GRAND GIFTS.

Byline: Natalie Haughton Food Editor

We're down to counting the days - not the weeks - until the holidays, so it's time to power shop to the finish. Need a tasteful gift idea for the foodies and cooks on your list? We've collected several last-minute suggestions - in a range of prices - that are worthy of consideration.

There's plenty of food for thought here, from major investments to little stocking stuffers. Now it's just a matter of motivating yourself to act. Any or all of these items may help you solve the last-minute ``what to get'' gift dilemma. Happy holidays!

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(1 -- cover -- color) HO! HO! HO!

Last-minute gifts for food fanciers

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer

(2 -- color) Gary Sula-Goff, dressed as Santa Claus at Westfield Shoppingtown Topanga, whips up a few treats while sporting a Santa hat ($9.99) and candy cane apron ($14.99) and using a stainless steel bowl ($6.99) and stainless steel whisk ($6.99), all available from Lechters Housewares, at the Topanga mall in Canoga Park.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer

(3 -- color) COOKBOOKS: Nancy Silverton, co-owner and operator of La Brea Bakery and Campanile restaurant in Los Angeles, shares some of her pastry secrets in ``Nancy Silverton's Pastries From the La Brea Bakery'' (Villard Books; $35). Included among the more than 150 recipes are savory delights like Onion Tart and Prosciutto Pie as well as sweets like cobblers, crisps, cookies, scones, muffins, morning pastries, doughnuts and quick breads. Recipes range from simple to more complex.

Alfred Portale, chef and co-owner of the Gotham Bar and Grill in New York, features an array of creations cooked according to the months of the year in his second book, ``Alfred Portale's 12 Seasons Cookbook'' (Broadway; $45). It's geared to the way people really eat as opposed to restaurant or chef food. Some recipes are ingredient-driven, while others are designed to respond to the schedule of the season. Glorious color photographs lend a wonderful ambience to this volume. Both books available at book stores.

(4 -- color) KITCHEN TORCH: Use this torch to carmelize sugar and get that golden brown, crackly topping on a creme brulee, cheesecake, tart or other foods for a professional look. The torch, with an adjustable flame, gives you better control than an oven broiler - and melts sugar quickly so the filling underneath stays cool. The torch uses butane fuel (available in a can for an additional $5). It's $30 at Williams-Sonoma stores.

(5 -- color) CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES: Elegant, decadent chocolate truffles selections from Valencia-based Chocolates a la Carte explode with a variety of fabulous flavors such as milk caramel, dark chocolate, champagne, Irish creme and mango. They're a wonderful way to send holiday greetings and available in a pair of triangle boxes filled with six truffles each ($12.95). A truffle box with 12 pieces is $12.95 or 20 pieces is $20.95. Available in purple, copper or silver-colored boxes. Order by calling [phone] or online at chocolates-ala-carte.com.

(6 -- color) DECORATIVE LEAVES: Add lovely color to cheese boards and bread baskets by tucking in these assorted colored paper leaves. Also good to scatter on a buffet table or for creating place cards. Made in France, the leaves are food-safe and won't stain. The set of 40 leaves, which includes several different varieties and color variations, is $16 at Williams-Sonoma stores.

(7 -- color) SQUARE WAFFLE MAKER: This VillaWare classic waffle maker cooks waffles in less than three minutes. With several temperature settings, a power and ready light, a chime signals when waffles are done. Nonstick grids are easy to clean. Makes four (4 1/4-inch) square waffles. It's $100 at Williams-Sonoma stores.

(8 -- color) LEVER SCREWPULL: This device uncorks a wine bottle quickly. Simply drop the level and its Teflon-coated screw glides into the cork; lift it and the bottle is open. Made of ABS plastic with an ergonomically designed handle, the pull comes boxed with a foil cutter and a stainless-steel wine stopper. It's $139 at Williams-Sonoma stores.

(9 -- color) COOKIES FOR SANTA: Leave a festive plate full of delicious decorated cut-out cookies for Santa - or pack them up for friends and neighbors. Assorted designs and colors. Cookies are $1.39 each at Mrs. Fields Cookies, Westfield Shoppingtown Topanga and other locations. Christmas cookie plate is $5.99 at Lechters Housewares, Topanga mall and other locations.

