CassieLast night was one of the best nights.
Johnny had planned to make a fancy dinner reservation for our first married Valentine’s Day, but I decided I really wanted to just stay in, just the two of us – my very favourite kind of date.
Yes, that’s right – staying in the house you both inhabit can absolutely be a date night, and I would argue, they are always the best ones.
I lit all of our candles, cleaned the house from top to bottom, arranged roses and little gifts on the bed, and had salads and this charcuterie board, along with our peach champagnes, arranged in the living room when my husband came home with a huge bouquet of roses.
We cozied up on the couch, settled into a Nicholas Sparks movie, and enjoyed physical and emotional closeness that we wouldn’t have eating out. And we enjoyed it in the space that we cultivated as our home. AND we saved money.
Plus, there’s something sooo special about charcuterie.
This board was a wedding gift, and I absolutely love the rustic shape of it!
I’m compiling the “recipe” for this board here, but feel free to change it up according to your preferences. This is an example of a board that is VERY MUCH catered to our two different tastes. Ie: I didn’t touch the salami, bread, or brie, but was all over the pickles, goat cheese, smoked salmon, and dairy-free fondue. Johnny didn’t go near any of my preferences besides the pickles (we shared the last one – true love), but made little toasties out of the brie, salami, and baguette. It served the two of us PERFECTLY, with some meat and cheese left over!
Charcuterie for Two
Ingredients
Produce
6 large strawberries, washed
A handful of raspberries, washed
A handful of blackberries, washed
1/2 bunch black grapes, washed and snipped into small clusters
Meat
Six slices smoked salmon
16 slices Hungarian salami
Cheese
30g crumbled goat cheese
1 wedge double cream brie cheese
Bread
1/2 baguette, sliced, and warmed if desired
Accompaniments
1/4 cup strawberry jam
6 large pickles
4 pieces favourite chocolate (I also added Lindor hearts)
Dairy-free Chocolate Fondue (Recipe below)
To Drink
For him: 1/3 glass Gingerale, 1/3 glass peach juice, 1/3 glass champagne
For her: 1/2 glass PC Free & Clear Peach Water, 1/2 glass champagne (sooo good, I had three glasses)
Method
1. Make the fondue. In a glass measuring bowl, combine 1 Tbsp cocoa powder, 1 Tbsp peanut butter, 1/4 cup yogurt of choice (I used full-fat goat’s milk yogurt), and enough milk of choice to thicken (I used coconut milk). Add sweetener to taste – I used 3 packets of stevia, but honey or maple syrup would also be fantastic here!
2. Arrange all the components on your board, following the picture above, or developing your own method!
3. Enjoy with a starter salad (I made a simple one of spinach, beets, orange segments, and a lemon-olive oil dressing) and champagne beverages.
