There are happy gift baskets, and there are sad gift baskets. The sad ones are given by well-meaning souls who see shrink-wrapped fruit and think, “Oh joy!” Oftentimes these come year after year, stuffed with salamis and tissue paper, implying nothing other than, “Happy holidays, have a snack.” Worse yet is the revelation, upon stopping at the local gas station, that your basket was possibly purchased in conjunction with a car wash and a Slurpee. The happy gift baskets are usually hand-packed by the giver with specially selected items that the receiver will love, or that the giver wants to share. Where a sad basket would feature corporate cheese product encased in thick red wax, a happy basket might include a wedge of Roquefort that the giver knows is marvelous with your favorite Pinot Noir.
Mind you, it’s not about food snobbery—caviar isn’t the be-all, end-all among food gifts, especially for those of us who think it’s overrated. I dream of baskets that have a pedigree applied by the giver: a favorite maple syrup and a fantastic gingerbread pancake recipe. The saddest baskets come with no thought or care to the eater: Vegetarians get steak sauces; timid palates are overwhelmed by ethnically themed baskets. My favorite December pastime is to stroll through specialty markets, latte in hand, and discover a spice blend that would complement my sister’s elk steaks or the ideal dark chocolate for a friend who loves port. In truth, I hoard these little discoveries all year, waiting until the eating season is well under way to share my finds. I believe that the happiest baskets should imply, “Happy holidays, eat well, celebrate living.” So I’ve devoted this month’s column to the kinds of gems that I dream of getting (and possibly giving). These five items became my obsessions this year, and all are, in their own way, simply fabulous.
The newest one has me standing at my local cheese counter, advising complete strangers in an attempt to convert them to its pleasures. It’s not that difficult, either: Fiscalini San Joaquin Gold, a farmstead cheese created in California, isn’t a heavy, stinky cheese that only the brave will love; it’s semi-hard, with a lovely straw coloring and soft, buttery flavor. Because it is a farmstead cheese, you know that the Fiscalini family, which has been in business since 1914, controls the entire process; they care for the cows and personally process the milk to their standards of quality. The true beauty of this cheese is its versatility: It grates like a dream onto risotto, melts easily on rosemary crostini, and is tremendous eaten directly from the fridge.
If you feel that hot chocolate is reserved for children at sledding parties, skip this paragraph. If you understand that it was this beverage that caused the magnificent cocoa bean to make its first journey across the ocean from the New World, then come with me to breakfast in Madrid. It was there that I first tasted the way that this type of chocolate was intended to be enjoyed: gulp after gulp of warm, thick, creamy loveliness that made it impossible forevermore to even consider Swiss Miss. The generous people of Schokinag, a German company with nearly eighty years of expertise, have delighted my chocolate-loving heart with the introduction of their European Drinking Chocolate. Open the twelve-ounce tin and you will find tiny chips of chocolate—there’s a triple chocolate version that has both milk and dark chocolate chips dusted with cocoa powder, a white chocolate with natural vanilla, and a dazzling Moroccan Spice flavor. You simply melt five tablespoons of chips with a tablespoon of milk, and then add milk (along with cream or half and half, don’t be shy) to create the consistency that’s tastiest for you. You can find Schokinag at Whole Foods Market (where you might also pick up some hand-cut vanilla marshmallows, if you must) and at Chocolate Celeste.
I understand that processed sugar isn’t all that great for you, but I have never cottoned to sugar substitutes like Equal or Splenda. Beyond the commercial test-tube nature of their origins, they impart a metallic, chemical twang that does nothing to sate a sweet craving. However, since weighing 754 pounds is not on my list of lifetime goals, I have embraced agave nectar. Derived from the heart of the agave cactus, the sweet syrup has a low glycemic load, which means it doesn’t give you the blood-sugar rushes that processed sugar does. This translates into a healthier heart and trimmer figure. Agave’s mellow, honey-like flavor is actually sweeter than regular sugar, so you use about half as much. I’ve poured it on pancakes, mixed it in cocktails, made ice cream with it, and baked cookies that my little ones never suspected were “healthy.” Intelligent Nutrients in Minneapolis has its own brand, which can also be found at some Juut Salon Spa locations.
Along with the sweet, it’s always good to put something salty into your gift basket, too. Now, some scientists will tell you that salt is salt, NaCL is strictly NaCL, no matter where it’s harvested or what color it takes. And there are other people who will tell you that salt unlocks very subtle things about the universe, and that a red crystal from Hawaii carries a different notion of the ocean than a grayish cube from France. The magic held within this simple, elemental compound is one of my favorite earthly mysteries. While there are many fascinating salts around the globe, the most intriguing one for me lately is Balinese sea salt from Big Tree Farms. The crystals, made using an ancient week-long process involving saltwater, sand, and troughs made from palm trees, develop into miniscule hollow pyramids. The flavor is light and briny, but the crunch is the thing. For those who love to snatch a fingerful of the stuff here and there, this is the ultimate. Of course, you’ll also want to use it to adorn baked pretzels, scrambled eggs, or ice cream with caramel sauce (try it). Locally, Williams-Sonoma and the Kitchen Window are stocking boxes.
Finally, my love for peanut butter and mustard sandwiches may not be as odd as you think (cringe if you must, but I dare you to try it before you knock it). Look beyond the sugared-up jars of Jif in your cupboards, recognize the relation of ground nuts to pesto, and appreciate the tender balance of savory and sweet that can come from a good almond butter. Then the fact that nut butters are more than just a base for fruity preserves will not seem so surprising. Kettle Foods, of snack chip fame, makes an unsalted hazelnut butter that, if you let it, will expand your horizons. Yes, you can spread it on toasted bread or mix it into a cookie recipe, but you can also throw it in a pan with garlic, rosemary, and olive oil and then toss your pasta in it. Whisk it into a simple vinaigrette for a salad, or mix with honey mustard and smear over a pork roast—it will change how you look at ground nuts.
Remember that anyone can throw some cans and jars in a basket with some raffia to make a passable gift. But what does that say about you? I believe that food should be one of the most personal gifts you can give—after all, you are sharing your taste. In the end, if it’s the thought that counts, make sure it counts.
Open-Faced Sandwich With
Fiscalini San Joaquin Gold Cheese
The perfect quick lunch while wrapping gifts.
2 thick slices of crusty bread
Olive oil
2 slices prosciutto
2 slices and 2 tablespoons grated
Fiscalini San Joaquin Gold cheese
1 cup baby portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
Brush one side of each bread slice with olive oil and top it with a slice of prosciutto and thick slice of cheese. Place on cooking sheet under a broiler for a few minutes or in a 250-degree oven for about 7 minutes or until cheese melts.
Meanwhile, melt butter in pan, and sauté mushrooms with thyme until dark and soft. Pile mushrooms on bread slices and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Leave a Reply Cancel reply