Quick! Whether you forgot to get a stocking stuffer, a host gift, or something for a third cousin who’d never let you live it down, here are some last-minute gift recommendations that foodies might love.
Books About Food
Two recommendations this year come from former colleagues.
Little Critics: What Canadian Chefs Cook for Kids (and Kids Will Actually Eat)
The first comes from former Montreal Gazette food critic Joanna Fox. Joanna and I worked at the Gazette, at RICARDO, at enRoute and at ELLE Canada together, and I helped her coordinate chefs and recipes for this cookbook. Turns out even the cheffiest parents (read Fred Morin of Joe Beef) have trouble pleasing the palates of their youngest audiences. But the recipes aren’t all fish fingers and macaroni (though there are some excellent past recipes). It’s not a cookbook for kids, though kids can definitely help with some of the recipes. They’re parent-friendly too, and get you exploring different food traditions.
From the Penguin Random House website: “Menu items include Jeremy Charles’s go-to stew, Suzanne Barr’s Cauliflower Cheese Bake, Susur Lee’s favourite childhood chicken, Danny Smiles’s Italian family dinner, Dyan Solomon’s Green Hulk Risotto, Vikram Vij’s Butter Chicken Schnitzel, Ryusuke Nakagawa’s Cheesy Chicken Katsu, Billy Alexander’s Frybread Stuffed Pizza, Chuck Hughes’s Pappardelle Pesto and Michael Smith’s showstopper pancakes, Tara O’Brady’s hearty Oatmeal Waffles, and Anna Olson’s Gourmet Goo Skillet Brownies.” I’d add dal and spinach from Joe Thottongal, Lamd ribs from Reagan Steinberg and sugar and gluten-free wild blueberry lemon cucuzza cake from Rob Gentile.
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Exploring the World of Craft Sake: Rice, Water, Earth
This incredible book from Sake Sommelier and teacher Michael Tremblay and journalist, writer, and enRoute magazine’s annual Canada’s Best New Restaurants food critic Nancy Matsomoto is an incredible deep dive into the people behind Japan’s national beverage. Whether you’ve only ever had a sake bomb before or have taken one of Michael’s WSET sake courses (I highly recommend it – though the tasting exam immediately before the final written exam is an interesting order of operations), this book will teach you something about sake you didn’t know before. That could be the historic re-discovery of heirloom recipes, including Omachi; the sake-making process (or processes); or recaps of the best izakaya nights out the authors had in the food-loving country. Part travelogue, part journalism, part cookbook, part cool sake text (think flavour palette graphics and tasting tips), it’s way more than a coffee table book. During my second year of law school, when I’d OD-ed on reading, I’d still keep this book beside my bed to read a few pages as a treat before going to sleep.
Exploring the World of Craft Sake – $15-$30 (it’s currently $16 at Amazon on Dec. 24, 2022)
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Smoke Show Hot Sauce
Canadian-based Smoke Show Sauce has a $60 starter pack featuring its Jalapeño Hot Sauce, Aioli, BBQ sauce, Dijonnaise and Ranch. I like that the founder is from Montreal, but more importantly I really like the BBQ sauce and the jalapeño hot sauce. The BBQ sauce has just enough kick of heat from smoked jalapeños and just enough sweetness from apples without going overboard like a lot of syrupy creations. And the jalapeño is thinner, lighter, but with herbal green jalapeños combined with just enough maple syrup to take away the bitterness. There are preservatives in here, but not a ton. I like that it lasted all summer for me, so I got to enjoy it at a lot of picnics and barbecues.
Photo Credit: Smoke Show Sauce
Smoke Show Hot Sauce Start Pack – $60 (or just get one or two for $12 each)
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And of course there’s wine. I have too many wine recommendations from RAW Wine, so here are my three favourites.
That afternoon, I’d decided to Mary Kondo it after a disappointing, high-acid morning of whites (disappointed in my appreciation, not the quality of the wines, to be clear).
The second and third things that made me smile on that long, crowded day of tasting in Montreal were Davide Bentivegna’s Notti Stellate (Nerello, Grenache, Syrah, ~$60 from private importer Glou in Montreal), with its chocolate notes, and Villa Petrosa (Nerello mascalese, probably about the same price?). They’re volcanic Sicilians with freshness and life.
The first wine that brought me Kondo-style joy was Nino Barraco’s Nero d’avola ($42 from private importer Bacchus 76 in Montreal). It’s also Sicilian and fresh, but rich from the Nero d’avola, which I think of as deep, dark fruit exploding from a volcano called Etna.
But because these wines might be tricky to find, I’ll also recommend something from the SAQ:
You can’t go wrong with a quality Barolo. You can read all about Fontanafredda at my most recent post and how Barolo isn’t just for fancy dinners anymore. But it’s still for fancy gifts. Just don’t tell your gift how reasonably priced the bottle was ($34).
Happy Holidays!
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