A Valentine cocktail with passion. Photo
courtesy DUO Restaurant & Lounge | New
York City.

We must admit: We didn’t even know there was a tequila liqueur.

But now that we do, what a great Valentine’s Day gift for your favorite tequila lover.

Agavero Tequila Liqueur, by the makers of Jose Cuervo, is a blend of 100% agave reposado and añejo tequilas. There’s also a touch of the damiana flower, an herb native to Mexico with a verbena-like aroma that is to have aphrodisiac properties (and if you want to believe in aphrodisiacs, that’s fine with us).

The liqueur fell out of fashion and wasn’t imported for years. Now it’s back in the U.S., and you should be able to find a bottle in the $15.00-$30.00 range (here’s a store locator). There’s also an orange-flavored version.

Agavero has the burnished copper color of an añejo tequila, with medium-full body of a liqueur. You’d think from the nose that you were about to drink añejo tequila: The liqueur has similar flavors, but with the light sweetness and silky texture of a liqueur.

It is delicious to sip, to add to coffee or to incorporate into cocktails. In a Margarita, use half tequila, half Agavero.

Here’s a cocktail perfect for Valentine’s Day, called Besame (Kiss Me). It was created by Sabina and Lorraine Belkin of DUO Restaurant & Lounge in New York City.

This cocktail combines sweet and tangy fruit flavors with a tequila bite and a Valentine-red hue. So get out the glasses and the cocktail shaker, and toast your Valentine with something special.

BESAME VALENTINE COCKTAIL

Ingredients Per Cocktail

 
Preparation

1. MUDDLE limes and raspberries in a highball glass.

2. ADD Agavero; top off with passion fruit juice. Add a splash of Chambord.

Put down the flipper and tongs and Let them cook! Cookware from SurLaTable.com.

3. POUR into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and strain back into the highball glass.

4. GARNISH as desired.

MORE VALENTINE COCKTAILS

Check out our Valentine cocktail recipes.

Photo courtesy BellaBaker.com.

“I absolutely love surprises,” says Lauryn Cohen of BellaBaker.com. “Imagine a cupcake surprise…biting into an already delicious cupcake and finding a second delicious surprise inside.”

So she created Strawberry Surprise Cupcakes, a lovely treat for Valentine’s Day.

The cake is tender and light and gets its strawberry flavor puréed fresh strawberries added to the batter. The surprise is fresh, sweet strawberry jam that provides a burst of strawberry goodness. Strawberry cream cheese icing brings a bit of tang for contrast.

“So make these cupcakes and shhhh, don’t tell anyone about the jam in the middle.” says Lauryn. “Make it a surprise that’s sure to put a smile on everyone’s face.”

RECIPE: STRAWBERRY SURPRISE CUPCAKES

Ingredients

 
FOR THE ICING

A delicious surprise. Photo courtesy BellaBaker.com.

Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F. BEAT butter at medium speed until creamy. Add sugar and beat about 3 minutes, until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating for a minute after each addition. Add 1 1/2 cups of strawberry puree.

2. COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Stir in food coloring.

3. PLACE in mini baking cups and bake 10-12 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from pans and cool completely.

4. FILL the cupcakes: Cut cone shapes out of the top dome of each cupcake. Fill a Ziplock-type bag with fresh strawberry jam and snip the corner. Fill the hole in the cupcake to the top with jam then place the cone shape back on top.

5. MAKE THE ICING: In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter at medium-high speed with an electric mixer for 2 to 3 minutes, until smooth. Add strawberry preserves and vanilla, beating until well combined. Add confectioners’ sugar and salt, beating until smooth. Frost cupcakes. Garnish as desired.

Top shelf alcohol infuses the ganaches in
these bonbons. Photo courtesy Twice The
Vice.

We love Twice The Vice, “spirited” chocolates filled with ganaches that are beautifully infused with premium alcohol.

But not everyone can get them. Due to their high alcohol content, the chocolates can only be mailed to adults in the 19 states that allow purchase of alcohol by mail (AZ, CA, CO, FL, HI, IL, KY, LA, MA, MD, MN, MO, NJ, NH, NV, NY, TX, VA, WA). If your state isn’t listed, petition your legislators: Twice The Vice is worth the effort.

We’ve enjoyed other brands of alcohol-filled chocolates. But chocolatier Craig Boreth has created the superior winning line: redolent of the flavor of fine spirits while not overwhelmed by them.

While the regular collections are superb, the Spirits of Romance Collection is de rigeur for Valentine gifting.

The box contains 16 bonbons in Champagne, Chocolate Martini, 18-Year Scotch and Hazelnut Liqueur. It’s $44 and worth it, for both the taste sensation and the long-lasting memories.

Head to the online store at TwiceTheVice.com.

How about some honey-sweetened chocolates for your honey…or for anyone who doesn’t like refined sugar?

One of our favorite booths at a particular trade show is Queen Bee Gardens, which makes delicious honey-sweetened chocolates and other confections.

The older, homespun couple at the booth differ from the trendy staff at other booths. But their chocolates are always a welcome respite on the tasting trail. We always stop for a sample, passing by many other booths with “been there, had that, pass ‘em by” chocolates.

