Features 2 minutes 21 January 2020

The Ultimate Valentine’s Day Gift Guide

Nineteen gourmet-level gifts to help you commemorate Cupid's holiday.

Chocolates or flowers are classic, but basic. This year, get more creative with the foodie who owns your heart (though we’ve got a great suggestion for chocolates and a flower wine). Here are 19 gourmet-level gifts to help you commemorate Valentine's Day.

Gourmet Goat Cheese & Honeycomb Platter

Belle Chevre, $40
Wrapped in grape leaves, the funky fresh chevre with a Greek accent is a smooth operator. Arriving on a dashing slate platter, it’s paired with a decadent honeycomb that’s sweet, creamy and eminently schmear-able.

Fermented Hot Sauce Kit

Brooklyn Brew Shop, $40
If your flame loves to fire up everything they eat, this DIY kit is a fun way for them to customize their condiment game. All they need to do is add peppers, seasonings and water—and then wait for the red-hot payoff.

Molly Yeh-Approved Sprinkles Apron

Enrich & Endure, £85 plus £25 shipping to the U.S. (approx. $145 total)
Created in collaboration with the host of Food Network’s Girl Meets Farm, the rainbow sprinkles-spangled linen apron is a charming addition to any baker’s wardrobe. Best of all, your generosity might score you some freshly made treats.

Torte au Chocolat

Auberge du Soleil, $57.50
Consider this dessert a gigantic Ferrero Rocher. There are eleven slender layers alternating crunchy hazelnut dacquoise, chocolate crémeux, hazelnut purée and dark chocolate ganache.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Set

Verve Culture, $80
Warm up this winter with some Mexican-style hot chocolate. The set includes everything you need: Oaxacan chocolate mix, traditional wooden whisk, and clay jug. Adding a tequila spike is up to you.

Heart-Shaped Chocolate Assortment

L.A. Burdick, $52
Your chocolate loving beau will love this bonanza of bonbons. Highlights of the 37-piece set include handmade hearts concealing passion fruit-raspberry cores and almost-too-cute-to-eat chocolate mice.

Portable Oven

Gozney, $699
Wood- and gas-fired, this compact hotbox can crank up to over 900º Fahrenheit. That means you can turn out pizzas on your patio in less than 90 seconds, meaning you can score a slice quicker than ordering delivery.

(Photo by Olivia Brent.)

Artisan Ice Cream

Mora Ice Creamery, $44.95 for 4 pints
These super creamy, totally dreamy pints come in an array of indulgent flavors offering something for every taste. Standouts include intensely caramelized dulce de leche shot through with chocolate shards, cinnamony-gingery speculoos and romantically-minded rose petal.

Martini Mixing Kit

Absolut Elyx, $119
Everyone should be able to make a perfect martini at home. The classy collection comes with a copper plated jigger, bar spoon and julep strainer, as well as an artfully etched mixing glass and a martini recipe guide.

Romantic Italian Dinner Kit

Colavita via Amazon, $46
Whip up a no-fuss romantic Italian dinner for your innamorato or innamorata (lover) with this pantry-in-a-bag. It includes olive oil, vinegars, gemelli pasta, marinara sauce, and more.

Black Truffle Mustard

Maille, $43
Infused with black truffles from Provence and Burgundian Chablis, this is next level Dijon. Slip a spoonful into a risotto, pair it with country pâté on a slice of baguette or slather it on a sandwich.

Travel Utensil Set

Qontevo, $20
Made of stainless steel and given the rainbow treatment, the kaleidoscopic cutlery will add sparkle and shine to any dining experience anywhere. Plus, you can feel good about saving the environment by not using disposables.

Rappahannock River Stingray Oysters

Goldbelly, $149
Raised in the Chesapeake Bay, these tender morsels start sweet and end with a smack of salt. Each order boasts 100 of them—more than enough natural aphrodisiacs to arouse your ardor on Valentine’s Day.

Truffled Hot Sauce Variety Pack

Truff, $70
Perfect for when regular hot sauce just isn’t luxe enough. These truffled options add a spicy touch of class when splashed on eggs, French fries or a cheeseburger.

Heart-Shaped Cocotte

Staub, $215
With a capacity of nearly two quarts and oven-safe, the cherubic pot is ideal for simmering up a stew or slow braising an offcut. Get dinner going, go get it on, and then come back after you’ve worked up your appetite.

Acca Caviar

California Caviar Company, $110
Chef Matthew Accarrino of San Francisco’s MICHELIN-starred Italian-accented SPQR harvests and cures white sturgeon caviar. Silky smooth, the tiny black pearls pop to reveal a burst of beautiful brininess.

Sparkling Lavender Wine

Free Range Flower Winery, $30
No surprise, wine made from lavender has a beautiful bouquet. The slightly sparkling varietal has a rich perfume quality, so rather than sipping it solo, mix it into a cocktail, such as a floral forward riff on a Valentine’s-appropriate Sex in the Afternoon.

Rémy Martin Tercet

ReserveBar, $130
For those times when you want to sip an uncommon cognac by the fire, this is the way to go. Fruit forward with a touch of spice, this high-proof spirit ends with whisper of marzipan.

Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Rosé

Wine.com, $80
Rosé all day—and all night. The pale pink sparkler bursts with the flavors of wild strawberries and a punch of citrusy zest.

Photos courtesy of respective brands/companies unless otherwise stated.

Written by Nevin Martell

Nevin Martell is a D.C.-based freelance food writer, parenting essayist, cookbook author, and recipe developer. His three favorite desserts are his Gramma's lemon meringue pie, sticky toffee pudding, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.