Nine Gifts for the Gourmand
Photo by Eric Swanson, Courtesy Provecho Press
Vegetarian Cooking from Around the World by Sharon Louise Crayton
Chile potholders from Embudo Fabric Design
When pots are hot, pull them from the oven with these chile potholders, handmade in Dixon, NM, complete with screen-printed recipes for green and red chile sauces. The red design features the chile ristra, a well-known New Mexico icon, while the green version looks like a smoking-hot Big Jim chile. $12, Las Cosas Kitchen Shoppe & Cooking School, 181 Paseo de Peralta, lascosascooking.com
Tamales, by Daniel Hoyer
Christmas in New Mexico wouldn’t be the same without a platter full of plump steamed tamales. Local chef and author Daniel Hoyer celebrates these indigenous goodies with a colorful cookbook chock-full of recipes, tips, and techniques for making your own. Hoyer’s three previous cookbooks, Culinary Mexico, Fiesta on the Grill, and Mayan Cuisine, celebrated the cuisine of Mexico; Tamales offers more edible fun. $20, Gibbs Smith
Chuck’s Nuts/C.G. Higgins Chile Pecan Brittle “Extravaganza”
Sweet, hot, and crunchy—a great flavor combination. For folks on your gift list who like a kick to their candy, send them two 12-ounce jars packed full of this delicious spicy brittle, as featured on the new Food TV program Road Tasted with the Neelys. Chuck’s Nuts offers other Southwest-themed brittles, such as lavender-pecan or piñon, and nifty caramel corns and fudges certain to satisfy Santa’s sweet tooth.$39 for two jars, Chuck’s Nuts/C.G. Higgins, 847 Ninita, chucksnuts.com
One Taste: Vegetarian Cooking from Around the World by Sharon Louise Crayton
This beautiful book will appeal to carnivores as well as non-meat-eaters—the recipes are so delicious, no one would miss the animal protein. After one mouthwatering taste of yellow split-pea soup with spiced butter or sweet and tart pineapple fritters, you’ll want your giftee to cook for you more frequently. $27, Provecho Press
Restaurant walking tour
Visit four of Santa Fe’s top restaurants on a hosted tour full of food, wine, and fun. Led by one of the staff chefs from the Santa Fe School of Cooking, bundle up and then warm up with food samples and libations at such downtown establishments as Amavi, Rio Chama, La Casa Sena, and Santacafé. These chefs walk the talk on this edible excursion. $115, reservations: 505-983-4511, santafeschoolofcooking.com
Dulce Flamenco Internacional handmade aprons
Passionate cooks know that when ingredients start flying, an apron comes in handy. These colorful varieties, sewn of fabric made for flamenco dresses, are created by members of Dulce Flamenco Internacional, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to preserving the artistic heritage of Spanish culture in this country. They are sold at The Spanish Table, which also offers lots of ethnic ingredients worthy of wiping from your hands. $28, 109 N Guadalupe, spanishtable.com
Kakawa Holiday Stollen
When Kakawa Chocolate House makes this perfectly rich pastry, it’s dense with organic dried and candied fruits, rum, homemade Italian-almond marzipan, and ricotta. Chocolatier Mark Sciscenti knows how to spoil his customers with goodies in general, but this German treat takes the cake. $25/small, $35/large, 1050 Paseo de Peralta, kakawachocolates.com
Santa Fe Memories, by Richard Mahler
This charming little book is a lovely homage to the art and food of Santa Fe. It’s full of recipes from local restaurants and stories of our historic city, plus the vivid artwork of town landmarks by Betty Carlson. Find the book at Poem (125 E Palace), a gorgeous shop that also sells a collection of salt cellars from around the world. $12, R.J. Berg
Camerons stovetop smoker
Gourmet cooks get a kick out of smoking their own food, and this portable stovetop hot-smoker makes the job a breeze. The nifty gadget works on gas, electric, and glass-top burners, and comes with four different woodchips (there are six others available online) that vary in fragrance and flavor imparted. Smoke a side of salmon in ten minutes—one bite and you’ll never give up smoking! $60, Las Cosas Kitchen Shoppe & Cooking School, 181 Paseo de Peralta, lascosascooking.com