In northern Wyoming, in a valley at the foot of the Rocky Mountains just east of Yellowstone National Park, sits the small farm where Clarence and Bessie Zeller raised a family of six. To support the family, they produced honey.

The hives were started from angry wild bees Clarence’s father found along the Shoshone River.

In 1976, the Zellers decided to expand into honey candy, using an old family recipe from Bessie’s ancestors in Scotland.

Queen Bee Gardens chocolate contains no sugar, just honey. Photo courtesy RealFoodTraveler.com.

More recipes were developed. Pecan Pearls are melt-in-your-mouth honey pecan pralines. Truffles, English toffee and other mouthwatering confections also delight.

A red heart-shaped box of chocolate truffles is $25.17. The Queen Bee Gardens website is very plain, but these farm folks know how to make confections that are anything but plain.

We [heart] heart-shaped eggs and pancakes. Photo courtesy Norpro.

Yesterday we recommended some heart-shaped molds for hard-cooked eggs.

But if you prefer your eggs fried or poached—or would rather have pancakes—try these Norpro Nonstick Heart Pancake & Egg Rings.

Each ring holds 1/4 cup batter or 1 raw egg. A set of 2 rings is $5.61.

Beyond Valentine’s Day, you’ll use them for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, brunches and perhaps a monthly “I [Heart] You” breakfast.

Eggs of love. Photo courtesy Gifts and
Gadgets | Amazon.

How cute are these? Turn eggs into Valentine hearts or everyday love food, with Eggspress Heart Shaped Boiled Egg Molds.

Use the heart-shaped, hard-cooked eggs (inaccurately called hard-boiled eggs—see hard-cooked eggs versus hard-boiled eggs):

 
How would you use them?

A set of two heart shaped molds is $9.95.

HOW MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF EGGS HAVE YOU HAD?

See our egg-cellent Egg Glossary for the different types of eggs.

Share the love with these luscious bonbons.
Photo courtesy Choclatique.com.

Are you ready to give someone your heart—or a box full of them? Choclatique calls them Love Truffles.

An assortment of luscious, artisan-made, heart-shaped chocolates is a classic Valentine gift. There are even sugar-free options.

The all-natural chocolate hearts are packaged in a reusable leather gift box tied with your choice of colored ribbon. There are solid dark chocolate hearts plus delectable flavors:

Amaretto Latte, Black Cherry Caramel, Cafe Au Lait, Creamy Cappuccino, Grand Marnier, Hot Cocoa, Irish Cream Coffee, Mandarin Orange Caramel, Minty Julep, Passion Fruit Caramel, Saigon Cinnamon Caramel and Strawberries ’n Cream.

 
SUGAR FREE HEARTS

The company’s delicious Sweet Deceit line, sugar free, has solid dark and milk hearts assortments in 8, 15 and 30 pieces, $20 to $65. See the sugar-free chocolate hearts.

In 1999, Byrne & Carlson opened in Portsmouth, New Hampshire: a great artisan chocolate shop located in a charming brick townhouse. Portsmouth, the nation’s third oldest city (settled 1623), regularly appears on various “best places to live” lists. For our vote, Byrne & Carlson strongly helps that standing.

The chocolates and confections are made by hand in small batches, using the finest ingredients. When we first saw Byrne & Carlson’s wares at a trade show, we were enchanted by the beauty of their chocolate bars, decorated with edible flowers. It was the first time we’d ever seen such creative garnishing, and the chocolatiers set the standard for all others to come.

Made from the finest chocolate couverture, the chocolate bars a delectable and beautiful Valentine’s Day gift.

TO PLACE AN ORDER

There is no e-commerce, but it’s easy to order:

From top to bottom: Violet Bar with candied violets and mint leaves, Venezuelan Bar with crushed cacao nibs, Mendiant Bar with almonds, orange peel, pansy and candied violet petals. Photo courtesy Byrne & Carlson.

FIND MORE OF OUR FAVORITE GOURMET CHOCOLATE ARTISANS.

Valentine’s chocolate can mean more than heart-shaped pieces. One of our favorite chocolatiers, John & Kira’s, enables you to express your affection with a “Bee My Lovebug” collection.

The exquisite-tasting, hand-painted love bugs (ladybugs) and bee chocolates will delight the most demanding chocophile.

 
Both lovebugs and bees are made with Valrhona 64% cacao chocolate. They arrive beautifully packaged in a reusable red boutique box finished with an old-fashioned letter-pressed card.

Give your loved one some chocolate love bugs for Valentine’s Day. Photo courtesy JohnAndKiras.com.

Treat your Valentine to:

 
Everything made by John & Kira’s is top-drawer delicious, beautifully crafted and a very special treat.

FIND MORE OF THE BEST CHOCOLATE: THE NIBBLE’S FAVORITES.

Peppermint bark is one of three heart-shape
barks. Photo courtesy Laughing Moon
Chocolates.

We’re starting our Valentine dandy countdown today with Laughing Moon Chocolates of Stowe, Vermont.

For a mini treat, give your Valentine two pieces of heart-shaped chocolate bark in one of three delicious flavors:

 
The 4-ounces bag is $7.00, and just enough chocolate to let someone enjoy Valentine’s Day without a limited number of calories.

Order online at LaughingMoonChocolates.com; scroll down the page past the chocolate bunnies.