Everyone out of the water…it’s Shark Week! If you ask me, the best way to enjoy these seven jaws-packed days is with all your chums (see what I did there?). And if your school of friends is anything like mine, then snacks are required–and I’m not talking about seal-shaped decoys (we’ll leave those to the Great Whites). Make this un-Brie-lievably cute shark-cuterie board, complete with under-the-sea-themed cheeses, fresh produce and meat. Go ahead, take a bite out of Shark Week!
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 50 min |
| Active: | 50 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 50 min |
| Active: | 50 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 7 ounces Cheddar, sliced
- 7 ounces Colby Jack, sliced
- 4 ounces provolone, sliced
- 8 Persian cucumbers
- One 5.2-ounce package Gournay cheese
- 36 ounces blueberries
- 1 small red bell pepper
- 6 ounces salami, sliced
- One 16-ounce Brie wheel, chilled in the freezer for about 10 minutes
- 2 tablespoons strawberry jam
- Crackers, for serving
Instructions
- For the cheese fish and starfish: Use a 3-by-2-inch fish cookie cutter to cut each slice of Cheddar into a fish. Repeat with the Colby Jack (save both types of cheese scraps for another use). Use a 3 3/4-by-4-inch starfish cookie cutter to cut each slice of provolone into a starfish (save the provolone scraps for the Brie shark). Make 2 stacks each of the Cheddar and Colby Jack fish and space them out in the middle of a large, rectangular cheese or charcuterie board (about 20 inches by 14 inches). Stack the starfish in 1 stack and reserve for the next step.
- For the cucumber seaweed: Trim off one end of each cucumber, then halve lengthwise. Using one tip of the starfish cookie cutter, cut out ridges along both long sides of each cucumber to resemble seaweed. Lay the cucumbers cut-side down along the bottom of the board with the trimmed ends at the bottom. Place the stack of provolone starfish on top of the cucumber seaweed.
- For the Gournay life preserver: Fill a 5-ounce ramekin with the Gournay cheese. Use a 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutter to remove the center of the Gournay, then re-fill the center with about 1/4 cup of the blueberries. Quarter the pepper; cut four 1-inch-long matchsticks from one of the quarters (save the rest for another use). Arrange the pepper pieces on top of the Gournay to resemble a life preserver. Place the Gournay life preserver in the upper right corner of the board.
- For the salami coral: Fold each slice of salami in half, then in half again. Tuck the corners of each folded salami into the fold of another to create a 2-inch-long chain. Repeat until you have at least 4 chains. Place the salami chains among the cucumbers to resemble coral.
- For the Brie shark: Cut the chilled Brie into a rounded triangle, then slice it in half horizontally. Remove the top half of the Brie and cut off a 1-inch border from it. Cut an eye-shaped opening near the bottom edge to make a shark’s open mouth. Spread strawberry jam on the bottom half of the Brie. Place the top half on the bottom half. Cut the remaining provolone into 1/2-inch triangles and place them inside the opening to resemble shark teeth. Slice 12 blueberries in half and line the exposed border of the bottom brie shark with the halved blueberries, cut-side down, adding 2 blueberry halves cut-side up across from each other near the top to resemble shark eyes. Place the Brie shark in the upper left corner of the board.
- For serving: Fill in the rest of the board with blueberries to resemble water. Serve with your favorite crackers on the side.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 953 |
| Total Fat | 67 g |
| Saturated Fat | 38 g |
| Carbohydrates | 41 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 24 g |
| Protein | 50 g |
| Cholesterol | 208 mg |
| Sodium | 1735 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 953 |
| Total Fat | 67 g |
| Saturated Fat | 38 g |
| Carbohydrates | 41 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 24 g |
| Protein | 50 g |
| Cholesterol | 208 mg |
| Sodium | 1735 mg |