PRESENT PERFECTION IF YOU'RE IN THE GIFT DILEMMA MODE FOR THAT COOK OR WINE FAN ON YOUR LIST, CONSIDER SOME OF THESE FUN, ENTICING POSSIBILITIES.Byline: Natalie Haughton Food Editor If you're in the gift dilemma mode for that cook or wine fan on your list, consider some of these fun, enticing possibilities. MILK WARMER AND FROTHER: Despite the price, this is one of the hottest gift choice of the year, notes a Sur La Table Sur La Table, Inc. is a privately held American retail company based in Seattle, Washington, that sells gourmet cooking utensils and related merchandise, such as appliances, food, and cookbooks. spokesperson. At the touch of a button (less than 50 seconds), the Aeroccino froths and heats milk to perfection Adv. 1. to perfection - in every detail; "the new house suited them to a T" just right, to a T, to the letter -- for lattes, capuccinos and other espresso drinks. $89.95 at Sur la Table, www.surlatable.com or (800) 243-0852. PALM PEELER: Cooks who are always peeling their knuckles or fingers instead of the potatoes will love this gadget. It fits in your palm and you slip it on your finger. Soft rubber provides a safe grip and a stainless-steel blade makes for easy and fast peeling. $4.95 at Sur la Table stores. We also spotted it at Bed, Bath & Beyond. A palm brush for veggies Veggies of Nottingham, also known as Veggies Catering Campaign, is a campaigning group based in Nottingham, England, promoting ethicalbum alternatives to mainstream fast food. is also available. DARK CHOCOLATE GLACEED APRICOTS: These plump whole Australian apricots, lightly candied can·died adj. Permeated, covered, encrusted, or cooked with sugar: candied sweet potatoes. candied Adjective coated with or cooked in sugar: and half dipped in dark chocolate, are a terrific find. Usually, glaceed apricots imported from down under command premium prices. Apricot and chocolate fans could easily become addicted. Two pieces contain 150 calories, 2.5 grams fat, 34 grams carbohydrate, no sodium or cholesterol. A 10-ounce box is $8.99 at Trader Joe's. FLEUR DE SEL Fleur de sel ("Flower of salt" in French) is a hand-harvested sea salt collected by workers who scrape only the top layer of salt before it sinks to the bottom of large salt pans. CARAMELS: For those who love sea salt or salted caramels, pick up a 14-ounce ivory-colored round wooden container of soft chewy chew·y adj. chew·i·er, chew·i·est Needing much chewing: chewy candy. chew  i·ness n. caramels containing imported French sea salt. Invidivually wrapped, the caramels are sweet and salty, rich, buttery and delicious. $6.99 per box at Trader Joe's. EAT IT!: Looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a food-related board game? Eat It! may fit the bill with 2,000 fun and tasty trivia questions about chocolate, candy, cookies, ice cream, desserts, snacks and so on. Questions range from jingles and advertising to pop culture, origins, nostalgia, ingredients, tidbits TidBITS is an award-winning electronic newsletter and web site dealing primarily with Apple Computer and Macintosh-related topics. Internet publication TidBITS has been published weekly since April 16, 1990, which makes it one of the longest running Internet publications. and more. $29.99 at Toys ``R'' Us, Linens-N-Things, www.target.com, www.wal-mart.com or www.eatittrivia.com. CHRISTMAS-TREE CAKE PAN: If there's a baker on your gift list, consider this 3-D pan from Nordic Ware. Made of cast aluminum, the 9-cup-capacity pan sports a nonstick non·stick adj. Permitting easy removal of adherent food particles: a frying pan with a nonstick surface. nonstick Adjective coating for quick release and easy cleanup. Use a mix or the recipe included. The tree, baked in two halves, stands 10 inches tall once glued or pressed together with icing. $38 at Bristol Farms, Let's Get Cookin' (Westlake Village), www.nordicware.com or (877) 466-7342. PANINI Panini (pä`nēnē), fl. c.400 B.C., Indian grammarian. His Ashtādhyāyī [eight books] (tr. 1891) is one of the earliest works of descriptive linguistics and is also the first individually authored treatise on Sanskrit. PRESS: Fans of Italian panini-style sandwiches can now prepare them at home with the Breville electric press. The high sear setting gives breads a crisp, toasty toast·y adj. toast·i·er, toast·i·est Pleasantly warm. finish. The top plate adjusts to seven different height settings to accommodate various foods/sandwiches without smashing them. With a versatile variable heat control (350 to 450 degrees F), it can also be used as an indoor grill. A removable drip tray simplifies cleanup. Comes with a 50-page recipe book. $99.95 at Williams-Sonoma, www.williams-sonoma or (800) 541-2233. VALERIE CONFECTIONS: When Valerie Confections was launched in L.A. in 2004 by Valerie Gordon and Stan Weightman Jr., it concentrated on sophisticated crunchy toffee squares hand-dipped in Valhrona bittersweet bittersweet, name for two unrelated plants, belonging