Rose tea is an old European tradition: Real rose petals are blended into black or herbal tea. Photo courtesy Republic Of Tea.

For someone who’s counting calories and doesn’t want box of Valentine chocolate, how about some calorie-free rose petal tea?

Consider these limited edition offerings from Republic Of Tea:

 
There‘s also a caffeine-free Valentine Gift Tea Set: a tin of Cuppa Chocolate Strawberry Chocolate Tea (rooibos herbal tea with chocolate and strawberry) and one of Raspberry Rose Hibiscus Tea, $23.95. The teas are packed in an attractive, reusable gift box with a gold foil-embossed red lid. We couldn’t find it using the website’s search box on the site, so use the link above.

For those who say “hold the roses, just give me chocolate,” there’s a Cuppa Chocolate Tea Sampler Cube, $23.95, with calorie-free, chocolate herb tea bags in:

 
Champagne is lovely, but tea is the best way to drink to your health on Valentine’s Day.

FIND A RIOT OF INFORMATION ABOUT TEA IN OUR TEA SECTION.

Bailey’s Irish Cream has been a favorite since it was first introduced in the U.S., way back in 1974. The Irish whiskey and cream based liqueur is 17% alcohol by volume: delicious for sipping, for mixing into cocktails or as an ingredient in desserts.

The first Irish cream liqueur on the market, Baileys was created by Gilbeys of Ireland, a division of International Distillers & Vintners. No one named Bailey was involved: The name was inspired by Bailey’s Hotel in London, an elegant Victorian townhouse in South Kensington that is now owned by Millennium Hotels.

Over the years, the Original Baileys flavor had been joined by Caramel, Coffee and Mint variations. The most recent is Bailey’s Hazelnut.

Any of the flavors would make a delicious Valentine gift, or a recipe ingredient in a cold or hot drink and/or dessert. You can even add it to your chocolate truffles recipe (or use one of Baileys’ recipes).

Baileys Hazelnut Cream. Photo courtesy Gilbeys.

Grab the Johnny Walker and perk up your
marmalade. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE
NIBBLE.

RECIPES WITH BAILEYS IRISH CREAM

While you can sip away on the rocks or in a hot drink, we love Baileys on ice cream: cookies or biscotti

Check out all of the Baileys Irish Cream recipes.

FIND MORE OF OUR FAVORITE LIQUEURS, SPIRITS & COCKTAIL RECIPES IN OUR COCKTAILS SECTION.

It’s just a few weeks until Valentine’s Day. W’ll be posting some special gift ideas that catch our eye.

First up are these heart-shaped cheesecakes from Harry & David:

 
Buy the cheesecakes online at HarryAndDavid.com.
 
Or…

Two 12-ounce cheesecakes make a doubly good Valentine treat. Photo courtesy Harry and David.

BAKE YOUR OWN HEART SHAPED CHEESECAKE

You’ll need a heart-shaped springform in the right size for your recipe:

 
Here are some of our favorite cheesecake recipes.

SAVORY CHEESECAKE RECIPES

If your Valentine isn’t partial to sweets, here are five savory cheesecake recipes, which can be enjoyed with Champagne or other aperitif, as an appetizer or as a cheese course/savory dessert. The tempting flavors:

 
These savory cheesecakes are one of our favorite cocktail party foods, set out with an assortment of crackers and toasts. So even if they won’t be on your menu for Valentine’s Day, keep them in mind for other festivities.

The perfect cake for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Halloween. Photo courtesy The Sugar Mommas.

The Sugar Mommas, Kimberly and Jennifer, live in California, an entire country away from us. So if we want a piece of their Thanksgiving Pumpkin Spice Cake, we’ll have to make it ourselves. Fortunately, it’s not difficult to make a cake batter, and the pumpkin cream cheese icing is worth the extra step.

Switch out chocolate pumpkin and turkey decorations for chocolate pine cones and a reindeer, and you’ve got Christmas Pumpkin Spice Cake.

PUMPKIN SPICE CAKE RECIPE

Ingredients

Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 325°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans and set aside.

2. WHISK the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and spices together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

3. MIX the sugars and oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Use medium speed until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, blending on low speed until each is incorporated. Add the vanilla and the pumpkin purée. Mix until combined and no lumps are present.

4. ADD half of the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until fully incorporated. Add the second half of the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed until incorporated. Use a spatula to fold in the 1/2 cup of nuts; mix until just combined.

5. POUR the batter into the prepared pans and spread it evenly. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

6. ICE the first cooled cake layer on a serving platter, rounded side down (upside down). Use a knife or angled spatula to spread icing over the top and sides, being generous on top as it will be the filling layer. (A rotating cake stand is a godsend for icing cakes: well worth the modest cost and storage space.) Place the next layer right side up on top of the first and complete the frosting of the top and sides.

