A selection of useful, indulgent, good looking, practical and delicious things to give or receive.
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On Our Table Charcuterie Boards
The excellent Hole Slab Charcuterie Board by Geof Lilge and Cindy Lazarenko’s On Our Table is back in production. It is 24 inches long and nine inches wide, perfect for kitchen island parties. In walnut, $260, in white oak, $198. Order at onourtable.co.
Kitchen Aprons Designed by a Chef
These attractive denim and canvas aprons by chef Victor Hugo are designed in Edmonton and made by family members in Mexico. Sturdy, hard-working and well-priced, $60-$70 each, vhkitchenapparel.com. PS: Chef Hugo also makes really great tacos.
Love Tomatoes?
Where would we be without tomatoes? Explore 80 mouth-watering recipes in the cookbook Tomato that capture the flavours of the fruit in its rapturous summer glory, but also use canned in the depth of winter. This is chef Claire Thompson’s, also known as the 5 O’Clock Apron, sixth cookbook. It’s a winner. Tomato by Claire Thomson (Quadrille Press, $48), at Zocalo, 10826 95 Street.
A Beautiful Platter for Your Table
Always need more platters at Christmas and these Vietri Medici platters are stunning. Hand-made of terre bianca, a white clay found in Umbria. Hand painted in Italy. Find at Bella Casa, 9646 142 Street, from $245-$325.
Lessig Ferments Hot Sauces. Chef Roger Letourneau makes really tasty hot sauces with just the right amount of heat. The fermentation technique brings added depth of flavour and concentration—truly local and so delicious. Find at Acme Meats, Biera Market, The Butchery, Color de Vino, Good Goods Co, Meathead, Meuwly’s, Modest Meats, and all Ribeye Butcher Shops.
Lakrids Frozen Crispy Mint Liquorice. The high-quality, handmade boiled liquorice from Denmark has a new flavour for the holidays: Frozen Crispy Mint—sweet liquorice wrapped in dark Belgian chocolate with peppermint, $10-$25. Find at Heart of the Home and the Italian Centre South.
Some cool things for the kitchen, all at Heart of the Home.
This pretty silicone non-slip jar opener by Andreas is a useful stocking stuffer, $14. Who doesn’t need some fresh new cloths for the kitchen? These modern geometric-patterned tea towels and dishcloths are made from a post-consumer recycled materials microfibre called Geoweave, which makes them ideal in the kitchen—super absorbent (nearly seven times its weight in liquid) with outstanding cleaning ability. Fast drying too, at Heart of the Home, $14-$26, depending on item.
Holiday Collections, Advent Calendars, bon bons and bars by three Edmonton-area chocolatiers.
Colleen’s Chocolates. Colleen Heidecker offers a dizzying array of flavours in bars, barks, even chocolate-covered gummies. Special for the holidays: Holiday Stuffed Bar Collection, $24, Smash Santa, $25 and the 25 Day Chocolate Experience, $80—truffles, mini bars, stuffed bars, with 80 per cent locally sourced ingredients for the fillings. The full range at colleenschocolates.com. Find custom bars at Culina To Go, Fawkes Coffee and the Daisy Chain Book Company.
St. Albert’s Priya Winsor of Compass Chocolates works primarily with French-made Valrhona. Her creations are velvety textured, with distinct flavours, beautifully balanced, never too sweet. Holiday assortments (maple, caramel ginger, apple cinnamon, Irish coffee, mint and eggnog) start at $16.50, the Advent Box is $74 (order by November 15). Find Compass online at compasschocolates.ca and in person at Klondyke Flowers in St. Albert and Freson Bros on Mullen Road.
Jacqueline Jacek is the cocoanista behind Jacek Chocolate Couture which she founded in her basement in 2009. Since then, Jacek has garnered a raft of awards and fans. The holiday collection starts at $15, the 10th Anniversary Edition Advent Calendar is $68 and the Large Joy Box is just the thing for the fashionable chocolate lover, $135. Find at the Jacek boutique on Kaska Road, Sherwood Park and online at jacekchocolate.com. Opening soon is the new boutique in Crestwood, right by Happy & Olive.
Thursday Cottage Cherry Curd, handmade in small batches in Somerset, UK, is bursting with tart cherry flavour. Pair it with an aged cheddar or make a tart, $12. Find at Heart of the Home.
Hawkshead Relish makes delicious sauces, jams and relishes that are gluten- and nut-free, suitable for, well, just about everyone. Made in the UK. The Sour Cherry & Prosecco is not too tart, not too sweet, the perfect indulgence for holiday breakfasts. Chili Jam is sweet and hot with chillies, onion, garlic and spices, $12. The Cheeseboard Chutney with fresh figs, cranberries and apples, finished with Pinot Noir, has complex flavours, $12. The Posh Pickle Sauce, packed with gherkins, dill and onions, is equally fabulous with hot dogs, fish or burgers, $10. Find Hawkshead at Freson Bros, various locations.
Love Tea?
Zocalo stocks the Amulet Tea Infuser made by Vancouver’s Danica Studio. Charming scarab beetles and herbs clamber across the double-walled borosilicate glass of this durable travel bottle complete with a stainless steel removable infuser and a bamboo screw-on lid, $32.
Bella Casa stocks the Creatures of Curiosity fine bone china from Britain’s Portmeirion. The wild and fantastical designs, featuring a menagerie of snakes, animal print and bold florals, are inspired by the Victorian obsession with the natural world. Teapot, mugs, creamer and sugar, $40-$140.
Split Tree Cranberry Ginger Cordial. Whole cranberries, white ginger, fresh lime juice, sugar, that’s it. Drink with soda, or reinvent the Cosmo, $16. Find at the Italian Centre Shops, South and North and at Maven & Grace.
Coriander Liqueur. We are a big fans of this spirit by Edmonton drinks specialist Warren Johnston of Above Average Drinks. We love the racy herbaceous quality it brings to a Negroni, or enjoy on the rocks with a twist of orange. Find at Biera Market, Color de Vino, Dorinku, Lone Pine and Marlo Tacos.
Jaya Chai Liqueur. Faaiza Ramji is upending the spirits line-up. First it was Sweet Pea Amaro, the made-in-Alberta amaro she makes with the peas from southern Alberta farmer (and business partner) Lindsey Good. Now, she is honouring her family’s chai recipe (“every south Asian family has their own way of blending spices,” she says) with Jaya Chai Liqueur. Boozy chai on Christmas morning? Giddy up. Find at Lone Pine Distillery and better wine shops, TasteJaya.com.
The Lone Pine Christmas Gin is delicious, with warm spices reminiscent of mulled wine and juniper, citrus and a subtle note of peppermint. Makes a fantastic eggnog or make a Christmassy martini. Instead of an olive, garnish with cranberries or a stalk of rosemary.