Valentine's Day Cheese Board

Get cheesy this Valentine’s day with local, Ontario artisanal cheese! Our Valentine's Day Cheese Board was curated to highlight some of the best locally-crafted cheeses in the province.

Get creative and use your favourite local fruits, veggies, and cured meats, and top your board off with some herbs to add a fresh aroma and flavour. Charcuterie boards are incredibly versatile so don’t limit yourself - there are no rules!

Salami Rosebuds:

• Using 4 to 7 slices of salami (depending on how big you want your salami bud), fold them in half crosswise and line them up and over lap them slightly.

• Then starting at one side, start rolling up the salami to create a “rosebud” shape. Use a toothpick to hold the bottom together. You can open up the outer layers for a more open look to the flower. You can use some basil leaves on either side for leaves if desired. Place on board.

Salami Flowers:

• Using 7 to 9 salami slices depending on how big you want your salami flower and size of glass), start folding them over the edge of a glass and continue going around to create the “flower petals” around the rim of the glass.

• Turn glass over and slide flower off the top of the glass to place on your board.

Tip: If your cheese is sliced thin you can do the same to create a cheese flower.

Salami and Cheese Flower:

• Place a slice of provolone with a slice of salami and fold in half and then gently roll it up a bit to create a small flower shape, use a toothpick to secure the bottom. Place on board.

Salami Butterfly/Bowtie:

• Pinch centre of a slice of salami and in centre use a small piece of cheese or an olive with a toothpick to hold together.

Prosciutto and Cheese Sticks:

• Cut a slice of prosciutto lengthwise in half and wrap 1 half around a breadstick. Cut the cheese slices into thin strips and wrap around prosciutto. Alternatively, you can use a vegetable peeler or cheese knife to get thin strips of other cheeses to use to wrap your breadstick. Place on board.

• Using your flower or heart cookie cutters, cut out small shapes from the cheeses you have on hand. You can also cut out a few from the apple slices as well. If you want to create a meat and cheese flower, cut out the sam shape from a slice of kielbasa sausage and cheese and alternate them into each other.

• Fill in areas with fresh rosemary, thyme or chives to look like leaves and stems of the flowers.

• Skewer cubes of cheese and grape tomatoes onto small skewers. Another option is to skewer a piece of pepperette with cheese and pear.

Cucumber Flowers:

• Use long thin slices of cucumber to roll up and create a flower shape.