Home for the Holidays Gift Guide

Trufflula Cashew Cheese
This fermented cashew nut food is savoury, complex in flavour, absolutely delightful. In Original and Prairie Herb (with herbs from Chickadee Farm) and made right here in Edmonton by raw food chef Allison Landin. Ideal on a cheese board. Find at Earth’s General Store, Food in the Nud, Good Goods Co, Meuwly’s, Edmonton Christmas Market (until December 20), $20.

Belazu Truffle and Artichoke Pesto
Piemontese summer truffles, aged Parmigiano and artichokes. Stir into mashed potatoes, top crostini, or mix with breadcrumbs to stuff mushrooms. Creamy, rich and delicious. Find at Careit Urban Deli and the Italian Centre Shops South and West, $10.

Paisley Notebook Spice Blends
Okanagan-based Aman Dosanj knows her way around Okanagan ingredients and the flavours of her heritage. Her unique spice blends, the Malabar (star anise, fennel, cinnamon) the Kadhai (fennel, coriander, cumin, chile) and the top-secret Royal Blend are now available here. Find at Meuwly’s, paisleynotebook.com, $11-$12.

Joe and Seph’s Prosecco Caramel Sauce
This luscious caramel sauce is made with double cream, butter and five per cent Prosecco. Delicious drizzled over fruit, or a brownie. Find at Bella Casa, Italian Centre Shops South and West, Twig in Camrose, $13.

Hive Honey by Hive Gourmet
These delightful unpasteurized Ontario honeys come in an easy-to-drizzle format in three flavours. The Hive Been Smoking has a distinct smoky flavour; the Hive Been Cured salted honey is infused with sea salt—who doesn’t love sweet and salty? The Hive on Fire honey possesses a spicy hot kick from fresh chilies. Find at Bon Ton Bakery, all Italian Centre Shops, Home & Cottages, Maven & Grace, $14.

Bite of Brazil Dulce de Leche
This indulgent confection is a sweet oozy treat. Dollop on ice cream or yogurt, add to your shortbread recipe or make alfajores. Originally from South America, Bite of Brazil in downtown Edmonton makes it in convenient jars. Find at Bite of Brazil, Good Goods Co, $8.

Herbologie Spice Mixes
We love what Solstice, a delicious blend of Alberta dill, Turkish silk chili, Icelandic kelp, does for roast sweet potatoes. Keep a jar on hand to amp up mashed potatoes or popcorn, salad dressings or soups. Or make your own blends with Herbologie’s top-quality spices such as turmeric, sumac, or nigella seeds. Find at Awn Kitchen, Culina to Go, Good Goods Co, Herbologie.ca, Meuwly’s, $17.50/$14 refill.

Verduijns Fine Biscuits
Enjoy the flavour of the season with the cranberry cookies or go savoury with the waffle-style black pepper and sea salt cracker, each crisp and buttery. Both are available at the Italian Centre Shop South, the black pepper at Cavern and Maven & Grace, $5.

Miller’s Damsel Charcoal Crackers
This crisp black cracker looks gorgeous on the cheese board. Serve with pâté or the Belazu truffled artichoke pesto, or with runny triple creams. At Cavern, $7.

Embossed Rolling Pin
Indulge the baker in your life with an embossed rolling pin to make beautiful cookies. Tips: Keep your dough cold, don’t overwork the dough and keep the flour nearby for best results. This elegant flower-patterned one is by Danesco, at Zocalo, $25.

Stoneware Cups
These lovely hand-made cups from Portugal have a dipped glaze design inspired by ocean waves lapping the beach. In two sizes, suitable for espresso, cappuccino, London Fog, or for individual hors d’oeuvres or dipping sauces. Dishwasher, microwave and oven safe. Find at Zocalo, Heart of the Home, $10-$18 each.

Fireworks Popping Corn
This popping corn is just delicious, fresh and flavourful and pops up beautifully in an air popper or on the stove in your Whirley Pop. Choose from High Mountain Midnight (blue kernel with a robust flavour) and Harvest, a blend of medium blue, red and classic yellow kernels. Find at Bella Casa, all Italian Centre Shops, Heart of the Home, $10 each.

