Gourmet Gifts for Christmas

Playboy's food & drink editor

Ever since Emerson said, "Thy only gift is a portion of thyself," certain young men have interpreted this literally at Christmas time, to the consternation of female gift-recipients.

Their consternation can be readily understood, if we will – for a brief moment – look at their side of it. Remember, this gift is available to them all year round. When the Yuletide season rears its snowy head, they expect this – and more. The more is usually preferred in the shape of a diamond necklace, but there are a few other items that will be greeted with warm, purring sounds. Since this is the food department, we will confine ourselves to such Christmas gifts as may be munched, crunched, or otherwise consumed.

The only part of thyself that need go into a gift is some thoughtfulness. And this very thoughtfulness, the small intimation to a girl that someone cares for her likes and dislikes, will move immovable objects. A heart of rock can be melted with a modest jar of, let us say, Melba Sauce.

You must keep in mind that what is fine food to one girl may be foul to another. If the lass, for instance, hails from Georgia, she may be bored beyond endurance by the sight of the old pecan tree in her back yard planted before the Civil War. But if the mademoiselle was brought up in a small villa near the ramparts of Quebec, she will be completely thrilled by the gift box of sugared and spiced pecans mailed from the (continued on page 48)Gourmet Gifts(continued from page 21) heart of Dixie. Does the girl of your dreams talk with longing of her trip last summer to Italy? You needn't send her Florentine jewelry. Give her a basket of Italian delicacies – red wine vinegar, olives condite, imported Bel Paese cheese – foods that don't cost a week's salary and that invariably go over like a million dollars.

For the young charmer living on a budget in a few small rooms, you must exercise the same common sense in planning a gift. Suppose she likes ham. You can go all out and send her a 16-pound genuine razorback ham, which, of course, is heavenly eating. But it's the kind of ham that requires 48 hours soaking and 8 hours simmering. The poor girl can hardly lift the ham, let alone scrub it and then find a pot large enough in which to soak it and cook it. You act more thoughtfully and send her a small or medium size tin of imported Danish ham. You might even garnish the gift with a small crock of French Dijon mustard. For the prof, on the other hand, who is guiding you through the tortuous path to a Ph.D., the large razorback ham might be a welcome donation.

In choosing gourmet foods for Christmas gifts, especial warning should be sounded against the influence of the worm school. They are an esoteric crowd who praise food for its mere difference and not for its different kind of goodness. They are called the worm school because among their greatest current delicacies are fried Mexican Agave worms in cans, a small delicacy with a nutty flavor and about as thrilling as potato chips. They like processed Arabian sheep's eyes. Twenty years ago, their masthead was rattlesnake meat in cans, an epicurean item still available as a cocktail appetizer and tasting for all the world like ordinary eel. It's easy to understand the worm school. The sight of a live garden snake or a handful of worms would make them shudder. When the reptilia, however, are safely ensconced in a can, buried in supreme sauce, they feel safe and even exotic.

Keep as far away from the worm school as possible.

Years ago, gourmet foods were only available in a few exclusive and expensive grocery establishments in large cities. In recent years, the number of local stores offering epicurean delicacies has increased tremendously. Mail order houses, too, have cropped up all over the country, offering anything from fresh oysters in the shell to alligator soup with sherry.

In spite of the fabulous assortment of rare viands, it's still hard to beat some of the traditional gifts like the fruit hamper, the bumper food basket or even the classic holiday fruit cake with brandy. Food baskets range anywhere from a few dollars to $100, the latter one of the luxury baskets put up by H. Hicks & Son in New York City. Such baskets may be a dealer's assortment of fresh fruits, brandied fruits in jars, candies and nuts. Or you might make your own choice of stunning foods from the shelves of such stores as S. S. Pierce & Co. in Boston, Marshall Field in Chicago or the magnificent Bon Voyage Shop of Charles & Co. in New York City. For those who like fresh fruit without extraneous tousle tops, shipped from their native habitat, Cobbs Fruit and Preserving Co., Little River, Fla., pack boxes of mixed oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, kumquats and limes as well as citrus jellies, conserves and marmalades. Boxes range in price from $4.50 to about $22.00. The magnificent Royal Riviera pears are packed by Harry & David, Bear Creek, Oregon, the firm which also sponsors the Fruit of the Month Club. Despite the obvious gags inspired by this title, the club is OK.

Continental cake fanciers will find a 14-ounce can of the Au Gourmet small babas with rum, selling for about $1.50. (Incidentally, all prices listed may change from place to place, depending on shipping charges, local costs, etc.) Several brands of crêpes suzette packed in 1-pound tins, and requiring only heating for serving, sell from $2.50 to $3.00. And let us not by-pass the delightful Martha Ann white or dark fruit cakes and the famous Gurnsey House fruit cake. In most stores, fruit cakes range from 1-pound boxes for about $1.50 to 5-pound cakes for approximately $10.00 for top quality. Vacuum packed cakes should be opened just before slicing. Along with your gift card, you might send a P. S. indicating that leftover fruit cake should be tightly wrapped in a piece of cheese cloth or other cloth soaked in brandy or in sherry. The unused portion should be returned to the tin and the tin tightly closed to prevent excessive drying.