7. GARNISH as minimally or lavishly as you like. Minimalist: nothing. Typical: crushed amaretti cookies or ginger snaps. Lavish: chocolate medallions (the Sugar Mommas made chocolate pine cones in a mold) with a chocolate turkey, pumpkin, Christmas tree or reindeer at the center.

PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE ICING & FILLING RECIPE

Ingredients

 
 
Preparation

We prefer organic pumpkin purée: It tastes better. Photo courtesy Farmer’s Market.

1. COMBINE the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Blend on medium speed until smooth.

2. TURN the mixer to low speed and add the confectioners’ sugar a little bit at a time, until fully incorporated. Beat until light and fluffy.

3. STIR in the vanilla. This recipe may be doubled if, like us, you indulge in eating the frosting while decorating the cake.

4. DECORATE the cake by sprinkling on top of the cake. If you enjoy the crunch, go crazy and add in 1 tablespoon of raw sugar for a pretty visual that tastes unique and delicious.

Watch this video on how to ice a cake.

FOOD 101: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ICING AND FROSTING

It’s a sugar technicality! Icing is made with confectioners’ sugar, frosting with granulated sugar. The consistencies are different, hence different words to identify them. Most people use the terms interchangeably; but now that you know, you can correct them!

You could take the cake: Just enter the
contest. Photo courtesy Pepperidge
Farm.

Whether or not you had a happy Valentine’s Day, here’s a second chance for happiness:

Pepperidge Farm is celebrating its new newest 3-Layer Cake, Red Velvet.

One NIBBLE reader will receive a ”Second Celebration Kit” consisting of:

 
Enter here by 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, February 17th. The winner will be contacted at the end of the day.

IN THE MOOD FOR CAKE RIGHT NOW?

Take a look at our delicious Cake Glossary.

If you’re headed to the wine shop to buy Champagne, there are a lot of choices. Where should you start?

Take a look at Taittinger. It’s a universal favorite, described by one prominent wine reviewer as “the essence of Champagne.” One of our friends, a wine writer who could have chosen anything, served it at his wedding.

Don’t purchase a vintage year Champagne.* Vintage champagnes typically need to be laid down for 15 or 20 years to reveal their glorious nuances. Knowledgeable people who buy them don’t plan to drink them anytime soon.

Instead, look for a nonvintage Champagne, such as Taittinger Brut La Française. A nonvintage Champagne is a blend of wines from different years (see footnote).

*Vintage Champagne is a blend of wines from that one particular year indicated on the label, when the quality of the harvest, measured by the sweetness of the grapes, meets the requirements to declare a “vintage.” True vintage years may happen three or four times a decade, or fewer. Because vintage Champagne commands a significantly higher price, some Champagne houses declare a “vintage” in a year when others do not feel the quality of the harvest merits it. This doesn’t imply that nonvintage Champagnes are inferior; in fact, in a lean year, wines from richer vintages are mixed together to create the house’s “perfect” recipe.

Elegant and crisp, a perfect Champagne style. Photo courtesy Taittinger.

With a nonvintage Champagne, the different barrels of wine are assembled by the winemaker into a “perfect recipe,” known as the house style (le style de la maison): a consistent taste from year to year. And it’s a value: about $45.00 for Taittinger Brut La Française, compared with $80.00 for the 2004 vintage Taittinger Brut Millesime—which, as noted, is far too young to drink right now. (If your idea of a value is $10, you can find a nice sparkling wine, but it won’t be Champagne.)

Taittinger Brut La Française is made from 40% Chardonnay and 60% Pinot Noir grapes. Crisp, creamy and complex, it has notes of citrus, green apple and the characteristic Champagne toastiness.

The best rose for Valentine’s Day: Rosé Champagne. We love rosé Champagnes, which acquire their natural rosy color from contact with red grape skins. Taittinger Brut Prestige Rosé is a beauty, with the greater roundness that rosés have, compared with traditional Brut Champagnes. It’s priced in between the nonvintage and vintage Taittingers, around $65.00. It’s hard to find, so if you see a bottle, pounce on it. It’s a memorable Champagne for a special occasion.

If you want Champagne with dessert, head for Taittinger Nocturne, a sec† Champagne that is vinified for sweeter foods. Taittinger Nocturne has twice the dosage (sugar added after the second fermentation) of the brut Champagne. Brut Champagnes are not vinified to pair with desserts, and will seem too astringent if you drink them with sweeter foods. Instead, those in the know drink sec and demi-sec Champagnes. Sec Champagnes also go well with foods that typically pair with sweeter wines, such as foie gras, lobster and double-creme/triple creme cheeses (our idea of a perfect meal). The nose evokes peaches, apricot and yeastiness (as with toast, a characteristic of Champagne). As with its brut brother, there’s crisp acidity and rich mouthfeel, tropical fruit and minerality. Trust us, it’s romantic.

Whatever is in your glass, have a delicious Valentine’s Day.
 
