For the tea connoisseur, give the amazing selection of teas from Ito En—among the finest teas in the world.
December 2007
|
|
Best Gourmet Food Gifts
Favorite Gourmet Foods 2007
Each year we look for unique gourmet food gift ideas. This year’s selection of specialty food gifts includes separate lists for Chocolate, Kids, Kosher, Liquor, Organic and other categories—check the main Gift Ideas page. For general food gifts, be sure to look at our Kosher gift list—delicious specialty food gifts that just happen to be kosher-certified.
Prices and product availability are verified at publication but are subject to change.
|
|
Beatrice Bakery:
Chocolate Fruitcake Squares &
Regular Fruitcake Slices
Beatrice Bakery has taken slices of their Grandma’s Original Fruit & Nut Dessert Cake (evidently, the word “fruitcake” conjures up bad images) and enrobed them them in milk, dark and white chocolate, festively drizzled with a contrasting color of chocolate. Each piece is individually wrapped and packaged in a decorative gift tin. If only all fruitcake tasted this good! The regular Grandma’s “dessert cake” slices (a whole cake cut into “half slices” without the chocolate coating), are also lovely.
- Chocolate Squares Gift Tin (15 Pieces)
$19.00 (less for multiple orders)
- Half Slice Fruit & Nut Cake
$24.99
BeatriceBakery.com |
If you think you don’t like fruitcake, think again. Plain fruitcake is also available.
|
|
|
Donatella Products:
Almond Cookies
For a touch of the old country—Italy—these unusual almond cookies from New York restaurateur Donatella Arpaia are a delightful change of pace. Traditional almond cookies of Puglia, they are large, chewy, moist, rustic mounds of love that are gluten-free—they’re made with almonds, sugar, cinnamon, clove and extra virgin olive oil—a barely-sweet almond cookie crossed with Snickerdoodle. Great with coffee and tea. See our article on how to store cookies.
- 10-Ounce Cookie Canister
$15.00
DonatellaStyle.com
|
|
|
|
Gourmet Marshmallows:
Something For Everyone
One gourmet-about-town chortled when we suggested that he give marshmallows to his office staff. Then, he tried some of the delights from our review of handmade, artisan marshmallows. These airy delights must be tasted to be believed. The Lavender Marshmallows shown at right, from Artisan Candies, have given us as much pleasure as any pastry or cookie. And they’re just one of the brilliant marshmallows we tasted. Read the full review.
- Artisan Marshmallows (Shown)
Bag Of 12, $12.00
- See Article For More Options
ArtisanCandies.com
|
Lavender marshmallows from Artisan Candies.
|
|
|
Himala Salt:
Himalayan Sea Salt & Pink Peppercorns
We love this cube of top-quality pink Himalayan sea salt with its own grater: It’s so exciting to bring it to the table and grate this delicious and beautiful salt over food. The gift set includes a tin of pink peppercorns and a refillable mini grinder of pink peppercorns and pink salt. A great gift for a cook or gourmet. See our Salt Glossary for more about artisan salts.
Certified kosher by Organized Kashrus
Certified USDA Organic
Certified Green-e
HimalaSalt.com |
 |
|
|
Ito En:
Tea Sets
Ito En is one of the finest purveyors of green tea—just one sip will show you that you’ve landed in the Emerald City of green tea. The taste and fragrance of these teas is sheer heaven. Ito En has put its fine whole leaf teas in bags for the convenience of those who don’t like to work with loose tea; and for the connoisseur, Ito En has created a Flights Of Fancy set of rare teas with separate nylon tea bags to self-fill. Read our review of Ito En, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week.
- Bento Box (Tea Bags)
Ceylon, Darjeeling, Golden Oolong,
Gyokuro, Jasmine Green & Sencha
Green
$50.00
- Flights of Fancy Gift Set
Genmaimatcha, Honyama Sencha,
Kaiseki Hojicha & Uji Gyokuro Teas,
Plus Tea Scoop & Green Tea Cookies
$75.00
ItoEn.com |
Bento Box
Flights Of Fancy
|
|
|
La Boîte À Biscuits:
Surreal Cookie Box
La Boîte à Biscuits by Lior Lev Sercarz creates “arts for the palate” with a seasonal selection of biscuits inspired by art. The biscuits—small cookies—are very flavorful, with exotic spices like curry and fennel blending sublimely with the butter cookie dough. This collection’s theme, Deconstructive Surrealism, is interpreted in cookies; you can see the original pieces of art on the website. We only wish Mr. Sercarz were a poet as well as an artist—these cookies deserve to be accompanied by some charming verse.
- Double Gift Box: Engraved Metal Box
Nested Inside
Autographed Wood Box
$65.00
LaBoiteABiscuits.com |
 |
|
|
Miller’s Select:
Jumbo Lump Crabmeat
The next best thing to getting caviar (or even better, if you don’t like caviar). This beautifully-picked crab meat is delicious right from the can, in a crab cocktail or any number of crab preparations. A high-protein, high-value, low-calorie gift. Read our full review.
- 3-Can Box, 6.5 oz cans
$34.00
- 6-Can Box, 6.5 oz cans
$48.00
- 12-Can Box, 6.5 oz cans
$88.00
SeaFareFoods.com |
 |
|
|
Nettuno: Salted Anchovy Sauce (Colatura di Alici)
The food historian and gourmet will love this rare sauce—descendent of the condiment used by the wealthy Romans, similar to modern Asian fish sauces like Thailand’s nam pla. They used it on everything, like we use salt and ketchup; and the costly sauce was given as gifts. A salty anchovy sauce from the Campania region of Italy is as close as you’ll get. A clear amber liquid, Salted Anchovy Sauce (Colatura di Alici) is a highly concentrated salty condiment made by Nettuno’s artisans from anchovy drippings. Read more about garum.
- Anchovy Sauce
3.38 Ounces
$25.00
Gustiamo.com |
 |
|
|
Paromi Teas:
Tea Sachets
These fine artisan teas are blended in small batches; the fruit flavors in particular (Coconut Almond, Lemon Mint, Pineapple Papaya) are far superior in taste and aroma to similarly flavored teas. The delicate, pyramid tea bags are packaged in protective amber glass jars that filter out harmful UV light and oxygen, helping to preserve product freshness.
Paromi.com |
 |
|
|
Rich Design:
Gourmet Cookies
These exquisite cookies taste as good as they look, and are boxed beautifully to boot. Just looking at the 14 different cookie styles on the website—including cinnamon stars with hints of chocolate and orange liqueur, maple pecan leaves, iced gingerbread, chocolate rum ganache sandwiches and cranberry sour cherry—is a pleasure. An elegant and delicious gift that will be appreciated by connoisseurs and people who just plain like great cookies. Look under “Seasonal” for the snowflake cookies.
- One Dozen Cookies
$27.50
- Two Dozen Cookies
$55.00
- 16 Snowflake Cookies
$26.00
CRRichDesign.com |
The Chocolate Cookie is made from the finest French cocoa, decorated with sanding sugar. |
|
|
Sence:
Rose Nectar
One of our favorite products from the Fancy Food Show, this elegant rose nectar—made from European rose petals—is a precious beverage, whether drunk straight or as a cocktail mixer. The smaller size, available online, is a perfect stocking stuffer, too.
- Case Of 12 Bottles
250ml/8.45 Fluid Ounces
$47.88
SenceNectar.com |
 |
| |
|
© Copyright 2005-
2024
Lifestyle Direct, Inc. All rights reserved. Images are the copyright of their individual owners.
|
