New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
’Tis the season
Find your favorite foodie a deliciously perfect gift
Thursday is Thanksgiving, and it will probably be a scaled-down one for most. The day after, Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year, will be different, too. The stress and frenzy of finding just the right gift for those on your list will be a new challenge, indeed. From what I hear and read, online shopping is what many will be depending upon this year. Remember, Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, is early,with the first candle being lit Dec. 10, so time is short for your search for gifts for those on your Hanukkah list.
Each year, I look forward to helping you find the perfect kitchen gadget, food product or cookbook for foodie friends and relatives, and perhaps yourself. I know these suggestions will fit the bill. Though the food-related trade shows and events I attend were canceled this year, I was still able to scout out these gifts, all available to purchase online.
Best wishes to you this holiday season and let the shopping begin.
Look out for my column with cookbook suggestions for those on your gift list — you are bound to find one you will want to add to your own shelf, too.
For the children on your list, Young Chefs’ Club by America’s Test Kitchen is a fun way for kids to learn about science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics. Cooking showcases the inherent connections between these subjects, and not only engages kids with different interests and abilities, but creates a whole lot of deliciousness along the way. Every month, they receive a themed box that includes: kidtested and kid-approved recipes, engaging hands-on activities and experiments, creative projects and games, shopping list, and useful, unique and fun physical items. The theme changes each month and will be a surprise for kids (grown-ups can find the shopping lists on the website ATKkids.com). Themes range from specific ingredients (such as cheese or bread) to cooking techniques (such as cake decorating), scientific subjects (such as food texture or molecular gastronomy), and cuisines or types of food
(such as tacos). Purchase a single box, a month, 6-month or year subscription. https://bit.ly/3pCQ803
This is perfect gift for Hanukkah. Kids young and old can create a new family tradition with the do-it-yourself Manischewitz Chanukah House Cookie Decorating Kit. It comes with everything they need, from cookies and icing to a sanding sugar and a candy menorah, to build their own edible holiday cottage. Best of all, when you give this charming gift, you’re also giving the gift of books to children around the world, thanks to a partnership between Manischewitz and PJ Library. https://bit.ly/3kFZODB
Tequila lovers on your list will enjoy The Spice Lab’s Salt Shooters Gift Set that includes four Himalayan salt shot glasses, wooden serving tray and ceramic dish for lemon/lime slices. The gift set also makes a great presentation for serving gazpacho, shrimp cocktail or oyster shooters. Selected as one of Oprah’s
Favorite Things, Salt Tequila Shooters have an insert that keeps the tequila from getting too salty. https://spices.com
Eliot’s Nut Butters is the perfect gift for peanut and nut butter aficionados, adults and kids included. It is not your offthe-supermarket-shelf product, I can attest. With a background as an aspiring chef, Michael Kanter founded Eliot’s Nut Butters. His goal is to make healthy, great tasting flavored nut butters that use minimal, high-quality ingredients. Started in the Eliot neighborhood of Portland, Ore., making them 2 jars at a time, the nut butters are made in small batches using U.S.-grown peanuts, almonds and exclusively grown Oregon hazelnuts. Naturally gluten-free and non-GMO,the nut butters are spoon-ready but will also elevate a PB&J or make a shortcut for an easy dinner such as Spicy Thai peanut butter noodles. Varieties includespicy Thai Peanut butter, honey chipotle peanut butter, espresso nib peanut butter, Oregon hazelnut chocolate spread, everything bagel nut butter and, of course, classic salted peanut butter. For the gift that keeps on giving, check out the peanut butter or nut butter subscriptions where the recipient will receive 3 jars every 3 months. You’ll make them smile and think of you every time an Eliot’s package arrives. https://eliotsnutbutters.com
Flavored coffee lovers will enjoy Inbru coffee flavors. With 24 flavors to choose from, they can enjoy a different coffee experience every day of the week with the coffee beans they already have at home. No need to have many bags of different flavored coffee. Inbru is a powder, crafted without adding any sugar, calories, fat, gluten, nuts, soy, dairy or carbs. Just add Inbru along with freshly ground coffee, brew and enjoy. Flavors include Vanilla Hazelnut, Southern Pecan, Peppermint Bark, Chocolate Fudge, Cinnamon Stick, Irish Crème, Celtic Mocha and Banana Brulee. http://www.inbru.com
