Food Gift Splurges for Christmas

We’ve come to accept this simple fact: The holidays are stressful. What better way to escape than to splurge on some exquisite snacks and treats? We talked to a handful of specialty food retail experts to find the best treat-yourself goodies out there; they make great stuffers for Christmas gift baskets too for that friend or family member that always leaves you stumped. From limited-edition cheeses and hand-harvested sustainable olive oils to the exotic Jamón Ibérico and pink sparkling wine, these goodies will quickly go from special-occasion items to everyday staples in your kitchen. Here are our experts picks:

Sweet & Exotic

Fortino Godinez, Hubbell & Hudson, The Woodlands, TX, recommends:

• Bissinger’s Wine Grapes ($36/pound; bissingers.com)
• The Crispery Crispycake Christmas Chocolate Dipped Crispy ($3.50 each; thecrispery.com)
• Jeni’s Sweet Potato with Torched Marshmallows Ice Cream ($12 each; jenisicecream.com)
• Mrs. Prindables Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Almond Caramel Apple ($22.95/1.5 lb. jumbo apple; mrsprindables.com)
• Pizza Romana Black Truffle & Wild Mushroom Pizza, imported from Italy ($78; cubemarketplace.com)

  
Seasonal & Organic

Cesar Olivares, Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine, Chicago, recommends:

• Sliced Jamón Ibérico de Bellota ($54/4 oz.; tienda.com)
• River’s Edge Saint Olga (call 541.444.1362; threeringfarm.com)
• Rogue Creamery Rogue River Blue ($32/⅛ wheel; roguecreamery.com)
• Uplands Cheese Rush Creek Reserve ($25/¾ lb.; uplandscheese.com)

Seasoned Specialties

Jeanie Rarick, Annona Gourmet, St. Anthony, MN, recommends:

• Annona Gourmet Black Truffle Flavored Sea Salt ($10.99/2 oz.; annonagourmet.com)
• Essential Cane Green Chili Sugar ($8.95/5 oz.; essentialcane.com)
• Maruso Soy Sauce ($13.95/14.2 fl. oz.; marusoy.com)
• Rossi Pumpkin Spice Fettuccini ($6.75/12 ounces; rossipasta.com)

Classic Luxuries

Emilio Mignucci, Di Bruno Bros., Philadelphia, recommends:

• Lodovico Campari Balsamic Vinegar, aged 15 years ($60/250 ml; wholesaleitalianfood.com)
• Olio Verde Novello ($42/500 ml; deandeluca.com)
• Petrossian Royal Ossetra Caviar ($139/1.06 ounces; petrossian.com)
• Carles Roquefort ($38/lb.; artisanalcheese.com)

— Denise Shoukas and Nicole Denis

0 comments