Valentine's Day Charcuterie Board

Hey, remember when I mentioned I went on a themed charcuterie board making tear?

I’m back with a blog post for another one of those beautiful boards - my Valentine's Day charcuterie board!

Like my other Holiday Charcuterie Boards, this was a really fun charcuterie board to design and make.

The holiday of love is RIPE with inspiration for designing not-so traditional boards - lots of red, pink, and white to work with, you get to play with the idea of heart-shaped foods, etc.

You’ll have so much fun designing your perfect board!

The best part is how scalable these boards are, to fit all kinds of special occasions.

You can make a small one for a date night, a medium one for a get together with a few best friends, or a large one for a family dinner party.

Also, you can use it as an appetizer spread before an actual dinner, or use it AS your dinner - it all just depends on what you include on your platter.

Anyway, I’ve got a ton of Valentine’s Day charcuterie board ideas to share with you, so let’s get to it!

Oh, and Happy Valentine’s Day!

Valentine’s Day Charcuturie Ingredients

Planned right, you can find everything you need to make Valentine's charcuterie boards in any local grocery store - it just depends on how wild you’re going to go with it.

That’s because - unlike the vast majority of my recipes - charcuterie doesn’t require a set list of ingredients.

Think more “choose your own adventure”, or “pick 3 from column A, and a few from column B”.

Here are the major categories you’ll want represented, and some ideas of my favorite foods to use from each, that fit in with the Valentine’s Day theme:

Meats

While I usually aim to have 3 different types of savory meats (usually cured meats) on any charcuterie board I do, I opted to let salami roses take center stage on this board.

(They’re super easy to make - see my tutorial, “How to Make Salami Roses”!)

I did accent the charcuterie roses with some ham, though - in the form of rosebuds!

To make them, I cut slices of deli ham into manageable serving sizes, then folded and rolled them into rosebud shapes.

I tucked them under the outer leaves of my salami roses to hold them in shape, but you can always secure them with toothpicks, if needed.

Cheeses

Generally speaking, I like to aim for a mix of soft and hard cheeses when designing any classic charcuterie board.

... but - much like with the meats - I let the theme take center stage on the cheeses, and only did 2 offerings.

(Well, I suppose the cream cheese dip does double duty as a “cheese” and a “sauce”, but that’s a stretch. I’ll get to that one in a bit, though!)

I haven’t seen any pink cheeses, and “red” cheeses tend to be quite orange, so I kept things white this time around - just some Monterrey Jack and Brie.

Some of my other favorite cheeses to use would be something saltier like a Parmesan or Asiago, a log of goat cheese, wedges of brie, or some pepper jack (the kind with red peppers, rather than green!).

A small block of cream cheese topped with Homemade Pepper Jelly is one of my personal favorites, but I had other ideas for pepper jelly:

For the decorated brie wheel

Center a small heart shape cookie cutter on top of the brie wheel, and press down just hard enough to cut down through the rind.

Remove the cookie cutter.

Carefully slip a very sharp knife - I used a paring knife - into the cut, angling the blade sharply.

I aim to have it almost parallel to the cheese, to avoid gouging out any more cheese than necessary.

Carefully carve out the rind from the heart shape cut.

You can leave it as is, but I like to pipe some red pepper jelly in the cut.

It’s a great option in terms of color, and pepper jelly is a perfect addition to cheese boards in general!

For the heart shaped slices of cheese:

Slice some semi soft cheese - one that won’t crumble when cut, like havarti, mozzarella, gouda, or Monterrey Jack - into ¼" slices.

Use a small heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut them into shapes.

Place them right away, or bag them to use later.

Starches

It’s always nice to have a selection of crackers on - or next to - your charcuterie board.

In this case - trying to keep things in the white/pink/red theme - I chose lighter coloured crackers:

Stoned Wheat Thins and Rice Crackers.

They’re both really white crackers, and having the rice crackers on hand is a great idea for anyone who can’t have gluten.

Other light colored crackers to consider:

Water Crackers
Vinta
Sociables
Schar Entertainment Crackers (Gluten Free).

Not quite as light, but my Crunchy Keto Crackers are a great option for anyone on a low carb diet.

While crackers are great for cheese pairings, it can be fun to have some sweet starch options - cookies! - as well.

Decorated Cut Out Sugar Cookies are a great option to continue the Valentine’s Day theme, and you should be able to find some cute options at your local store.

