Edible goodies
From chocolate to popcorn to herbs, food gifts are guaranteed winners
Who doesn’t love a gift of indulgent treats? They pass the test of being something we normally wouldn’t buy for ourselves, and are easily shared, making food the go-to gift for families, offices and clients … even at the risk of presenting candy to a diabetic or beef jerky to a vegetarian.
Even better, nearly all purveyors of food gifts let you order and ship from your smartphone — a gift to yourself at a congested time of year.
Chocolate is the traditional holiday indulgence, and Albuquerque is blessed with more than a half dozen chocolatiers who craft confections by hand. On the far east side, Chuck Theobroma is marking his 22nd Christmas at Theobroma Chocolate with lots of holiday-themed confections, like a box of Santa chocolates ($13), or classic truffles with delicate cocoa butter transfer designs (half-pound box $19.50; four-piece sampler $7).
A choco-pop makes a nice stocking stuffer ($2.50), and you can choose horse, dog or cat pops if you’ve had enough of Santa. For those who can’t ever get enough, there are customizable Santa and snowman gift boxes, buckets, coffee mugs and sleighs (from $18). The store is at 12611 Montgomery NE.
A renegade chocolatier tucked beneath I-40 at 315 Juan Tabo NE, Chocolate Cartel features local ingredients like almonds from Las Cruces and lavender from Los Poblanos, earning the New Mexico True label. Truffles come in 20 intriguing flavors, including Bee Pollen, Flowers of Italy and Blueberry Port ($8.50 for four-piece box, $25 for 12 pieces). Try their red and green chile chocolate bars ($4.75), a nice play on “Christmas.”
Not surprisingly, Christmas chile is one of the top flavors at Mike’s Jerky during the holidays — but you don’t have to limit yourself to the obvious. Mike’s makes traditional New Mexico-style thin jerky in 26 imaginative flavors, from Bacon to Gotcha Sriracha to Mike’s Ma-steak and the insanely spicy El Diablo, made with ghost peppers. A standard 6-ounce bag is $17, the 1.5-ounce snack size is $6, and a pound is $38. Order online or pick up at their two Albuquerque locations, 10900 Menaul NE and 2130 San Mateo NE.
Another New Mexico-themed gift that’s popular with residents and visitors alike is candies made with piñon nuts from Buffett’s Candies, a thirdgeneration confectioner at 7001 Lomas NE. Tyler Buffett says the piñon candies — rolls ($33 per pound), brittle ($27.50 per pound), and assorted candies ($28.50 per pound) — often sell out when someone buys the entire case for gifts, to dole out an ounce or two at a time to teachers, hairstylists, dog groomers, etc. on their list.
The shop has a New Mexicoshaped gift basket for $30, as well as a selection of popcorn flavors including the popular green chile cheese.
For true popcorn fanatics, however, the selection at Walker’s Popcorn Company is what Mike’s is to jerky. We’re talking more than 40 flavors, though some of the more exotic require advance notice. Chicago Style is cheesy cheddar plus caramel; Albuquerque style is caramel with green chile cheddar.
With holiday flavors like bizcochito, peppermint cookies and cream, and green and red chile, you can put together a three-bag gift box for $20, a onegallon tin with three flavors for $19, or two-gallon for $40. Find the shop at 2720 Central SE.
Not everyone thrills to sweets and snacks, of course. For foodies who cook, a tasty luxury means a gourmet ingredient to feed to everyone else. Los Poblanos Farm Store carries genuine, 20-year-old organic traditional balsamic vinegar made in New Mexico for $150 a 4.5-ounce bottle — a price that makes better sense when you consider that the evaporated wine would have filled 50 regular bottles. An ounce is a nice splurge at $44.
White truffle salt with real truffles from Italy is $8 for a vial or $22 for a jar, while the Better Call Sal salt blend (which includes white truffles) is $20 for a comparatively substantial 5-ounce jar. Los Poblanos, located at 4803 Rio Grande NW, is known for its lavender and herbs grown on site, and the Herbs de Poblanos turns many a cup of olive oil into an exotic blend for $12 a jar. Give the taste of New Mexico with a Dipping Herb Trio gift set for $36, which includes Rooster Rojo New Mexican organic chile paste.
There’s even a palatable gift for the person on your list with a dread of food. Calm their anxiety about gluten, dairy, carbs and GMOs with a selection of gourmet teas from Hadley’s Tea, 7600 Jefferson NE # 9. A wide selection of black, green, red (rooibos) and herbal teas is available by the bag for $11 to $15. Flavors like Candy Cane Rooibos, Nutcracker Black, or Cookies & Cream can get a plain old cup of hot water to smile and sing “Happy Holidays.”