This playful Spooky Charcuterie Board makes a dramatic centerpiece for your next Halloween gathering. Built from simple cheeses, cured meat, fresh vegetables, and nuts, the vampire design is fun to assemble and even more fun to serve.
Serve the board with a handful of fresh basil leaves tucked into the vampire’s shirt for color and aroma, and offer slices of crusty bread or my easy focaccia as an accompaniment for a satisfying appetizer or snack. Use any extra space on your board to add more bites—extra tomatoes, bocconcini, or crackers are all great options.
Place cocktail sticks on the side so guests can make their own skewers. Offer extra-virgin olive oil, a drizzle of balsamic glaze, and flaky sea salt for finishing. These simple additions let everyone customize their bites and add a little flair.
Recipe Tip
If you want a spookier look, invert the mouth into a frown and angle the cucumber-peel eyebrows upward to give the vampire a menacing expression.
Prepare the board a few hours before serving and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Assemble the majority of pieces ahead of time, then add delicate items like cucumber peel details and basil right before guests arrive so they stay fresh.
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Spooky Charcuterie Board
Rate
Equipment
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metal straw (for making small rounds)
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small round cookie cutter
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medium round cookie cutter
Ingredients
- 2 slices ham
- 200 grams bocconcini, mozzarella balls
- 200 grams cherry tomatoes, or grape tomatoes
- 1 cucumber
- 1 fresh mozzarella
- 2 almonds
Instructions
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Place the two ham slices overlapping in the center of a platter or wooden board to form the vampire’s face.
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Arrange bocconcini along the top edge to create hair.
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To blanch the almonds for fangs: place them in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over them for 3–4 minutes, then slip off the skins carefully.
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Peel strips of cucumber skin to create jacket trim and other facial accents.
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Use a small round cutter to punch out cucumber peel pupils and use a metal straw to make small round button details from the cucumber peel.
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Cut a long, thin slice of cucumber peel into a nose and mouth shape and position it on the face.
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Slice the fresh mozzarella and trim two rectangles to create the shirt collar.
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Use the medium cookie cutter to create round shirt details and the eyeballs from the mozzarella.
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Assemble the vampire on the board, arranging halved tomatoes around the lower portion to form a red jacket. Halve the tomatoes if they tend to roll.
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Finish with basil leaves tucked into the shirt, add optional seasonings, and serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
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