Happy Valentine’s Day

I fondly remember my mom making Valentine's Day special for us when we were children, often marking the day for my sister and I with a pair of heart pajamas and a box of See’s candy. Now with a family of my own, I love celebrating the day with my kids. We make it as celebratory as we can, with a fancy table laden with pink crystal glasses filled sparkling cider, cards, flowers and a candlelit dinner that we end with creme brulee in vintage pink ramekins, with each of them eager to try their hand at the torch used to caramelize the surface.

While I do think it is primarily a made-up holiday, I admittedly jump at the chance to celebrate love and friendship. At the bakery, we all oooh and ahhh as we make our pastries into heart shapes! Year after year, we’ve made ruffled heart-shaped hand pies, and maple bars cut into hearts then dusted with real XX-karat gold and gold leaves. This year, are making the following special pastries and pies to make your Valentine’s Day weekend extra sweet:

• Double-Crust Rhubarb Hand Pie Hearts

• Open-Faced Hearts with Caramelized Apples

• Box of Linzer Hearts

• Maple Bar Hearts

• Pearl Sugar Hearts

• Sprinkled Shortbread Heart Cookies

• Gold-dusted Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Glaze

• Pecan Pie

• Chocolate Cream Pie

• Corn Flour Tart with Homemade Seville Marmalade and Citrus

• Burnt Basque Cheesecake

Whether you’re celebrating with your sweetie, a friend, or just yourself, we hope to bring a spark of joy to everyone’s weekend!