12 Incredible Edible Holiday Gifts
There are gifts all food lovers dream of receiving (fresh truffles, artisanal olive oil) and then there are the ones they actually get (fruit baskets, gingersnaps). Here are fast, fantastic recipes for both kinds of presents.
Gift: Citrus Fruit
Recipe: Citrus-Cinnamon Punch
Printables: Citrus-Cinnamon Punch Recipe Card and Holiday Gift Tags
F&W Shopping Guide: Citrus Fruit
Harry & David Organic Oranges & Grapefruit
Sweet, juicy oranges and large, luscious grapefruit from this perennial source.$10 to $13 per lb; harryanddavid.com
Grandma Berries Florida Holiday Trio
Golden and Red Navel oranges and Ruby Red grapefruit.$36 for 14 lbs; grandmaberries.com
The Fruit Company Various
Five citrus varieties, including tangelos and navel oranges.$37 for 7 lbs; thefruitcompany.com
Gift: Strawberry Jam
Recipe: Souffléed Jam Omelets
Printables: Souffléed Jam Omelets Recipe Card and Holiday Gift Tags
F&W Shopping Guide: Strawberry Jam
Harvest Song Artisinal Strawberry Preserve
Ripe, saucy jam made from hand-picked Armenian fruit.$10 for 18.9 oz; harvestsongventures.com
L’Epicurien Strawberry Extra-Fruit Jam
An intensely fruity hand-crafted jam from France. $10 for 15.3 oz; chelseamarketbaskets.com
Bonnie’s Jams Strawberry Jam
Bonnie Shershow makes her thick, small-batch jam in Cambridge, MA. $13 for 18 oz; bonniesjams.com
Gifts: Honey, Bacon
Recipe: Spicy Honey-Glazed Bacon
Printables: Spicy Honey-Glazed Bacon Recipe Card and Holiday Gift Tags
F&W Shopping Guide: Honey
Moon Shine Trading Company Yellow Star Thistle Honey
A spicy, light-amber honey made from California wildflowers. $10 for 16 oz; moonshinetrading.com
Blue Hills Honey Blue Hills Honey
An explosively sweet honey cultivated in Tasmania’s Tarkine wilderness. $15 for 500 g; tassienaturals.com
ApiPharm Wildflower Honey
A delicately floral honey from Macedonia. $8 for 8.8 oz; demeterspantry.com
F&W Shopping Guide: Bacon
Burgers’ Smokehouse Original Country Bacon
Cured with brown sugar, salt and pepper, this extra-thick, extra-chewy bacon is sweet and smoky.$25 for 2 lbs; smokehouse.com
Bear Creek Hickory-Smoked Bacon
A meaty, thick-cut country bacon cured and slow-smoked over hickory embers. $12 per lb; gratefulpalate.com
Nueske’s Thick-Sliced Bacon
Extraordinary bacon that’s brined, then smoked for 24 hours over an applewood fire. $20 for 2 lbs; nueskes.com
Gifts: Pasta, Robiola, Truffles
Recipe: Pasta with Robiola and Truffles
Printables: Pasta with Robiola and Truffles Recipe Card and Holiday Gift Tags
F&W Shopping Guide: Egg Pasta
Giovanni Perna Egg Fettuccine
A delicate pasta made with stone-ground durum wheat. $9 for 500 g; formaggiokitchen.com
Rustichella d’Abruzzo Egg Tagliatelle
The dense pasta’s rough texture helps each strand hold on to sauces $6 for 8.8 oz; markethallfoods.com
Spinosi Egg Fettuccine
A quick-cooking dried pasta from Campofilone, said to be the birthplace of Italian egg pasta. $9 for 8.8 oz; agferrari.com
F&W Shopping Guide: Robiola
Caseificio dell’Alta Langa Robiola Rocchetta
A fresh and tangy mixed-milk cheese. $15 for 9 oz; artisanalcheese.com
Gianni Cora Robioloa Castagna
An earthy mixed-milk cheese aged in chestnut leaves. $24 for 12 oz; formaggiokitchen.com
Caseificio dell’Alta Langa Robiola Bosina
A mild, creamy robiola made from cow’s and sheep’s milk. $11 for 8 oz; murrayscheese.com
F&W Shopping Guide: Fresh Truffles
Sabatino Tartufi White Alba and Black Winter Truffles
