What better way to spend your Valentine’s (or Galentine’s!) Day than snacking on a delicious, and certainly appealing, charcuterie board. And if you’re wondering how to pronounce this— as most of us beginners are— it’s “shahr-kyu-tuh-ree.”
Creating this fun and festive “grazing board,” as we like to call it, is a great way to serve up a variety of foods and snacks for your gals or that special someone. Here’s what you’re going to do:
- Start by choosing the perfect base for your soon-to-be charcuterie masterpiece. This can be a wooden board, a marble plate or any flat surface. Here’s the thing— you can use whatever size or shape you want! It’s your board, so seriously anything goes. Don’t be afraid to get creative with things lying around your house, or simply take a trip to Home Goods or Walmart. The world is your oyster as they say!
- Next is to add little bowls filled with dips or honey to your base. We like to add walnuts into the mix as well to give your board that extra-aesthetic texture moment.
- Now for our favorite part— the cheese! We’ve listed some “gouda” options for you below the ingredients, but feel free to choose any cheese that your heart desires. It is Valentine’s Day after all. We do suggest having at least 3 different cheeses in different shapes and sizes— this will spice things up and allow your board to be more visually appealing.
Make sure to space your cheeses out so that you can incorporate the remaining ingredients. Repeat this step for your breadsticks, crackers, nut mixtures and meats.
Tip: To give your charcuterie board that extra Valentine’s Day touch, find any heart shaped chocolates or crackers and throw them into the mix as well.
- Now that we have our salty cravings locked in, it’s time to sweeten things up a bit! Grab your favorite fruits and place them in any open spaces that need some love. We recommend including some fresh blueberries, grapes and raspberries to give your board a pop of color.
At this point, you’ll see that your board is really starting to come together quite nicely! If you find yourself with some extra space, don’t be afraid to branch out and add in some other elements such as pickles, olives, vinegar marinated cucumbers, etc.
Last but not least, finish off your board by including some toothpicks, tiny serving spoons for the dips and some cute Valentine’s Day embellishments!
Remember, you can customize your charcuterie board however you like, however typically it will include the following:
- Nut Mixtures (walnuts, candied pecans, macadamia nuts and/or almonds.)
- Cheese (manchega, brie, and cranberry wensleydale, white cheddar, pepper jack)
- Breadsticks
- A variety of crackers
- Honey
- Greek Yogurt
- Macarons
- Meats (salami, pepperoni and prosciutto)
- Crostini
- Fruits (raspberries, blueberries, grapes, strawberries, etc.). Dried fruits are also a great choice as well!
- Pickles
- Olives
- Chocolates
- Jam
XOXO,
YENSA Beauty 💋