Otherwise, try your hand at Sugar Cookie Decorating, using that recipe I linked above.

My Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies and Keto Sugar Cookies are great options for anyone avoiding gluten and/or sugar.

Beyond sugar cookies, consider Linzer cookies, heart-shaped macarons, Gluten Free Imperial Cookies, Gluten Free Red Velvet Cookies, Keto Red Velvet Cookies, or my Keto Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

Produce

I usually like to have some sort of fresh fruit and vegetables on my charcuterie boards.

With this Valentine charcuterie board, I kept it sweet, with a couple types of red fruit: Fresh strawberries and raspberries.

I’d also considered pomegranate, Cherry tomatoes, strips of red bell pepper, and dragon fruit - any of which would be fantastic on a love themed board.

Another possibility - chocolate-covered strawberries!

Sauces, Spreads, and Dips

I usually stick to mostly savory dips when building charcuterie boards, but this time I veered kind of sweet.

The centerpiece is my Raspberry Cheesecake Dip.

Not only is it pretty and tasty, I did include more fruit on this board than I usually do, so a fruit dip seemed like a good idea.

The other spread I included was some Red Pepper Jelly - both in a little bowl to go with the cheeses and meats, AND as a topping for the brie.

I’d also considered Honey with dipper,Fig Jam , and Cranberry Relish, as well as my go-to: Kozlik’s Canadian Mustard.

I really did let aesthetic rule this board, way more so than most I do!

Maple syrup and chocolate hummus are other options I’ve seen people use for Valentine’s Day boards - something to consider!

Munchies

Usually I look at the “munchies” part of a charcuterie board as being things like nuts, pickles, etc.

When it came to designing this board, I decided to use the munchies to develop the Valentine’s theme a bit more.

So, I used:

White Chocolate Pretzels, Cinnamon Hearts, Blanched Almonds, and Foil Wrapped Chocolate Heart Candies, with some Maraschino Cherries for good measure.

(Use Luxardo Cherries if you’re feeling bougie!)

There are all kinds of red, white, and pink treats out there. Some ideas:

Valentine’s M&M Candies
White Chocolate Chips
Conversation Hearts
Chocolate-Covered Pretzels
Cordial Cherries

There are SO many types of heart-shaped treats and small candies that suit the color scheme, but I recommend using them judiciously.

It can be really easy to turn this traditional-ish Valentine Charcuterie Board into more of a Valentine’s Day dessert charcuterie board.

Now, I love me a dessert board from time to time, but I wanted this to stay primarily a traditional meat-and-cheese charcuterie spread - not a candy board!

So, just try to keep some balance in mind, when choosing your sweet treats!

Garnish and “Other”

When it came to designing this Valentine’s Day Charcuterie Board, I found that so much of what I used for “munchies” doubled as garnish, that it really didn’t need anything else!

I did find that it needed a pop of contrasting color, though. It was really, REALLY “red”, even for a Valentine’s Day thing!

So, I added some fresh mint leaves, which served double duty: They brought the contrasting colour I wanted, AND they made the charcuterie roses look even nicer!

The 3 3 3 3 Rule

You may have heard of the charcuterie rule, or the 3 3 3 3 rule.

What this refers to is the idea that - when designing a traditional charcuterie board, you want to have 3 meats, 3 cheeses, 3 starches, and 3 accompaniments (sauces, munchies, etc).

Think less “rule” and more “suggestion” - it’s just a design principle that helps guide you towards a more balanced charcuterie display.

As you can see from this board, sometimes inspiration will take you in a direction that ... doesn’t necessarily follow the rule.

It’s all good, though!

If you ask me... if it’s pretty and tasty, that’s really all you need!

Charcuterie Supplies

Aside from the actual ingredients you’ll be serving to your guests, there are a few other supplies you’ll want for your Valentine’s board.

A Charcuterie Tray

Charcuterie Boards
can be almost anything, as long as it’s food safe.

A platter, cutting board, marble slab...

The size and shape you get are pretty wide open, and will depend on how many people you’re serving, the amount of space you have to serve it on, etc.

A Large Cutting Board will work for smaller displays, and most party supply and dollar stores have plastic platters that work really well for mid range charcuterie displays.

Note: You can even make your own wooden board - see our Cutting Boards 101 post, and our two cutting board tutorials:Colourful Squares Cutting Board & Log Cabin Cutting Board!

