By Sophia Sasson
If you are looking for a trendy DIY Valentine’s meal, look no further. Here are some ideas for you to get creative by putting together any of these food boards.
Note with all boards, variety is key. Use plenty of colorful foods to brighten up your board and make sure everything is evenly distributed. Try not to make piles of food, rather spread it out so that you are covering surface area.
The Cheese Board
To create the perfect cheese board you will want to have a nice mix of cheese strength and texture. Aim for 3 cheeses and 2-3 crackers or breads. If you are going to add a hard cheese make sure to pre-cut a few slices and be sure to have different utensils for each cheese and dip. Fill in the blank spaces with fruits, nuts and olives. Sliced apples and grapes on the vine complete the aesthetic. Roasted and seasoned nuts make for a nice boost of flavor and if you are adding any olives or spreadable dips and jams, make sure you are using mini bowls and ramekins.
Sample board:
- Brie (always a favorite on my boards)
- Gouda
- Cheddar
- Red apples thinly sliced
- Green grapes on the vine (break into a few smaller vines or keep together)
- Fig jam
- Mild/plain crackers
- Seedy crackers
- Roasted almonds
- Sunflower seeds
- Castelvetrano olives
The Crudité Board
Making a raw veggies board follows a lot of the same guidelines as the cheese board. Oftentimes, I will combine the crudité and cheese boards for a nice appetizer-style feast. Make sure to cut all of the veggies so that it is easy to evenly dip once (no double-dipping on my boards). If you are making a larger board, it is good to split up the veggies into two spots on the board for easy access. Decorate this board off with capers and fresh herb sprigs. Another finishing touch is to evenly spread the top of the hummus in the bowl and pour olive oil on top.
Sample board:
- Carrots
- Cucumbers
- Celery
- Bell peppers
- Sugar snap peas
- Hummus
- Tzatziki
- Pesto
- Pita or pita chips
The Sushi Board
There are so many different options you can do for this board! It all depends on your personal preference but I would suggest doing a mix of sushi and cut rolls. If you are making the sushi yourself make sure you get sushi-grade fish and buy as fresh as possible. Pro-tip for handling sushi rice: wet your hands a little to minimize food waste and mess. Use two spoons to quenelle the rice before placing the fish on top. Alternatively, for an easy hack, you can just order in and assemble this board. Something I have searched far and wide for in D.C. is spicy tuna on crispy rice. Jinya Ramen Bar has it as an appetizer and it is delicious. If you want to add finishing touches to this board I would suggest drizzling eel sauce and spicy mayo. Make sure to include ginger and wasabi for a completed look.
Sample Board:
- Salmon sushi
- Yellowtail sushi
- Spicy tuna on crispy rice
- Shrimp tempura roll
- Tamago
- Soy sauce
- Ponzu
- Wasabi
- Ginger
The Dessert Board
While each board can be versatile in its own way, I think the dessert board is especially fun. You can add fruit, cookies, chocolates, cakes, candy, or a mix on your board but the possibilities are endless. A classic Valentine’s staple would definitely be chocolate-covered strawberries. On a fruit board, I suggest a nice balance between tart and sweet while keeping in mind that everything should be cut into 1-2 bite-size pieces. Citrus can be cut into wedges or half wedges but keep the peels on. Another cool thing for fruit boards you can do is to incorporate the rinds in creative ways like making a pineapple boat as a “centerpiece” on the board and filling in around. You could also make a fruit salad and hollow out half a watermelon and use it as the bowl for the fruit salad. If you want to mix fruit and baked goods, make sure the flavors complement each other. If you enjoy baked goods over fruit and chocolates, it is advisable to make mini cupcakes or cookies rather than a whole cake for easy grazing. Salty snacks really thrive on a sweet board because it enhances the sweetness, so snacks like pretzels are a staple item. Having a dip on the board is fun too—something chocolatey is a clear winner but if you are a fan of spice, try hot honey! Finishing touches for this board include chocolate truffles, M&M’s, powdered sugar, or if you’re going for a V-day theme, candy hearts.
Sample board:
- Strawberries
- Pineapple
- Nutella or chocolate dip
- Honey pretzels
- Brownie bites finished with powdered sugar
- Peanut M&Ms
- Caramel popcorn
