Kicking off my month of love with this Date Night Charcuterie Board.
February has got to be my favorite month. Why? Firstly, it’s my birthday month. Secondly, I love.. love. And February is the obviously the official month of love.
What says love more, than a Date Night Charcuterie Board for two?! Not much, friends. So that’s what we are going to do. That’s right, you are welcome to all of you approaching Valentine’s- sans plans. I have the perfect guide for those of you asking how to make a charcuterie board.
How To Make a Charcuterie Board:
Quality Meat
To kick off your date night charcuterie board, you need to find some cured meats. Pro Tip: I personally love going to Aldi or Trader Joe’s. Both have great 3-meat variety packs that will transport you straight to France with one bite! Dried Chorizo is also a great addition.
Cheese
You can’t seriously ask how to make a charcuterie board without the best (IMO) ingredient. That ingredient is cheese, and with cheese, variety is key. I like to pair different textures together. Pick 2 or 3 (because no one is mad at leftovers) for your date night charcuterie board. I used humboldt fog (goat cheese), brie, and an aged manchego
Soft Cheeses include: Brie, Blue, Boursalt, Boursin, Buffalo Mozzarella, Burrata, Camembert, Couer De Chevre, Feta, Goat Cheese, and Ricotta
Semi-Hard Cheeses include: Cheddar, Gouda, Havarti, Gruyere, Fontina, Emmentaler, Taleggio, Comte, and Manchego
Hard Cheeses include: Asiago, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino Romano
Some sources will interchange hard and semi-hard, this is just my definition.
Crackers and Bread
Now obviously you need a base to add your cheese and meats and safely deliver them to your mouth to enjoy. Table water crackers are great. Trader Joe’s has a great selection of crackers for cheeseboard! But any variety pack will do! I also use half slices of sourdough.
Spreads and Dips
Okay in my honest opinion spreads and dips are the star of the cheeseboard show. Do not tell me that a prosciutto and brie crostini is complete without a schmear of pepper jelly. Just don’t, okay. My usual M O is a sweat (usually paired with some heat) with something savory, like a whole grain mustard.
Sweet Spreads include: honey, spicy honey, jam, jelly, caramelized onion spread
Savory Spreads include: mustard, hummus, tzatziki, pesto, and tapenade
Add-ins
And finally to wrap up our date night charcuterie board we have our add-ins.
Pickled anything belongs on a cheeseboard. Pickled peppers, pickled peppers, giardiniera, and plain old pickles. Mix in with some olives. Basically anything you find in your olive bar is fair game, so load up!
Nuts are a great addition to any cheeseboard. I LOVE marcona almonds, but candied pecans are also a great option too!
Fresh fruit and dried fruit should also be added. My favorite to add is sliced apples, figs, grapes, and in the spirit of Valentines day I added strawberries to this particular board.
Did you make a Date Night Charcuterie Board?! Tag me in your creations on insta @theseasonaljunkie!
Date Night Charcuterie Board
The perfect last minute Valentines Day idea is here. Skip the crowds and reservations and make a Date Night Charcuterie Board in!
Ingredients
- 1 small round of Brie Cheese, cut into wedges
- 1 8 oz portion of Manchego Cheese, cut into bite-sized triangles
- 1 portion of Humboldt Fog Cheese, I keep whole and cut with cheese knife
- 1 6-8oz Variety Pack of Cured Meats, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup Pepper Jelly
- 1/4 cup Whole Grain Mustard
- 1/2 cup Castelvetrano Olives
- 1/4 cup Pickled Peppers
- 8 oz Mixed Nuts (I used Marcona Almonds)
- Crackers and Bread
- For sweets I added, Macarons, Pink and White M&Ms and Strawberries
Instructions
Feel free to use your artistic creativity with your cheeseboard! I typically start by laying down wax or parchment paper. This makes clean up a breeze.
depending on how I cut the cheese I'm using, I place it down throughout the board. I then place down the containers the smears and spread go into and fill them up! I also had desert containers so I laid those down and added the desserts in as well!
Add sliced meats, I like to start at one end of the board and trail them to the other side. *Feel free to watch my video found above too!
Time to fill in with olives, pickled peppers (or whatever you are using), and nuts.
Add the crackers in any blank spaces. And Enjoy friends, go crazy!
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