Fantastic Food Discoveries
Delicious sweet and savory food gifts, from a whole hog (literally) to decadent cinnamon-candied almonds rolled in dark chocolate. Photographs by Gregor Halenda.
Chewy Nougat
Superfresh almonds and pistachios are handfolded into Poco Dolce’s slightly crumbly torrone bianco. $16 fortwo bars; pocodolce.com.
Nutty Ice Cream Topping
Well Dressed Food’s honey-soaked whole pecans are a sweet-crunchy condiment ideal for pairing with ice cream, yogurt and cheese. $10for 12 oz; welldressedfood.com.
Bacon Snacks
The Grateful Palate’s airy chicharrones (pork rinds) crisp up when cooked in their microwave-popcorn-like bag.$3 per bag; gratefulpalate.com.
Creamy Cheese
Buttery Stichelton, a Stilton-like cheese from England,is made with raw cow’s milk. $32 per lb; zingermans.com.
Cheese Party Platter
South African artisans produce Jacaranda Style’s pewter mouse cheese pin and pewter-and-hardwood cheese board. $39 for pin, $148 for board; jacarandastyle.com.
Instant BBQ
Lobel’s succulent heat-and-serve, spice-rubbed beef brisket gets smoked for 14 hours and brushed with a vinegary mop. $140 for 5 lbs; lobels.com.
Sublime Chocolate
Ganache-filled Tiroler Edle chocolate bars from Austria are made with milk from the rare Tirolean gray cows. $9 per bar; formaggiokitchen.com.
Decadent Nuts
Coco-luxe’s Block Party Almonds are candied with cinnamon, rolled in dark chocolate and dusted with cocoa powder.$13 for 6 oz; coco-luxe.com.
Whole Hog
Iowa-based La Quercia will butcher entire acorn-finished Berkshire pigs, then send you the fresh and cured meats (and offal!) throughout the year. $3,300 for a 300-lb pig; laquercia.us.
Sweet Reads
Three terrific new inspirations for holiday baking: Jill O’Connor’s Sticky, Chewy,Messy, Gooey; George Greenstein’s Secrets of a Jewish Baker; and Alice Medrich’s Pure Dessert.