to different families, both fall-fruiting woody vines sometimes cultivated for their decorative scarlet berries. or milk chocolate. Currently, seven flavors are offered -- almond, almond fleur de sel, ginger, mint, orange, classic (no nuts) and hazelnut. For the holidays only, the company is offering hand-crafted nougat nou·gat n. A confection made from a sugar or honey paste into which nuts are mixed. [French, from Provençal, from nougo, nut, from Old Provençal noga, from Vulgar Latin squares, flavored with almonds and candied orange, dipped in bittersweet chocolate and topped with a sprinkling of gold leaf. The company has also introduced chocolate-covered peanut candy squares that are crunchy and divine. An eight-piece box of the holiday nougats is $50. Four- to 12-piece boxes of peanut candies or toffees range from $13 to $38, www.valerieconfections.com, (888) 706-1408. GLASSWARE: Riedel, an Austrian crystal manufacturer known for chic, expensive wine glasses, now offers Riedel Vivant glassware -- a more affordable line of lead-free Tyrol crystal glasses. Choose from a varietal selection for serving white, red or pinot noir wines; champagne flutes; and beer, cognacor martini glasses. Packed in sets of four, the glasses (handwash only) are $39.99 at Target stores, www.target.com. COLLAPSIBLE COLANDER: If storage space is at a premium in a cook's kitchen, this pop colander that collapses for easy storage will be most welcome. The 2.4-quart capacity is 10 inches in diameter and made of heat-resistant, nonstick silicone making it dishwasher safe. Available in blue or red. $29.95 at at Sur la Table, www.surlatable.com or (800) 243-0852. AEROGARDEN: Now you can grow a variety of herbs and vegetables simply and easily in your kitchen without dirt, weeds or mess. . A built-in plant lighting system removes the guesswork. Plug'n Grow Bio-dome Seed System pods are enclosed in mini greenhouses for ultra fast germination germination, in a seed, process by which the plant embryo within the seed resumes growth after a period of dormancy and the seedling emerges. The length of dormancy varies; the seed of some plants (e.g. . It adjusts nutrient delivery, light cycles and water flow for specific plant types. Guaranteed harvest in 28 days. Some assembly required. Herb seed kit included. $149.95. Available in black at select Sur la Table stores, www.surlatable.com and white only at www.surlatable.com. Or call (800)243-0852. MARILYN WINES: This collection (released in October 2006) comes in two formats: the 1.5-liter magnum (54 percent cabernet sauvignon and 46 percent merlot) in a gift box ($225 for a limited-edition, individually numbered) or as a three-bottle set in wooden display box (with a 750-milliter bottle, a 1.5-liter magnum and a 3-liter double magnum for $1,000). The bottle(s) features a peek-and-peel label with a nude Marilyn Monroe red velvet background, a copy of the first centerfold cen·ter·fold n. 1. A magazine center spread, especially a foldout of an oversize photograph or feature. 2. a. The subject of a photograph used as a centerfold, often a nude model. b. in Playboy magazine, from 1953. For other fun but less pricey Marilyn Wine choices, pick up a bottle of Marilyn Merlot ($26) or Norma Jeane ($10.50). Available at Liquid Wine & Spirits, 10100 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Chatsworth, (818) 709-5019, www.marilynwines.com or (866)669-4637. FOOD ENCYCLOPEDIA: This heavy 700-page tome, by Jacques L. Rolland and Carol Sherman, with other contributors, (Robert Rose; $49.95/laminated hardcover) is a great resource for anyone who cooks or likes food; even neophytes might need an answer to a food question. More than 8,000 entries -- among them ingredients, tools, techniques and bios (more than 120 such as Julia Child ). Definitions for everything from abalone abalone (ăbəlō`nē), popular name in the United States for a univalve gastropod mollusk of the genus Haliotis, members of which are also called ear shells, or sea ears, as their shape resembles the human ear. to zymurgy zy·mur·gy n. The branch of chemistry that deals with fermentation processes, as in brewing. zymurgy a branch of applied chemistry that studies fermentation processes, as in brewing. . Available at bookstores and online bookstores. Natalie Haughton, (818) 713-3692 natalie.haughton@dailynews.com (1 -- cover -- color) Gift the cook (2 -- color) DARK CHOCOLATE GLACEED APRICOTS (3 -- color) EAT IT! (4 -- color) FLEUR DE SEL CARAMELS (5 -- color) ``THE FOOD ENCYCLOPEDIA'' Evan Yee/Staff Photographer (6 -- color) MILK WARMER AND FROTHER (7 -- color) PALM PEELER (8 -- color) CHRISTMAS-TREE CAKE PAN (9 -- color) PANINI PRESS (10 -- color) VALERIE CONFECTIONS (11 -- color) RIEDEL VIVANT GLASSWARE (12 -- color) COLLAPSIBLE COLANDER (13 -- color) PLUG'N GROW BIO-DOME SEED SYSTEM (14 -- color) VELVET COLLECTION - MARILYN MONROE WINE CAPTION(S): 14 photos |
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