SEASON'S EATINGS -- PART II

CUPCAKE CRAZE

Is there a soul out there that wouldn’t be moved by a Caramel Chew Cupcake – chocolate cake with peanuts baked into the cake, filled with caramel buttercream, and topped with chocolate caramel buttercream and slices of caramel ? If there is, I don’t want him at my party.

Created by Crumbs, the bakeshop chain in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and the Los Angeles area, that dreamy number is just one of the spectacular cupcakes rockin’ the country this year.

Sprinkles (pictured at left), a chain in L.A., Palo Alto, Dallas and Houston, taps the kid in all of us with the likes of chocolate peppermint, ginger lemon, peanut butter chip and chocolate marshmallow mini cakes.

Here in San Diego we have sublime, grown-up versions of this kiddie treat at Michele Coulon Dessertiere,  which wows with heavenly vanilla, lemon and Torte Lion (chocolate cake, chocolate meringue, chocolate mousse and chocolate cream) cupcakes; and at Karen Krasne’s Extraordinary Desserts, known for its Valrhona Chocolate blockbuster, Fresh Lemon and Banana Nut.

If you don’t happen to live in any of the above mentioned cities, consider buying the Sprinkles Cupcake Mixes ($14 each) at Williams-Sonoma www.williams-sonoma.com/products/fd420/index.cfm  and wrapping it up along with a cupcake stand that turns a dozen cupcakes into an impressive centerpiece. A Wilton stand costs $41.99 at Amazon.com.

NAME YOUR POISON

It’s no longer sufficient to specify “Shaken, not stirred” when ordering that sexy martini. Now, those in-the-know also demand a specific vodka.
Though I can’t quite imagine Bond, James Bond bellying up to the bar for a Black vodka martini or a Bison Grass Vodka martini, it does appears that everyone else is doing just that. 
Give the vodka aficionados on your list something new to tickle their tastebuds.  Maybe a Pink Vodka  (fortified with caffeine and guarana)   www.pinkspirits.com Or a Sweet Tea-flavored vodka from South Carolina. Or, the trendiest of all, Van Gogh’s Acai-Blueberry Vodka which blends the exotic Brazilian Acai berry with the sweet blueberry to produce a martini that some delusional folks might actually call healthy. (Scientists suggest the berry can help with cholesterol management, digestive problems and bolstering the immune system.)   Prices range from $25 for the Van Gogh to $38 for the PINK.

NOT JUST THE SAME OLD GRIND

How did I live without this? That’s what they’ll be saying the day after they open your gift of a Graviti batter-operated pepper grinder. Just one hand is needed to turn it upside down…the motion activates the grinder…freeing the other hand to stir the pot or hold the wine glass. The grinding is adjustable, too, from fine to coarsely cracked. Available in stainless steel and several colors, it’s about $20 on Amazon.com and, in San Diego, Great News! Discount Cookware. 

JUST ADD ONE SCOOP OF ICE CREAM

Five words about Stonewall Kitchens Mocha Espresso Sauce. Rich espresso. Dark Chocolate. Yum.
A jar costs $8.50 in many housewares and gourmet food shops and on-line at StonewallKitchens.com.

                                  

SEASONED GREETINGS

In the beginning there was salt, plain or iodized. Morton. Blue cylindrical box. Little girl under umbrella.
Today there are dozens of elegant finishing salts that add a new dimension to any dish they’re sprinkled on.
Consider giving the serious cook on your list a bottle of Australian Flake Salt, a pretty, light pink salt with a subtle flavor and fluffy crystals that tickle the tongue. It’s available, along with Anglesey Sea Salt from Wales and Trapani Sea Salt from Italy, for $9 to $12 a jar at Victoria Gourmet  or Amazon.com.

THE CHILDREN’S HOUR

It doesn’t get much cuter than the Princess and Soccer Bears cake-making kit from Williams-Sonoma. The package includes a sturdy pan to turn out two cute, dimpled bear cubs; a Fondant Decorating Kit, which means the frosting and trims; and an instruction sheet summing up the Build-A-Bear workshops that W-S does from time to time. It’s not cheap -- $62 for the two packages at Williams-Sonoma stores and on-line.  You could put together a similar kit yourself using Wilton products but it involves more time and effort.

Come back TOMORROW to read about my favorite MAIL ORDER sources for roast pork feasts, citrusy madeleines, classic American poiund cakes and more.