Langres cheese is available on Amazon.com.

With Valentine’s Day upon us, bottles of bubbly will be popped all over the world. Our cheese of the week pairs well with Champagne, and hails from the same area where real bubbly is made, the Champagne-Ardenne region of France (in the northeast of the country, bordering Belgium). Langres dates back to the 18th century; its name and origin come from the main market town of the time, Langres, in the French départment (similar to a county) of the Haute Marne. While its origins are old, it did not gain A.O.C. status until May 1991. The cheese can only be made in the three regions: Cote-d’Or, Haute Marne and Vosges.

The taste of salt is present, making the flavor of the cheese distinct without being aggressive, and an aftertaste some have described as soaked in honey and truffles. The rind of the cheese is sticky and shiny, showing off a magnificent natural orange color. The paste is soft, creamy in color and slightly crumbly; it has a bloomy white penicillium candidum rind.

During the maturing period, the cheeses are placed in humid cellars, where ripening usually takes 5 to 6 weeks. The cheeses are regularly rubbed with brine, either by hand or with a damp cloth. A red dye extracted from annatto seeds is also applied, which gives the cheese an orange color. The form of the cheese is a cylinder with a well on the top, which is called the fontaine or cuvette in French (think of the depression on the top of a mini cheesecake). This depression is intentional; you can pour Champagne or Marc de Champagne in it to further flavor the cheese. Enjoy it on the cheese board or with a salad; if you don’t like Champagne, a red Burgundy will do nicely.

– Read our review of Theo Chocolate, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week.

The ghost chile, a.k.a. naga jolokia, is a pepper that grows primarily in the Assam state of India. It is from the same species, but a different variety, of the chile used by Tabasco sauce. When ripe, it measures two inches long and a half inch wide with an orange color, similar in appearance to the habañero chile. It has gained notoriety as “the hottest chile in the world” with a reported 855,000 SHUs, besting the previous record holder, the red savina habañero. However, there was no independent verification of the first test.

Raspberry Chocolate Hearts from Pierre Marcolini.

– Consumers are expected to purchase more than $345 million in chocolate candy during Valentine’s week, accounting for 5.1% of annual sales in the chocolate candy category. Consumers will purchase more than $448 million worth of total candy during Valentine’s week.

– More than 58 million pounds of chocolate candy will be sold during Valentine’s week. But the big winner is Halloween week, where nearly 90 million pounds of chocolate candy is sold. We’d like to think that the overall quality of the Valentine chocolate is somewhat better.

– Bargain shoppers are out the day after Valentine’s Day. February 15 is the second most important chocolate candy-buying day in February. In the current economy, it makes even more sense to save on your favorite chocolate—who cares if it’s in Valentine packaging? But in this down economy, you may have to fight even more bargain-hunters!

How about the bubbly?

– Valentine’s week is one of the top weeks for sparkling wine sales, with more than $8.6 million in sales. More than 881,000 bottles of sparkling wine will be sold during the holiday week. Only Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s have higher sales.

– Does love make consumers blind to price tags? People are willing to spend more for sparkling wine, including Champagne, during the Valentine holiday week—about 5% more than other peak sales weeks.

As reports of job losses mount, more consumers will be financially challenged this Valentine’s Day. But a single cupcake and a handmade card, along with a romantic candle-lit dinner at home instead of a fancy restaurant meal, will mean as much as any pricey celebration.

You can choose your flavors and drop-dead-gorgeous packaging options. At RubyetViolette.com.

– Read our full review of Ruby et Violette’s Seduction Cookies, a Nibble Top Pick Of The Week.

– Ruby et Violette specializes in more than 100 flavors of chocolate chunk cookies. Read our review of the regular line of Ruby et Violette cookies.

Creamy Seduction: A fusion of chocolate chunk
cookie and cheesecake.

It doesn’t take much to turn a bowl of carrot
soup into something glamorous. Here, a swirl of
heavy cream, a parsley sprig and some gourmet
flatbread from Top Pick Of The Week Rustic
Bakery do the trick.

– Bread: Artisan bread, crackers, croutons, flatbread, pita, toast

– Dairy: Crème fraîche, grated/shaved cheese, heavy cream, sour cream, yogurt, quark

– Herbs & Spices: Fresh herbs taste best, but dried herbs as a backup

– Fruit: Apple slices, dried berries and cherries, fresh berries, grapes, lemon and lime slices, melon balls, pear slices, diced pineapple

– Vegetables: Cooked or raw to match the soup, e.g. a broccoli floret or carrot slice atop broccoli or carrot soup

Find garnish ideas for other types of food in our article, Garnish Glamour.