The Magical Hocus Pocus Cheeseboard That's Way Easier Than It Looks
Hocus Pocus Cheeseboard
It's hard to believe that this year is the 30th anniversary of the Disney classic Hocus Pocus. Diehard fans were thrown into a frightful frenzy last year when Hocus Pocus 2 (finally!) came out after 29 years. As the autumn leaves fall and all things pumpkin adorn our doorsteps (and our pantries and fridges) once again, it's the perfect time to revisit the enduring allure of the Sanderson sisters with some Hocus Pocus-themed food.
Social media also is fond of the film, so this time of year my feed is full of Hocus Pocus party food. One of my favorite Hocus Pocus party ideas this year comes from @athomewithshannon, who always posts the cutest hacks and crafts. As soon as I saw her charming Hocus Pocus cheeseboard, I knew I had to give it a try. Here's what happened when I made it at my house.
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Ingredients for the Hocus Pocus cheeseboard
For this cheeseboard, you are going to need three rounds of brie; 8 oz. of white cheddar, cubed; half a package of strawberries, cut in half; one unpeeled cucumber, sliced into rounds; peeled oranges (or clementines); one mini red pepper; a few black olives; a package of sliced salami (I used almost half of an 8 oz. package); a handful of pretzel sticks; chives; 3 string cheeses, each cut into 3 pieces; two containers of blackberries; and one container of raspberries.
Also, make sure to grab a cutting board or large serving platter that's big enough for all of the ingredients. The hair is what really makes this one, so you need enough room for that.
Related: Top Trader Joe's Cheese Board Cheeses, According to Super Fans (It's a Controversial List)
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
How to Make the Hocus Pocus cheeseboard
This requires little to no artistic skill so if you're worried about technique, don't be. Really, the hardest part is making the cute little faces out of olives and peppers.
Begin by prepping all of your ingredients, which will make the assembly much easier. Wash your produce, unwrap your cheeses and slice the fruits and veggies. It took me about 30 minutes to prep the ingredients for this board, but it may go quicker if you have some kitchen helpers.
The broomsticks are certainly optional, but I thought they were super cute, so I gave them a try. To make them, cut one piece of string cheese into three pieces, stick a halved pretzel stick into the cheese, tie with a chive, then cut vertical slices into the bottom of the string cheese to create the broom. (To see this in action, check out Shannon's tutorial.) Repeat with more string cheese, pretzel sticks and chives.
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
For the board itself, I started by placing the rounds of brie in the center of the board and moving on to Winifred's hair first. To make her hair, fold each piece of salami in thirds, accordion-style, then poke through the middle with a skewer or a long toothpick. I used red reusable cocktail picks to match the salami but long wooden toothpicks would work as well. I also noticed while shopping for this board that the hot salami (vs. regular salami) was closer to the shade of Winnie's bright orange mop, so I grabbed that instead.
Position the skewered salami on top of the middle round of brie, poking the end of the skewer into the top of the brie to anchor it.
Next, place the cubed cheddar onto the left round of brie to create Sarah's flowing blonde locks. Finally, position the blackberries (with some raspberries on top) onto the right round of brie to create Mary's hair.
Next up, the dresses. Use rows of quartered strawberries for Sarah, cucumber slices for Winifred and mandarin segments for Mary.
Create your eyes and mouths with tiny slices of black olives and red or orange pepper.
Fill in the gaps at the top and bottom of your board with more pretzels, candy (I found gummy frogs!), plastic spiders, cheese and broomsticks. Stand back and marvel at your mystical masterpiece.
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
Related: This Cheeseboard Makes it Sooo Easy to Create a Cool Spread
Tips for Making the Hocus Pocus cheeseboard
Use room-temperature string cheese. Make sure that your string cheese is at room temperature so you can easily poke the pretzel stick into the cheese. Room-temp cheese also makes cutting the broom part easier. I used kitchen scissors, but you can also use a small knife.
Experiment with your faces. Most boards online use red pepper or orange pepper for the lips and tiny slices of olives for the eyes. You can also use an edible marker to draw on the eyes or little pieces of candy like Swedish fish or Sour Patch Kids for the lips.
Use what you have. Don't get too wrapped up in having every single ingredient listed here to create this board—it's all about the colors. Use cheese curds, popcorn, potato sticks or cauliflower for Sarah's hair and sugar snap peas, broccoli or green grapes for Winifred's dress. Even the cute little broomsticks can be modified by sticking a pretzel rod into a mini Reese's Cup and calling it a day.
Go veggie. If you want to make this board vegetarian but don't want to lose out on Winnie's signature hair, turn to your spiralizer. Spiralized carrots or beets packed tightly on top of the brie can easily sub in for the salami. Many markets, such as Whole Foods, carry pre-made spiralized veggies if you're looking for a shortcut.
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
Next: 7 'Hocus Pocus' Filming Locations You *HAVE* To See in Real Life