Kind Ice Cream in large format tubs
Kind Ice Cream needs one week’s notice to make you a 4.2L (about 9 pints) tub of their high-quality ice cream in any flavour they have on the menu, $60 plus a $5 deposit for the pail. Call 587-759-0080 or email hello@kindicecream.ca to order.

Split Tree Rhubarb and Elderflower Cordial
Make a cocktail or add to a warm punch for sipping on movie night. Find at Bon Ton Bakery, Fresons Fort Sask., Home & Cottages, Italian Centre Shops South and West, Maven & Grace, $14.

Bittermilk hand-crafted Cocktail Mixer
Bittermilk makes several tasty cocktail mixes (we love a Paloma made with the charred grapefruit) but this one has the Christmas spirit. The #7 Gingerbread Old Fashioned Mix is made just for the season with orange peel, cinchona bark and fresh ginger juice. Each mix contains a bittering agent, a sweetener and an acid to ensure a balanced cocktail; the egg nog and old-fashioned recipes on the bottle are the bomb. Find at Bon Ton Bakery, Italian Centre Shops South and West, Twig in Camrose, $23.

Gimber Peruvian Ginger
This is a highly concentrated ginger condiment/juice made with Peruvian ginger, fresh lemon juice, herbs and spices. Use for cocktails, add to soda or hot water for a refreshing pick-me-up or use in cooking and baking. Find at Bon Ton Bakery, Fresons Fort Sask., Home & Cottages, Italian Centre South, Maven & Grace, $26-40.

Cavallini & Company Puzzles
Time for some new puzzles as we bet you have finished all the tattered old ones from the attic. Keep the family occupied with these beautiful 1000-piece puzzles with vintage look. In either Herbarium or Bee theme, at Zocalo, $24.

Eau Claire Rupert’s Whisky
This new bottling from Turner Valley’s Eau Claire Distillery is a warm hug on a winter’s night. It’s quality whisky, not chill-filtered, with all-natural colour, no caramel added. It’s warm and fruity flavours—hint of hot chocolate and nuts, dried fruit and nutmeg—are just right for cold weather sipping. And it comes with a cheeky Eau Claire label, this one adorned with a moose in a frock coat. Find at Boudreau Wine and Spirits, Color de Vino, Sherbrooke, Whisky Drop, other fine shops, $40.

Fraser Fir Candles by Thymes
Enjoy the fresh and subtle scent of a winter forest mostly pine, with sandalwood and cedar notes. Never cloying or sweet. There are room sprays, diffusers, mists, hand wash and cleaners too. Find at Bella Casa, $20-$50.

Tawâw by Shane Chartrand
Edmonton-based chef Shane Chartrand explores his journey, both as a chef and as an indigenous man in Tawâw, his first cookbook. It’s a stunningly beautiful book. The recipes, arranged by season, range from dead simple to somewhat more complicated, yet are well within the abilities of the average home cook. Shane’s approachable style makes them doable and the recipes for Canadian foods like bison, salmon, sablefish, beets and potatoes will draw you in time and again. Tawâw, progressive indigenous cuisine by Shane Chartrand with Jennifer Cockrall-King, House of Anansi Press, $35.

Lakrids by Bulow Holiday Collection
At the heart of Lakrids is its high-quality, handmade boiled liquorice, and sometimes there is chocolate and a candy coating too. Whoo hoo! Each liquorice lover will find their own Lakrids to love, whether it be the salty, the sweet, the red or the passion fruit. New is the holiday collection—limited edition Classic Salt and Caramel and the gold Raspberry and Chocolate. Find Lakrids at Careit Urban Deli, Homes & Cottages, Italian Centre South and North, Maven & Grace and Twig in Camrose, $15-45.

