Maple Bacon Chocomels—chocolate caramels—will be a gifting hit. Photo courtesy H.S. Chocolate Company.

WHAT IT IS: Our selection of gourmet gifts for Holiday 2012. WHY IT’S DIFFERENT: You can’t find them on the store shelf, but they’re well worth sending for. WHY WE LOVE IT: Flavor, flavor, flavor. WHERE TO BUY IT: See individual listings.

• THE NIBBLE’s Cake Section: More favorite
  cheesecake reviews and recipes.
• More Top Pick Of The Week foods.
• Cooking Video Of The Week: How To Ice A
  Cake. If your icing isn’t as neat as you like,
  try these tips.
• Recipe Of The Week: Sugar-Frosted Grapes.
  Glamorize grapes for a special holiday
  garnish.
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• See the Table Of Contents of the October
  2012 issue of THE NIBBLE, plus the back
  issues archive and our most popular articles.
• All of the Top Picks Of The Week are
  permanently archived on TheNibble.com,
  in chronological order and product category.

Gourmet Food Gifts: Top Picks For The Holidays Or Any Time

Jump to the article index below

You know how this works. Every year, the catalogs start coming and the e-mails begin to arrive.

They promise great gourmet gifts. That’s all well and good, but many of these food marketers place quality a distant second to volume. Besides, does anyone really need another gift basket of questionable “gourmet” items?

This year, why not try something different, at least for the food lovers in your life? These recommendations are all for foods produced by small, artisan companies  who give a damn about what they make, how their ingredients are sourced and even what kind of impact their products have on the planet.

All merit serious consideration if you’re trying to find something for that hard-to-shop-for foodie.

• Calivirgin’s Buddha’s Hand Olive Oil
• Calamondin Cafe’s Calamondin Coulis, a fruit spread
• First Field Jersey tomato ketchup
• Grampa’s Gourmet Honey wildflower and white honeys
• Hammons black walnuts
• Gingras Extra Old Aged Apple Cider Vinegar
• H.S. Chocolate Company Chocomels (chocolate caramels) and candy bars
• Morris Kitchens fruit syrups
• Nuts + Nuts salted or flavored cashews
• Tonewood Maple: maple cream, maple cubes, maple flakes, maple seasoning and of course, maple syrup

• Vermont Smoke and Cure artisan bacon and sausage

Each link tells you where to buy. I hope you’ll be delighted as I’ve been with these most special of specialty foods.

— Stephanie Zonis

INDEX OF REVIEW

This is Page 1 of a one-page review plus links to individual product reviews (see above). Click on the black links to visit other articles:

• Page 1: Gourmet Food Gifts
• Page 1: Cheesecake Recipe Books

MORE TO DISCOVER

• OTHER TOP PICK OF THE WEEK CAKES/PIES
• COOKING VIDEO OF THE WEEK: How To Ice
  A Cake
  If your icing isn’t as neat as you like, try these tips.
• RECIPE OF THE WEEK: Sugar-Frosted Grapes
  Glamorize grapes for a special holiday
  garnish.