"valentine" news and stories

We're doing a lot of Valentine's Day posts here at Slashfood, even if some of us don't even have a special someone to spend the day with (*cough cough*), and while it's great to mention all of the food that we can make for the day, let's not forget the drinks!

This is the Flirtini (flirting + martini, I'm guessing), a bubbly and sweet concoction that includes champagne, cranberry juice, raspberry liqueur, and vodka. Full recipe after the jump (there are a few versions of the Flirtini around - I chose this one because the red color goes well with Valentine's Day).

In the US, Valentine's Day celebrations are generally geared towards couples, with a slight bias towards women when it comes to the marketing of chocolates, flowers and other gifts - a bias that is meant to have women encourage men to buy gifts for them. In Japan, things are a little different. The chocolates and other Valentine's Day items are marketed towards women, but they're marketed for them to buy and give to men, rather than the other way around. Barentain Dei calls for gifts to be given to boyfriends and husbands, as well as for giri-choco, or obligation chocolates, to be given to male bosses, coworkers, classmates and friends. About 80% of Japanese women participate in the tradition, spending an average of $20 on their most chocolate important purchase and $6 on each of their other chocolate gifts, averaging $56 per woman for a total of over $400 million countrywide on the holiday. This doesn't include additional gifts or fancy dinners.

If this all seems a bit unfair, as it is more one-sided than the US version of Valentine's, not to worry. On March 14th, the Japanese celebrate "White Day" as in reciprocation for Valentine's Day, where men buy gifts, from chocolates to expensive jewelry, as a sign of affection

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If you prefer to stay in and cook, rather than to go out for romantic occasions, you might want to consider getting your date (and yes, it can still be a date if you're married to each other) involved in the kitchen with you if you don't already. The experience gives you more together time and makes the evening into an event, rather than just another meal. You can work together on any recipe from any cookbook, but Dinner Dates: A Cookbook for Couples Cooking Together gives you a good place to start because it is designed for this purpose. And if you tend to get a little protective of your space in the kitchen, it couldn't hurt to have the tasks divided up for you.

The "dates" are complete menus with both casual and more gourmet options. For example, "Fun with Fajitas" will get you margaritas, chicken and steak fajitas and ice cream sundaes, while the "Ultimate Valentine's Dinner" has french onion soup, filet mignon with herbed butter, and chocolate dipped strawberries and biscotti. There are a total of ten different dates, as well as information on prepping your kitchen and plenty of other foodie tips.

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Although they only account for a small portion (probably less than 10%) of the champagne market, the imports of rosé champagnes spiked hugely last year. So it's safe to say that restaurants, bars and liquor stores across the country will be making the increasingly trendy bubbly much more accessible. The pink color of rosé is obtained by adding about 15% red wine to regular champagne, giving it an entirely new flavor profile to complement its look. Servers and restaurant owners say that the drink is contagious, that when one glass is poured suddenly everyone else wants one, as well. And there's nothing wrong with one extra glass of champagne. Forbes picked their top ten pink champagnes, listed here by price, any one of which would go well with a romantic dinner or dessert.

• Chandon Rosé, $20
• Langlois, Crémant de Loire Rosé, $24
• Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut Rosé, $28
• Domaine Carneros Brut Rosé, $35
• Ruinart Rosé NV, $60
• Pommery NV Rosé, $70
• Charles Heidsieck Rosé 1999, $82
• J. Schram Rosé 1999, $120
• Laurent-Perrier Alexandra Rosé 1997, $150
• Bollinger La Grande Année Rosé 1999, $172
• Perrier Jouët 2002 Fleur de Champagne Rosé, $200
• Veuve Clicquot 1998 La Grande Dame Rosé, $220

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It's no surprise that the Cupcakes take the cake girls want you to say it with cupcakes this Valentine's Day. They have put together a list of some of the cupcakeries around the country that are offering V-day specials, whether they're flavors, prices or events that have been arranged in honor of the holiday. Their list reads like a who's who of bakeries: Cupcake Royale in Seattle, WA, Sprinkles in Beverly Hills, CA, Best Buns in Arlington, Virginia, Frosted Cupcakery in Long Beach, CA, Cake and Art in Los Angeles, CA, Leda's Bake Shop in Sherman Oaks, CA and The Cookie Jar Bakery in Houston, TX. Sprinkle's "I love you" cupcake assortment, which includes chocolate marshmallow, red hot velvet, and vanilla cupcakes packed in an XOX box, is pictured above.

Remember that some bakeries will not advertise their specials anywhere other than in-store, but just about every single one is going to have some kind of Valentine's cupcake in stock, so it's worth dropping by your favorite bakery to check out their offerings if you're not planning on baking yourself.

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