Sugar Sin Gourmet Gummies
The adult gummy, infused with sparkling wine and covered in fizzy sugar crystals, is the candy of choice for women between the ages of 18-85. Gluten free, vegan and fun. Find at Bella Casa, Bon Ton Bakery, all Italian Centre Shops, Home & Cottages, Maven & Grace and Twig in Camrose, $13.

Corso at Home Pasta Kits
High-quality, house-made ingredients, meticulous instructions, it’s like having the Corso 32 chefs in your home for the night. Order by Monday noon for Friday or Saturday pick up. There is also a substantial list of pantry items such as their delish whipped goat ricotta, olio santo, focaccia bread and frozen pastas and sauces. Various prices. Or, the Corso Wine club. A curated monthly selection, ranging from $71 to $112 per month. Find at corso32group.com.

Mojo’s JoJo Pickles Cranberry Trio Box
The flavours of the season, delivered. Rev up your roast beast with a chunky bourbon cranberry sauce, smear the not too sweet cranberry ketchup on a turkey burger and make a delicious cocktail with the zesty cranberry shrub (drinking vinegar). Find at mojojojopickles.com, $40.

The Marc’s French Picnic for Two
Order the Marc’s French picnic—with country style pâte, rillette, Serrano ham, marinated olives, seed loaf and crackers —as a break from all the holiday flavours. Find at themarc.ca, $42.

For the cheese lover
The Cavern Cheese Club
Cavern’s monthly subscription delivery offers a selection of delectable cheeses at perfect ripeness for three, six, or 12-month installments. Just Cheese in small (four cheeses) or large (five-seven cheeses) or Cheese and Charcuterie (five cheeses, two meats). Personalize or let the cheesemongers surprise you. Cavern is also offering four new picnics­ this season, ideal for at home or for a winter picnic—gourmet grilled cheese, raclette, baked camembert or brie and fondue. Details at the Cavern or online at thecavern.ca.

Good Goods Co 12 Days of Christmas Boxes
Good Goods Co offers a curated selection of Alberta-made staff picks in their holiday boxes: The Nice Box (family-friendly, $125); The Naughty Box (alcohol included, must present ID upon delivery, $150) or the Nice Box with a surprize craft, $160. Find at:
goodgoodsco.ca

Meuwly’s Gift Box
Meuwly’s has gift boxes in five different sizes (from $50) as well as build your own Charcuterie and Cheese Board kits (from $75), meuwlys.com. As well, they have partnered with The Art of Charcuterie who offers deluxe charcuterie boxes from one to a dozen people, ($40-$350) artofcharcuterie.ca.

For the wine lover
The Color de Vino Advent Calendar
Picture a personally-selected 12 bottle gift set for those who love wine. Start to build a collection, put some special bottles away, or enjoy them all this season. Find at Color de Vino, $350-$750. Choice of four different selections, colordevino.ca

Taittinger 2008 Comtes de Champagne Blanc des Blanc
The prestige cuvée from Taittinger, 100 per cent Chardonnay, made only in the best years and 2008 is considered to be the best Champagne vintage in decades. The chalk-heavy soil found south of Épernay, in the grands crus of the Côte des Blancs—Cramant, Avize, Chouilly, Oger and Mesnil-sur-Oger—create ideal growing conditions, especially in a spectacular vintage. Five per cent of the blend is aged in new French oak barrels which brings a roundness and depth to the wine. Vibrant, fresh, complex, with notes of lemon meringue and subtle toast, minerality and that exquisite reverberating finish. Drink now or cellar for a decade or two, Yes, you can age vintage Champagne. Find at better wine shops, $350.

Taylor Fladgate Tawny Ports Gift Set
Blends from 10 years to 40, the wines get mellower and richer in flavour with less red fruit and more nutty spicy notes as the wines get older. Serve slightly chilled with cheeses, walnuts and dried fruit and with crème brûlée, fruit cake and good conversation. Or, make a cocktail—with their lower alcohol and spicy, woody, fruit notes, Tawny Ports are terrific in cocktails. Find at better wine shops, four 375 ml bottles, $92.