From a specialist that also sells truffle honey, butter and oil.$70 to $160 per oz; sabatinotartufi.com
D’Artagnan White Alba and Black Winter Truffles
From an importer chefs love, based in Newark, NJ. $48 to $145 per oz; dartagnan.com
Gourmet Food Store Fresh Truffles
These experts carry winter and summer truffles from Italy, France and Asia. $40 to $200 per oz; gourmetfoodstore.com
Gift: Balsamic Vinegar
Recipe: Roasted Pear Sundaes with Balsamic-Caramel Sauce
Printables: Roasted Pear Sundaes with Balsamic-Caramel Sauce Recipe Card and Holiday Gift Tags
F&W Shopping Guide: Balsamic Vinegar
Maletti 12-Year Balsamic Vinegar
A rich condiment made from the wine and must of Lambrusco and Trebbiano grapes. $65 for 100 ml; ritrovo.com
La Vecchia Dispensa Italian Balsamic Sampler
A set of vinegars aged for eight, 10, 20 and 40 years—great for comparison tastings. $25; zingermans.com
Tondo 12-Year Balsamic Vinegar
An inky, complex vinegar perfect for drizzling over cheese and fruit. $72 for 100 ml; 888-225-3679
Gift: Smoked Salmon
Recipe: Smoked Salmon Involtini
Printables: Smoked Salmon Involtini Recipe Card and Holiday Gift Tags
F&W Shopping Guide: Smoked Salmon
Eli Zabar Smoked Salmon
A delicate, silky wild Scottish salmon from Eli Zabar’s famous Manhattan markets. $85 for 1.5 lb side; elizabar.com
Neiman Marcus Scottish moked Salmon
An extra-smoky salmon cured with sea salt and smoked over oak and applewood.$72 for 2.5 lbs; neimanmarcus.com
Browne Trading Co. Daniel Boulud Salmon
A buttery farm-raised salmon cured and cold-smoked to the star chef’s specifications. $80 for 2 lbs; deandeluca.com
Gift: Gingerbread Cookies
Recipe: Pork with Gingersnap Sauce
Printables: Pork with Gingersnap Sauce Recipe Card and Holiday Gift Tags
F&W Shopping Guide: Gingerbread Cookies
Tate’s Bake Shop Gingerbread Cookies
Large, chewy handmade cookies available only around the holidays. $35 for 2 lbs; tatesbakeshop.com
Beth’s Triple Gingersnaps
All-natural, crunchy bite-size cookies loaded with ginger flavor. $5 for 7 oz; dereuze.com
Salem Baking Co. Moravian Spice Cookies
From a recipe dating back to 1930, paper-thin and delightfully crispy with a mild ginger flavor. $15 for 16 oz; salembaking.com
Gift: Pecans
Recipe: Date Quick Bread with Pecan Streusel
Printables: Date Quick Bread with Pecan Streusel Recipe Card and Holiday Gift Tags
F&W Shopping Guide: Pecans
Schermer Pecans Fancy Mammoth Pecan Halves
Georgia farmers save the best 10 percent of their pecan crop for these bags. $33 for 3 lbs; pecantreats.com
Goodness Gracie Sinful, Salted Pecans
Salty, crispy roasted pecans great for snacking or baking in pies and breads. $24 for 16 oz; goodnessgracie.com
Ellis Bros. Pecans Fancy Mammoth Pecan Halves
Georgia pecans delivered straight from a family-owned, family-operated farm. $33 for 3 lbs; werenuts.com
Gift: Olive Oil
Recipe: Roasted Grape Tomatoes and Garlic in Olive Oil
Printables: Roasted Grape Tomatoes and Garlic in Olive Oil Recipe Card and Holiday Gift Tags
F&W Shopping Guide: Olive Oil
Pianogrillo Olio Novello 2006
Just-pressed, robust and spicy olive oil rushed in from Sicily. $27 for 500 ml; chefshop.com
McEvoy Ranch Olio Nuovo 2006
Organic oil from California made in an intense, grassy and peppery Tuscan style. $38 for 750 ml; mcevoyranch.com
Grati Olio Nuovo 2006
Italy’s Grati family produces three excellent cru oils in three distinctive groves in Tuscany. $23 for 500 ml; rarewineco.com