Especially convenient at Christmastide are the Cresca gift boxes, collections of connoisseurs' foods, ranging in price from $1.10 for an assortment of jellies to $18.25 for a gift box containing 15 imported delicacies. There is, for instance, a bartender's group of fresh lemon slices in syrup, fresh lime slices in syrup and maraschino cherries for $2.50. The Toast is a cocktail party package retailing for $5.00 and containing maraschino cherries, stuffed olives, red caviar, anchovies, purée of shrimp, smoked oysters, pâté de foie, tuna spread and cocktail biscuits. Some of the Cresca Taster boxes are assembled on a national basis. Thus, the Scandinavian Taster contains (among other things) Danish black currant and ginger preserves, Danish sliced cucumber salad, Norwegian crabmeat spread and salmon paste. The French Taster includes such items as pâté de foie gras, Dijon mustard, shallot vinegar, French olive oil and seven other Gallic gourmet morsels, selling for $15.00.

For girls who like smoked meat, particularly the pretty epicures who appreciate smoked turkey, a delightful collection of viands is offered by Forsts, Route 384, Kingston, New York. Their Pak-O-Six, selling for $6.50, includes the following: sliced smoked turkey, cuts of smoked turkey, smoked turkey pâté, finger size franks, smoked pork sausages, and smoked turkey sausages.

If you'd rather compile your own assortment of gift foods, there's a limitless field from which to choose. Playboy, however, has a few principal raves to cite for this year's holiday season.

Among appetizers, the glass-packed French rolled anchovies are a delectable item. The Polli, Italian Gardiniere, fancy design jar of hors d'oeuvres, weighing 35 ounces, sells for about $3.25. Italian 6-ounce jars of antipasto, which are served directly from the jar, sell for around $1.25. Caviar connoisseurs can have their pick of fish eggs, ranging from the 4-ounce jars of red salmon caviar at about 50 cents each to the fresh Beluga caviar, selling in the neighborhood of $30 to $35 a pound. For holiday giving, there is the Romanoff jewel box containing two 2-ounce jars of green seal caviar at $7.50 and the same box containing two 2-ounce jars of Beluga private stock caviar for $10.50. Bendiksen's smoked oysters from the west coast, packed in 3-1/4-ounce jars, sell for about 75 cents. Smoked Holland mussels in a 6-ounce tin retail for about 70 cents.

If you like liver pâté and there is a good French restaurant in your city, Playboy suggests that you consult the chef of such a restaurant and see if you can buy a jar of home-made pâté. Most French chefs are proud of their own pâté and are happy to make up a half pound or a pound as a gift. If necessary, buy your own small casserole or jar in which to put the pâté. Most of the home made pâtés are made of chicken liver or pork liver or a combination of both. They are called pâté de foie, and, unless hermetically sealed, must be kept under refrigeration and must be used within a limited time.

Imported pâté de foie gras is made of goose liver. The best comes from Strasbourg, and is put up in terrines with truffles. The terrines do not require refrigeration. Prices range from about $3.00 for a 2-ounce crock to $25.00 for a 22-ounce crock. Like fresh Beluga caviar, imported pâté de foie gras is the very top of gilt-edge food giving.

For superfine Scandinavian eating, there is a tremendous array of smorgasbord morsels, including cod roe spread, herring bits in dill, wine and mustard sauce, filets of mackerel and sliced smoked salmon. If you make up such an assortment, find out if the food requires refrigeration. If it does, rush the package from the shop to your idol's icebox.

Sea food fanciers will find canned lobster outstandingly successful. The Cresca curried lobster and the Bon Vivant lobster a la Newburg are recommended. Both of these products can be enhanced by adding a small amount of sherry and sweet cream when they are heated for serving.

Among meats, the elect for Christmas giving seems to be ham. For good living, it's hard to imagine a better gift than (concluded on page 59)Gourmet Gifts(continued from page 48) Englert's sliced ham in Burgundy wine sauce, selling for about $2.00 for a 15-ounce tin. Holland Noack Westphalian style ham sells for $1.40 for a 7-1/2-ounce tin, while larger size tins of this great viand sell for $2.35 per pound. For fine Smithfield hams, Jordan's or Gwaltney's are among the very top.

If your young lady happens to like sauces, there is nothing better than chef Escoffier's famous sauces, imported by Julius Wile Sons & Co. These are the Diable Sauce, Robert Sauce and Melba Sauce. The first two will enhance hot fresh sauces or may be eaten as is with game, poultry, meat or fish. The Melba Sauce is the original one used for Escoffier's peach melba. Each sauce sells for about a dollar a bottle.

One of the most stunning gifts for the end of the meal is the gift box of Duchess cheese containing 3 crocks – French Roquefort in brandy, Canadian cheddar in port and Gorgonzola in brandy. The set of 4-ounce crocks sells for about $3.25 and the set of 8-ounce crocks sells for about $5.50.

Among brandied and pickled fruits in jars, the Fournier line is particularly recommended. Finally, for a long lasting mouthful of sweetness, a miniature keg of brandied dates at about $6.00 is a magnificent remembrance.