(10 -- color) FOOD HISTORY: With 4,000 entries, the two-volume Cambridge World History of Food (Cambridge University Press) is a monumental and comprehensive work covering the history and spectrum of foods. From the eating habits of our prehistoric ancestors and social taboos to policy and health issues faced today, editors Kenneth F. Kiple and Kriemhild Conee Ornelas have included contributions of 224 experts from 15 countries in fields from agronomy to zoology.

Within each of the two 1,000-page volumes, you'll encounter foods that have been hunted, gathered, cultivated and domesticated; their nutritional makeup and uses; and their impact on cultures and demography. The set, illustrated sporadically with black and white photos, illustrations and charts, offers a global tour of the history and culture of food and drink, and take up subjects from food fads and prejudices to questions of food toxins, biotechnology, labeling and even aphrodisiacs (and their opposite: anaphrodisiacs). The work culminates in a dictionary that identifies and sketches out brief histories of plant foods mentioned in the text - more than 1,000 in all - and additionally supplies thousands of common names and synonyms for those foods. It's $150 for the set at book stores.

(11 -- color) CUTTERS AND SCRAPERS: For little extra gifts or to toss in a food gift basket, select assorted copper holiday-design cookie cutters or red and green scrapers. The scrapers are heatproof up to 500 degrees F, which makes them great for candy making and other cooking tasks. Cost is $5.99 (cookie cutters) and $7 (scrapers) at Williams-Sonoma stores.

(12) MANDOLINE: This European tool slices, shreds, waffle-cuts and juliennes vegetables with speed and precision. Julienne blades come in three sizes and are inserted from the side, giving you thicknesses from paper-thin to 1/2-inch. A hand guard moves smoothly over razor-sharp blades, protecting fingers while holding food in place. Made of stainless steel and fiberglass, with rubber feet to hold it firmly on the countertop, it comes with an instructional video. It's $169 at Williams-Sonoma and Sur La Table stores around Los Angeles.

(13) GLASS BOWL SET: This 11-piece set includes glass bowls ranging in size from 1-ounce to 6-quart. Bowls are dishwasher- and microwave-safe and cost $32 at Williams-Sonoma stores.

(14) SANTA PLATE: This Josiah Wedgwood burgundy and white plate has an old St. Nick design from a hand engraving. It is dishwasher- and microwave-safe. It's $56 at Williams-Sonoma stores.

(15) GREAT TASTE: For stocking stuffers, hostess gifts or entertainers on your list, pick up tins of mulling spices and hot buttered rum mix. The mulling spices from the Spice Hunter come in 5-ounce tins and are wonderful for zipping up hot apple cider or red wine. The spices make the house smell terrific, too. The Spice Hunter Hot Buttered Rum Mix is available in 10-ounce cans and needs to be mixed with rum, butter and boiling water for a wonderful drink. Two tins (or one of each) are $9 at Cost Plus stores.

(16) MELITTA AUTOMATIC MILL AND BREW: Coffee fanciers can wake up to the freshest coffee with this 10-cup coffeemaker. You can go from whole beans to brewed coffee without any guesswork or mess. And it's easy - just set the grinder for coffee as strong or mild as you like it, add the beans and water, and start. It also has a timer - set it and wake up to freshly brewed coffee or whenever you want a cup of joe. This pot makes good coffee and is a breeze to use. It's $79.99 at Bloomingdale's or Target stores.

(17) MICROPLANE GRATER/ZESTER: This is among the hottest gadgets and the one pictured here is recommended for hard cheeses, citrus peels, onions, peppers and other vegetables. It's stainless steel, has razor-sharp cutters, is easy to use and clean, and does a fabulous and fast job. The Microplane is also available in other shapes and with different-size holes for grating other food items. It's $10.95 at Sur La Table stores in Thousand Oaks, Santa Monica and Pasadena.

Photos of products by Hans Gutknecht, Gus Ruelas and David Sprague/Staff Photographers.