Valentine's Charcuterie Board with Pepperoni Roses
A Valentine's Charcuterie Board with Pepperoni Roses and heart-shaped cheese hearts are an easy, fun, and delicious way to celebrate with your special someone. Fresh fruit, chocolate candy, conversation hearts, cheese, meat roses, and crackers all make a beautiful array of snacking.
Servings: 2 - 4 servings
Equipment
- small heart shaped cookie cutter
- wooden cutting board
Ingredients
- 8 ounce block of cheddar cheese
- 8 ounce block of pepper jack cheese
- 40 slices pepperoni
- crackers
- Valentine's Conversation Hearts
- heart-shaped chocolates (like Dove)
- Valentine's M&M candies
- fresh Raspberries
Instructions
How to cut cheese into heart-shapes
- Slice your blocks of cheese in half lengthwise so you have two thinner rectangular blocks.
- Use the heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut hearts into the blocks of cheese.
How to make the pepperoni roses
- Using a shot glass to hold the meat slices in place, pressthe pepperoni slice on the rim, half inside and half outside the glass
- Add the next slice of pepperoni halfway over that one, then repeat that process with more pepperoni slices. You will use 10 slices total per rose.
- Note: be sure to push the slices against the inside and outside of the shot glass, this will help keep the roses formed and easily removed to your board.
For the rest of the grazing board
- Arrange the crackers onto your board, starting from the top left, then stacking down on an angle, 1-2 inches from the bottom right corner. I chose to use small rectangular crackers, but feel free to use your favorite.
- Place a pepperoni rose above and below the crackers, in the center of your line of crackers. If you pressed the pepperoni slices together as in the direction above, your pepperoni rose will stay together.
- Arrange cheddar cheese hearts above the crackers, to the right of the pepperoni rose to help hold it in place. Do the same with the pepper jack cheese to the left of the bottom rose.
- The Conversation Hearts go under the pepperoni rose at the bottom and to the right until you meet the crackers. Add another pepperoni rose under the cheddar cheese hearts, against the crackers.
- Fill the bottom corner of the board with the chocolate hearts (under the pepperoni rose). Place the raspberries all around the cheddar cheese hearts, meeting at the pepperoni roses, and also to the left of the pepper jack cheese, filling in that left side.
- Place the M&Ms above and next to the top rose, and above the chocolate hearts. Then, add the final pepperoni rose to the top right corner.
Notes
- You can use strawberries in place of raspberries. Create a heart-shaped strawberry by cutting the top off in a “V” shape.
- Salami can be used in place of pepperoni to make the meat roses.
- Are your cheese hearts too thick? Easy fix. Slice the blocks of cheese into thirds. Bonus tip for this: take the blocks of cheese to the deli in your grocery store and ask them to slice it for you.
- Any heart-shaped chocolate candy can be used in place of the Dove chocolates. White chocolate would be wonderful as well.
- Not a conversation heart fan? Replace with other fun Valentine’s Day candy, or replace with cashews, pistachios, honey-roasted peanuts, walnuts, pecans, or almonds.
- Add some cookies and this Valentine’s Cheesecake Dip
- Always make sure you have items placed all the way to the very edges of your board.