†While sec means “dry” in French, as it refers to Champagne, it indicates sweetness.

How many different types of sugar have you
had? Check them out in our Sugar Glossary.

Here’s something sweet for Valentine’s Day: THE NIBBLE’s Sugar Glossary, featuring all types of sweeteners, in a downloadable PDF.

What’s the difference between demerara and turbinado sugars? Corn syrup and golden syrup? Crystallized sugar and rock candy?

You’ll find just about every type of sugar and sweetener, and hopefully will be inspired to use them in your recipes.

The Sugar Glossary is one of our 80+ food glossaries. Take a look at the others and let us know the next glossary you’d like to be downloadable. (Use the Contact Us link at the top of the page).

We’re always updating our glossaries as we come across new information. For the latest version of the Sugar Glossary, see the online article.

Some might say that champagne is the perfect Valentine’s Day libation. But chocolate lovers might prefer chocolate vodka or chocolate tequila.

Yes, they actually smell and taste like chocolate. At Van Gogh Vodka, distilled in The Netherlands, the vodkas are hand-crafted in small batches using a unique method invented by the distiller, all-natural ingredients, and premium grain alcohol. The grain alcohol goes through a six-week process, including multiple distillation followed by an all-natural double infusion flavoring.

Dutch Chocolate Vodka

For this clear vodka, Dutch cocoa flavors are combined with nuances of bittersweet coffee. The nose is chocolate and coffee; on the palate chocolate dominates, with nuances of caramel.

We like sipping it straight, but here are three cocktail recipes from Van Gogh. Combine all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker, shake and strain into a martini glass.

Chocolate-infused vodka makes for delicious sipping. Photo courtesy Van Gogh.

Rich Dark Chocolate Vodka

Unlike the Dutch Chocolate, this spirit is dark brown in color. While the distiller’s notes say this vodka is intense, we found the chocolate flavor to be much milder than Dutch Chocolate Vodka. There are charming flowery notes in the aroma and more of an alcohol taste. For mixing, it is fine; but for sipping straight, go for the more chocolaty Dutch Chocolate.

 
More of our favorite Valentine cocktail recipes.

Sparkling rosé wine—be it Champagne or from another part of the world*—isn’t a great idea for Valentine’s Day just because it’s pink. The color is an added bonus for Valentine festivities.

What makes sparkling rosé special is the deeper fruit flavor, fuller body and roundness that comes from pinot noir grapes.† Never confuse rosé Champagne or other fine sparkler with “pink Champagne,” a lesser-quality product that is colored pink, rather than allowing a natural color extraction from the pinot noir grape skins.

*Only sparkling wines made in the Champagne region of France can be called “Champagne.” Wines made anywhere else—including other regions of France—are called sparkling wine.
†Some sparkling rosé wines are 100% pinot noir, others are blended with chardonnay grapes. Sparklers that have no pink color can still contain pinot noir, but have not had skin contact with the pinot noir grapes, which impart the color.

Rosé sparklers tend to be more expensive than their conventional counterparts. But for about $22.00 a bottle, a bottle of Domaine Chandon Brut Rosé is delicious; for $50.00, the Domaine Chandon Etoile Rosé has wonderful complexity and is well worth the money if your budget allows.

Pretty in pink: as a cocktail or a dessert. Photo courtesy Domaine Chandon

The two sparkling wines are made by Domaine Chandon, the Napa Valley winery founded in 1973 by Moët-Hennessy, producers of Moët et Chandon and Dom Pérignon champagnes.
 
Serve these delicious bubblies:

 
Should you serve sparkling wine with chocolates or chocolate cake?

Only if it’s a demi sec or sec (sweet) style.‡ There’s too much acidity in a brut Champagne or sparkling wine, which fights the sugar in the dessert. Here are our suggestions for:

 
‡While sec is French for “dry,” it’s idiosyncratic that, as regards Champagne and other sparkling wines, sec refers to a sweet style.

Punch with a punch: Ruby Port. Photo
courtesy Sandeman.

If you’re having a Valentine’s Day party and are looking for a special cocktail, the ruby red color and luscious flavor of this Valentine punch, made with ruby port, fit the bill.

The recipe was developed for Sandeman Port—whose Ruby Port is a favorite of ours—by mixologist Adam Schuman of Fatty Crew restaurant in New York City.

You don’t need a punch bowl: You can mix the ingredients and serve them from a pitcher (which is a space saver, as well).

RUBY SLING PUNCH

Serves 10-15.

Ingredients

Preparation

1. Simmer 6 parts of port with allspice, cinnamon and star anise. Cool (you can put it in the fridge to chill).

2. Add remaining ingredients except ginger ale and ice to the punch bowl.

3. Before serving, add ice and ginger ale to the punch. Grate or sprinkle nutmeg over the punch.

 
 
More Valentine Cocktail Recipes.