Pastene is making it easier than ever to help make meals not only easy to gift, but easy to create. For the pasta lover, the novice chef, the hostess, the college student, the gluten-free friend or foodie in your life, Pastene features an array of epicurean specialty boxes to enhance anyone’s skills in the kitchen. Since 1874, the name Pastene has stood for quality, purity and good taste. As the leading importer of authentic Italian foods and ingredients, Pastene makes it easy to prepare delicious meals at home with a variety of pasta cuts, tomato sauces, grated cheeses, roasted peppers, kitchen-ready tomatoes, marinated artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes and more. The real secret to great Italian cooking is pure, quality ingredients. And on Cyber Monday, everything on the website, including the gift boxes, will be 15 percent off. https://bit.ly/3pG4rAW
Send those on your gift list a nostalgic treat from simpler times — classic crumb cake. Clarkson Avenue Crumb Cakes are baked in Brooklyn using an old-fashioned family recipe from the1950s. In a modern twist, the cakes come in a variety of flavors beyond the classic. I thought I was a purist until I tried some of their specialty flavors; Brooklyn Blackout and caramel apple. Cakes are piled high with crumb topping. They also are available in a 12-pack of perfectly portioned individual servings called Crumbkins. All of the cakes are made with natural ingredients and are preservative-free. They even have a gluten-free version. I couldn’t even tell it was gluten-free. Send the simple taste of homemade goodness to your favorite foodie this holiday season or serve one to your holiday guests — without doing all of the work. Three- 6and 12-month gift subscriptions also are available. https://clarksonavecrumb.com
Can’t enjoy a holiday meal with a loved one? The Food Crate,a Connecticut-based company, has the perfect gifts for family and friends with whom you can’t share dinner this year, in particular elderly relatives and those who are not traveling. Chef Jeff Caputo, who previously worked at Mory’s and Scoozzi, is the Food Crate’s executive chef. He and owner Jordan Laudano have put together restaurant-quality meals. The brisket and nosh crate includes melt-in-your-mouth Angus brisket perfectly seasoned and braised in a root vegetable jus for 8 hours. The stock and roasted vegetables are turned into the most delicious chunky jus-sauce of carrot, celery, California plum tomatoes, fresh garlic and spices. The end result is a lick-the-plate experience. The dinner includes cheesy potato au gratin, cream of spinach, mushroom ricotta strata, mini gluten-free potato pancakes, raspberry and cinnamon raisin rugelach and 3dreidels and gelt milk chocolate coins. The perfect
Hanukkah gift that serves 8. The holiday ham gift crate is the perfect Christmas holiday meal or, for seafood lovers, the Atlantic steam pot. Other options and free shipping details at https://bit.ly/3faGNI2.
From Red Velvet to S’mores, Fruity Cereal to Thin Mint and holiday themed, Dana’s Bakery macarons are available in flavors inspired by classic all-American desserts and candy. To keep things fresh, a new flavor is added to the collection every month. Cookies &Mookies, a cookie stuffed with a macaron inside is a treat like no other. Dana takes the classic black-and-white cookie in a different color direction for Hanukkah and Christmas, blue, white and gold for Hanukkah and red and green for Christmas. The S’mores Black & White is a fluffy cinnamon graham cake-style cookie frosted with chocolate and marshmallow icing. Or, if the person on your list really wants to get their hands in the dough, they can learn how to make the cookies online from one of Dana’s Bakery’s finest instructors. In the virtual class they will be guided through the history of the macaron and learn how to make their own. https://bit.ly/36LPZih
Those who enjoy maple syrup will welcome Runamok Maple products. They produce infused, smoked and barrel-aged maple syrup along with pure maple, that they call Sugarmaker’s Cut. They have discovered the potential for taking maple syrup in new directions is limitless. Maple marries exceptionally well with a variety of flavors. Some of them are tried and true, like cinnamon and vanilla, and some are unexpectedly out of this world, like Makrut lime-leaf. Their syrups have taken this North American treasure to a whole other level. The cheese pairing collection is the perfect stocking stuffer. https:// bit.ly/2UDXr9N
Those who like to add a bit of spice to their food will enjoy Soul de Cuba’s Some Like Hot, the ultimate gift pack for heat lovers. It includes three of Soul de Cuba’s spicy sauces and Cuban-style roast coffee. The Let it Marinade gift pack includes five mojos and sauces that will take meat flavors to a new Caribbean-inspired level. The recipient can check out the recipes on the website to help them recreate favorite dishes from the New Haven restaurant at home. https://bit.ly/36Ls2rz
Eastern Standard Provisions Co. has launched three artisanal holiday-themed soft Pretzel gift boxes: Happy Everything, ’Tis
The Season, and Merry & Bright. Each box comes with a curated mix of hand-twisted pretzels, flavored salts and gourmet dipping sauces, along with a holidaythemed sticker. The heat-and-eat pretzels are shipped fresh to the recipient’s doorstep and they have the option of eating them right away or freezing them for later. https://esprovisions.com