If you’re looking to do a LARGE display, you’re probably going to need to buy something specifically intended as a catering platter.

In terms of colour, I like using a very neutral coloured tray. Sure, going with a seasonal colour can be fun - but it can also distract from the food being served, and/or make it look weird.

Maybe I’m boring, but 9 times out of 10, I’m serving my seasonal charcuterie boards on a plain white tray.

Dip Bowls, Ramekins

If you’re serving a dip, you’ll want some sort of Small Dip Bowl.

Be sure to size it on your tray before actually using it - you’d be surprised how much real estate some bowls can take up!

For smaller servings of spreads - mustard, jelly, etc - or to contain smaller items like nuts, I recommend using small ramekins for your charcuterie cups 2 oz Ceramic Ramekins work perfectly!

I went a bit extra with this one, and bought some Heart Shaped Ramekins. I think they were a great addition for this board!

The small bowls are Heart Shaped 3" Dipping Sauce Bowls, which come in red, white, pink, and some other colours.

The larger one is a 6" Heart Shape Bowl, which was slightly bigger than I would have liked, for the size of this board.

Still turned out cute though, IMHO!

If you’re serving anything that’s wrapped - and doesn’t necessarily need to be in a food-safe bowl - using an empty heart-shaped candy box is always an option, too.

Serving Utensils

Depending on what items you’re serving, you may need certain utensils.

If you’re not slicing all of your cheese, it’s a good idea to have some appropriate Cheese Knives on hand.

Small spoons are handy for things like sauces and dip - Espresso Spoons are perfectly sized for this.

If you’re serving to a crowd - rather than, say, a small board for 2 - I recommend having several Cocktail Picks, Cocktail Tongs, or even Bamboo Cocktail Forks on hand.

This will help people keep their fingers out of food that others will eventually be eating!

Cheese Markers are little signs you can stick in your cheeses, to let people know what they are.

I generally don’t bother - just as a matter of aesthetics.

Finally, having some napkins and small plates on hand is always a great idea!

How to Make a Valentine’s Charcuterie Board

Much like with the ingredients, putting together a Valentine’s Day board is more of a freestyle thing, rather than a set of directions that *has* to be followed, and done in the right order.

As long as you’re keeping food safety in mind, there’s no real wrong way to do a snack board, after all!

Here’s how I do it:

Place the Main Items

1. Figure out what your “solid” focal points are. This is generally things like sauce ramekins and dips, but could also be a cheese or meat - depending on the presentation

If you are including a wheel of brie, log of goat cheese, some kind of cheese ball, or a pate / terrine of some kind, that would count.

Place those focal points on your charcuterie board, leaving space between. I like to keep colour and texture in mind when placing, not placing things that are too similar next to each other.

I had one big focal point when making this board - the bowl of raspberry cheesecake dip - with a few smaller ones to surround it. (3 mini ramekins, 1 small brie wheel.)

Note: If any of your focal points is a bowl of dip, you can place the bowl now, and add the dip later!

2. Place your meats roughly where you’d like them to go. They don’t have to be “artfully” arranged at this point, but I do try to space them out, relative to each other.

Because the salami roses were a visual focal point, I placed them first, then situated the ham rosebuds around them.

3. Place your cheeses roughly where you’d like them, spacing them out relative to each other. I’ll usually leave some space between each meat and cheese.

Fill in the Secondary Items

4. Arrange sections of your starches. I like to keep the types of crackers, pretzels, and cookies - if using - separate from each other.

5. Fill in your sections of the more “snacky” produce, leaving more “garnish” produce for a later step. In this example, that would mean placing the strawberries, raspberries, and grapes now, leaving the mint leaves for later.

6. Place sections of your “Munchies” items, filling in any larger empty spaces.

Final Touches

7. If you haven’t arranged your meat slices and cheese slices the way you want to yet, do so now. I’ll usually use more meat / cheese / surrounding items to prop slices up, if needed.

8. Fill in any sparsely covered areas with more meat, cheese, produce, or munchies - whatever makes sense for that space on your specific board.

9. Place any of your more “garnish” produce, and any other items that may be acting as a pseudo-garnish. (Like the foil wrapped chocolate hearts).

