Lucky are the shoppers who have food-lovers on their holiday gift lists this year. The marketplace is crammed with yummy chocolate morsels, luscious cheeses, trendy tableware, do-it-yourself cupcake kits, and boozy options ranging from the ridiculous (OOPS! Cabernet Franc from Chile – “Some mistakes were meant to happen”) to the sublime (sparkling Italian Prosecco for eight bucks a bottle).
For more than 25 years I guided readers of The San Diego Union-Tribune Food section through the good, the bad and the downright tacky with my annual Holiday Gift Guide.
This year, I’m here to help you find the trendiest truffles, the chic-est Sherry, gorgeous cookies, gratifying cookbooks and cool gizmos for the serious cook who has never met a gadget s/he didn’t like.
The focus of this guide – which will feature more than 30 gifts in five days – is ideas that are clever, delicious AND easy on the budget (with a couple of splurges thrown in for good measure). If you don’t find the perfect present for Uncle Mo today, check back tomorrow; I’ll be posting every day this week.
GLOWING REVIEWS
In a modern twist on the old-fashioned “candle-in-Chianti-bottle” table décor, the folks at Napa Style give us these clever “cork” candles to add instant charm to any occasion. Slip them into an empty wine bottle and they’ll cast a flickering, romantic light for about two hours. For extra brownie points, try them in an “important” empty wine bottle – ie. the Pinot you drank together on your first date, or the Aloxe-Corton he/she bought you for your birthday. The candles cost $12 TO $42, depending on number in package, at Napa Style. Also available at Amazon.com.
FORECASTS FOR FIDO
I’m not sure what the creation of Kung Fu Fido Fortune Cookies for Dogs means for our society as a
whole. But I do know that Man’s Best Friend will gobble them up, and the pooch’s master will think you’re one mighty sharp shopper.
“Unleash good fortune on your dog” exhorts the label on the authentic Chinese-take-out container box. Made from flour, sugar, chicken livers and eggs, the “all natural” cookies come from Sojourner Farms of Minneapolis, and include “Directions” for use.
1. Break open cookie. 2. Read fortune to dog. 3. Feed cookie to dog. 4. Repeat.
Fortunes include “Don’t forget to stop and eat the roses” and “Confucious say ‘Dog who run behind car get exhausted.”
A box of 12 costs $5.99 at Cost Plus World Markets and at Amazon.com.
EVERYTHING’S COMING UP…..SNOWFLAKES?
You can’t turn a corner in the local mall without running into a snowflake. A snowflake cookie cutter, that is. Or a snowflake pretzel. Or snowflake votive holders, snowflake trivets and snowflake fondue sets. A Snowflake Bowl Set is at Crate & Barrel. Peppermint Snow dish soap and hand lotion perfume the Williams-Sonoma stores.
Crate & Barrel’s White Snowflake Pretzels are dipped in shiny white “confection” (food-speak for frosting) and dotted with white nonpareils. They offer a nice balance of sweet and salty, and come in a pretty silver gift tin. They’re $19.95 at the stores and on-line. The crushed Peppermint Snow topping at Williams-Sonoma is beautiful, delicious and versatile (dust it on
ice cream, layer cakes, gingerbread, warm brownies, a caffe latte). A six-ounce jar costs $10.50.
Six picture-perfect Snowflake Marshmallows come in a pretty triangular box for just $2.99 at Target stores. They’re guaranteed to perk up any cup of hot cocoa.
SAY “CHEESE”
And watch them smile.
Forget the mail-order, one-size-fits-all cheese gift baskets. Instead, give one or two pieces that will convince the recipient that you have impeccable taste.
Choosing the cheese yourself is fun and, if the store offers samples, delicious. Consider one elegant square of Robiola Due Latti. Made in Italy’s Piedmont region from two types of milk (due latti), usually cow and sheep, it’s a voluptuous cheese with a bloomy rind and a soft, creamy interior. It’s slightly tangy. Slightly salty. Very addicting. My favorite is made by Guffanti and is available at Whole Foods stores. Another robiola, by Bosina, is available on-line at Igourmet and Amazon.com. Most cost about $25 for an 8-ounce square.
La Tur is another irresistible soft cheese from Italy. Made in petite, 4-inch disks, it’s smooth, fragrant, tangy and luscious enough to stop conversations mid-sentence. Also available at Whole Foods stores and other gourmet food shops. (In San Diego, it’s available at Venissimo Cheese in Mission Hills.) It costs about $20 for an 8-ounce round nestled in a doily-lined box.
DECK THE HALLS
Give the gift of Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Icon Ornaments and they’ll marvel at your cleverness and generosity every year when they set up the family holiday tree. These hand-painted, blown-glass baubles
include a classic Bundt pan, an Italian espresso maker, a toaster and Le Creuset’s iconic Dutch oven.
Wrap up the package of four ornaments ($20), or tie them individually on gift packages with ribbon. Available at Williams-Sonoma stores and on-line at Williams-Sonoma.com
PEDDLING PETALS
Shopping for the foodie who has everything? I’m betting that s/he hasn’t even heard of Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup…and that s/he will thank you for the heads-up. Produced by a family-owned enterprise
in Australia, the blossoms are hand-picked and bottled in a mixture of spring water and pure cane sugar, cooked in the jar and vacuum sealed. The blossoms’ greatest assets are their brilliant red color and their stratospheric “cool” factor. But, hey, health nuts might also appreciate the high level of vitamin C that’s said to ward off coughs and colds.
A jar of 11 flowers costs $11 at Whole Foods, Williams-Sonoma, Citarella on the East Coast, Metropolitan Markets in the Northwest, and on-line at Amazon.com.
Wow--very clever ideas!
Posted by: Nina | December 16, 2008 at 09:18 AM