Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Whether you’re in the mood for something sweet or for sultry, decadent cheeses, we have just the thing to spice up your holiday.

Traditional baked goods from Siena:
These decadent cookies and cakes are made by a small pasticceria in Siena, using traditional recipes and ingredients. Valentine’s Day just wouldn’t be the same without something sweet.

* Panforte - a rich, dense cake originating in medieval times, panforte is made with candied fruit and almonds. Available in three varieties: Pepato with a spice coating, Margherita with vanilla sugar, and Nero with Dark Cocoa. All three are wonderful and hearty.
* panforte margheritaBrutti e Buoni - Literally translated as “Ugly but Good” these cookies are truly delicious. Named for their irregular shape, these cookies are full of hazelnuts. They may not be pretty but they are one of our favorites.
* Cantucci - What many people refer to as “biscotti”, these biscuits take their name from cantuccio, the crusty end, and most delicious piece of a loaf of bread. Baked twice, cantucci are crisp and sweet, great for dipping into vin santo. Available with chocolate, hazelnuts, almonds, or pistachios.
* Ricciarelli - Sometimes called marzapanetti or morselletti, Ricciarelli have been beloved by the Sienesi since the 14th century. These tender, oval cookies are made with almond meal sweetened with honey and dusted with powdered sugar.

Truffle products:
Truffles are the ultimate culinary luxury. Their deep, musky aroma and high cost make them just about the sexiest food around. They lend these cheeses a sophisticated air of romance

* Caprino cremoso al Tarufo Nero - These small discs of fresh goat cheese are topped with diced black truffles. Elegant to the eye as well as the palate.
* Toma Trifulera - Another Piemontese gem, this cheese is a blend of sheep and cows milk studded with slices of black truffle. Creamy and mild, this cheese gives the truffle a lush backdrop for it’s earthy flavor.toma trifulera
* Tartufino - A semi-firm blend of goat and cows milk, these small cheeses are shaped into truncated pyramids before a short aging period. Though rustic in appearance, a speckling of black truffles enhances the finished product.
* Moliterno with Black Truffle - A real show-stopper, this Sardinian pecorino is made from raw sheep milk. Once the cheese is semi-aged, it is injected with black truffle shavings which run throughout the cheese in decadent veins perfuming the entire wheel.
* Truffle pate - Available with either black or white truffles, these meatless spreads are made of minced truffles and mushroom. A wonderful holiday pairing with cheeses and meats.
* Truffle honey - The sweet-savory combination of honey and truffles is a wonderful marriage. A perfect foil for strong blue cheeses like Gorgonzola Piccante and Blu del Moncenisio.

Washed-rind cheese
With their telltale red rind, these pungent cheeses are great not just for Valentine’s Day but also to get you through the final days of winter.

* Taleggio - The most famous of Italy’s washed-rind cheeses, this Taleggio is made from raw alpine cows milk. A two month aging in caverns gives this Taleggio its “soul”.
* Brescianella Stagionata - This cheese takes its name from the town of Brescia east of Milano. Duringtaleggio the aging period, this intense cheese develops its characteristic rind, aroma and melting center.
* Robiola Valsassina - A small cheese from the valley of the same name, this cheese is similar to Taleggio on a smaller scale. Due to its size, it ages a bit more quickly and firmer.
* Toma Maccagno Rosa - While not really a washed-rind cheese, this toma from Piemonte is rubbed with saffron to give the rind a red hue. Aged for approximately two months, the flavor of this cheese highlights the quality of the alpine milk with subtle notes of meadow grass.

Tags: Siena, truffles, Valentine's Day, Washed-rind