10. Do any last minute fussing you may need to.

11. If you were holding off on adding dips to the bowls, do so just before serving.

12. If you’re adding any fresh herbs as garnish, place them now.

13. Serve and enjoy!

Tips for Charcuterie Success

Because of the different types of ingredients - and the different ways they need to be handled and stored - timing is really important when it comes to serving a Valentine’s Day Charcuterie plate.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

Food Safety

1. Make sure your charcuterie tray itself is food safe. Some boards are meant more for display, using woods or finishes that aren’t food safe.

That’s not to say you CAN’T use them for charcuterie - just be sure to line the whole board with parchment paper, so the food doesn’t directly touch the surface.

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2. Observe good food handling hygiene: Wash your hands frequently and/or wear gloves while preparing your charcuterie board. Change gloves / wash hands after touching your face, using the washroom, touching your phone, etc.

Wash all produce, and work with clean equipment.

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3. Even though the meats and cheeses should be served at room temperature, they shouldn’t be KEPT a room temperature for more than 2 hours. The same rule applies to dips, condiments, and cut produce.

This is a total time - it includes the amount of time you’re preparing the foods and working on your plate.

So, you’ll want to minimize the amount of time your meats and cheeses are out of the fridge.

I recommend preparing each meat or cheese separately, when possible: Take one from the fridge, slice it up, cover and return it to the fridge.

Keep everything chilled until you start assembling your board. Assemble it as close to serving time as possible.

If you anticipate the board being out for more than a few hours, make it smaller than needed, and keep rounds of refill items in baggies - in the fridge. Cycle food out as its time expires.

Food Quality

1. Be sure to check expiration dates on things like packaged cheeses and meats, and use them well before the expiry date. When you buy a wedge of cut cheese, it should be used within 2 weeks of purchase - generally speaking.

2. Check all produce for blemishes, mold, etc before using. Use only ripe produce.

3. Don’t let cheeses be exposed to the air for too long before use - whether in the fridge or not. Wrap or bag everything when not in use.

4. Keep cheeses separate when stored. Ideally you’ll be serving cheeses in a variety of flavors - when stored together, those flavors can mingle. Not a great thing, in this case!

Presentation

1. Try to assemble your charcuterie board as close to the time you’ll serve it, as possible. This will prevent flavors from mingling, produce from bleeding, moisture from spreading, etc.

Aside from food safety issues mentioned above, it’ll also keep things the proper texture. If you make your board, wrap it, and chill it ... you’re probably going to end up with soggy crackers.

2. I generally like to leave dips OUT of the bowls until the last minute.

It’s really easy to accidentally get a hand in the dip, as you’re assembling your board. Get it all assembled - with empty bowls - THEN spoon the dips in.

3. If you’re traveling with your board, it’s best to travel with the ingredients prepared and bagged, but not assembled. Not only will the flavors and textures stay good, you don’t have to risk an assembled board getting jostled in transit.

4. Try to be inclusive, when you’re serving a mixed crowd.

If you know that some people are gluten free, leave the crackers off the board altogether, and provide some gluten free cracker options on the side. Minimize cross contamination wherever possible.

More Valentine's Day Ideas

Looking to do something a bit different for Valentine's Day? Here are a few ideas!

6 Inch Cheesecake
Baklava Cheesecake
Balsamic Mushroom Baked Brie
Booze Bouquet Tutorial
Chocolate Leaves Cake Tutorial
Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova
Chocolate Ravioli
Dark Chocolate Truffles
Deviled Strawberries
Heart Shaped Beer Pretzels with Jalapeno Jack Dip
Heart Shaped Pavlova
Mini Eclairs
Mushroom Goat Cheese Braid
Pepper Crusted Tuna with Wasabi Cream Sauce
Phyllo Crab Triangles
Pink Heart Shaped Bagels
Red Velvet Bagels
Red Velvet Brownies
Savory Tomato Shortcake
Traditional Raspberry Mousse

Special Diet Treats

Need it gluten free* or low carb? Check out these Valentine's Day recipes on my other blogs:

Gluten-Free Crab Cakes
Keto Raspberry Truffle Tart
Gluten Free Crepes
Keto Chocolate Truffles
Gluten-Free Fried Brie
Heart Fruit Skewers with Raspberry Cheesecake Dip
Keto Creme Brulee
Low Carb Chocolate Mousse
Keto Crab Cakes
Low Carb Tiramisu
Keto Cheesecake
Keto Red Velvet Cookies
Keto Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Seafood Cobb Salad
Gluten Free Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies

* Some of the recipes in the first link section are inherently gluten free, too!

Share the Love!

Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @CelebrationGenerationCA - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!

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