circles both of the eyes. (Pro tip: You could also use a small cookie cutter for the eyes.)
- Place the cut-out face top of the brie on the bottom jam-covered brie.
- Cut one slice of the manchego into 5 small squares and add to the rectangular mouth as teeth.
- Place the brie skull on a board, then add the yogurt covered pretzels under the brie skull to create a neck. Place the string cheese below the pretzels to make the sternum. Add the manchego in two rows on either side of the string cheese, alternating direction of triangles, to create the rib cage.
- Fold the salami into quarters and add between the manchego ribs and string cheese sternum.
- Add the olives and chocolate covered cranberries to two separate small ramekins, then place on the board. Add the Calabrese around the edges of the board.
- Fill in any remaining spaces with the grapes and cheddar, then garnish with the dried orange slices.
- Boo! Enjoy.