I simply cannot imagine living in a place with a more amazing selection of delicious, locally hand-crafted foods, drinks and other delicacies. These local foodstuffs make the perfect gifts for anyone on your list and they’re what everyone on my lists are receiving! Not only can you be sure that they’ll devour your gift, but you can feel good that you supported our local, small business people and saved yourself a ton of stress by leisurely shopping right here in town.
Spice up their life
Growing up in a Scandinavian family, Christmas to me always included my Dutch grandpa’s yummy, dark and spicy gingerbread. Nothing I have ever tasted has come close until I tried Cobblestone Cookie’s perfectly spiced, not too sweet, thick-cut gingerbread tiles. This first-place winner at the Sonoma Harvest Fair, is a beautiful, hand-rolled, old-world glazed cookie with a floral and grape cluster pattern. Packaged beautifully in cellophane and tied with a bow, these gingerbread tiles make a lovely hostess gift, stocking stuffer or after-dinner treat…perfectly paired with a sweet, but crisp dessert wine. Find Cobblestone Cookie’s gingerbread tiles here in Sonoma at Kristine Alana’s wonderful new Plaza shop, Kingston Ellis – in the old Laughing Queen space – on East Napa Street, next door to Reader’s Books.
A bottle of sunshine
As I write this, the skies are grey and rain threatens. Gifts of sunshine are always appreciated this time of year. If you can’t afford to treat them to a round trip ticket to sunny Florida, then a cheery bottle of Hello Cello Limoncello di Sonoma is the next best thing. Locals Amy and Fred Groth painstakingly source the best available, all-organic ingredients for this slightly sweet lemony aperitif and digestive. An ideal gift for the wine snob in our lives – who wants the anxiety of gifting them wine? Find Hello Cello at Plaza Liquors on West Napa Street or at Sonoma Market.
A prosperous New Year
The tradition of eating beans on New Year’s, a custom my family regularly practiced – always with a ham hock, some collard greens and cornbread – is meant to bring prosperity in the coming year. Who wouldn’t be thrilled by a gift of prosperity? Especially if it’s also delicious? Since discovering Napa’s Rancho Gordo Heirloom Beans, you couldn’t make me purchase those old, yucky grocery store beans! Rancho Gordo beans, no matter the variety, are amazingly fresh, always beautiful and extraordinarily scrumptious! Make the gift of these beans extra special by also gifting founder, Steve Sando’s informative and vastly interesting cookbook, Heirloom Beans. Make the gift even more memorable by tucking the beans and the book inside a gorgeous clay cooking vessel from Bram, our favorite Plaza clay pot cookery shop. They also conveniently carry many varieties of Rancho Gordo Beans and Sando’s book!
Duck, duck, gift!
As I am sure you all know by now, I absolutely adore duck! For many years while running our market in North Carolina we frequently ordered the incredible duck-related products farmed lovingly here in Sonoma from the artisans at Sonoma Foie Gras. I am now beyond thrilled that we can enjoy these products sans shipping! During these hectic holidays giving the luxury of time saved is always treasured. My go-to favorite present is an easy hors d’oeuvre or simple dinner, packaged uniquely, that someone would be insane to re-gift. Give an elegant hors d’oeuvre by simply grabbing a smoked, Sonoma duck breast, a jar of locally made chutney – I love the Girl and the Fig’s Apple Mostarda – a baguette, and presto! Gorgeous, scrumptious hors d’oeuvres perfection. Present this gift on a wooden cutting board, wrapped in a tea towel for extra elegance. Duck confit is a perfectly cooked duck leg that keeps forever in the refrigerator and, when paired with many common ingredients, makes a lovely, elegant meal. Memorable when gifted with a small bag of French lentils and a bottle of just-pressed local olive oil. Find Sonoma Artisan duck products at Sonoma Market.
Tasty experiences
Often, a present is opened, consumed or played with, enjoyed briefly and then quickly forgotten. If you hope to give a gift that will remain in your friends’ and familys’ memories for years, give the gift of an experience. A gift certificate for a cooking class will offer not only a fun diversion during the slow Sonoma winter season, but will also provide skills that will remain with someone for a lifetime. A few favorite options can be organized through Ramekins Cooking School at 933.0450, the Depot Hotel Restaurant at 938.2980, and Relish Culinary Adventures in Healdsburg at 431.9999. Sadly dining out at a restaurant is sometimes relegated to special occasions or only very sporadically. Many local Sonoma restaurants offer gift certificates and I couldn’t think of a gift I would rather receive! Not only is this a treat for the receiver of the gift, but a wonderful boon for restaurants during the sluggish off-season. Check at your favorite Sonoma spot for gift certificate availability.
Get Nutty
Here at the Sun, our very own Jody Purdom has gone nuts. Her newest venture, Sonoma Valley Nut Company, slow roasts a beautiful combination of excellent nuts with spices and fresh herbs. The result is slightly salty, a bit sweet, a tiny bit spicy and very herby, a secret recipe that screams the holidays. Perfection with a glass of champagne or decadent with a boozy egg nog. A golden bow adds festivity to the little package and is an affordable and jolly offering for teachers, the mailman, a hostess or me! And just to add a wee bit of self-promotion…find these addictive nuts at my Plaza shop, Junipero & Co.
On the Menu
More Olive Festival fun tomorrow night, Friday, December 17, at EDK. From 6 until 8 p.m. enjoy a live martini bar in the fireplace lounge, with $5 martinis, an olive-inspired lounge menu and fabulous live jazz by the John Kalleen Group. The Eldorado Kitchen is located at 405 First Street West, 996.3030.
• Then on Saturday, December 18 beginning at noon, Westwood Winery and Estate Restaurant team up with Tesla Motors for “An Electrifying Afternoon in Sonoma.” This really fun sounding event will be held at Estate and features an abundance of Italian foods, Westwood’s wines and breathtaking rides in the incredible all-electric Tesla Roadster 2.5. The incredibly low $20 donation benefits The Oral Cancer Foundation. If interested in attending, you must RSVP to john@westwoodwine.com or andrea@estate-sonoma.com. Estate is located at 400 West Spain Street, 933.3663.
• Through December 24, visit ten Sonoma Valley Wineries and cast your vote for the Fifth Annual Gingerbread Winery Contest. Visitors can pick up a map and ballot at any one of the participating wineries and vote for their favorite either at the winery or on the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Facebook page. Each time voters cast a ballot, they’re entered into a raffle to wine a case of wine! Check out sonomavalleywine.com for a list of participating wineries.
New Year’s Beans with Ham Hocks and Collard Greens
Recipe by Kristin Viguerie
Serves 6
1 medium yellow onion, medium dice
1 garlic clove, fine dice
1 whole ham hock, cut into 3 pieces (the butcher at Sonoma Market can do this for you)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound fresh collard greens
Chicken broth or water
1 package Rancho Gordo beans (I like the Cannellini beans)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cider or hot pepper vinegar
Cornbread to accompany
Rinse beans thoroughly, discarding any that appear shriveled and drain. In a heavy-bottomed pot, over medium heat, saute the onion until translucent. Add the garlic and saute briefly. Next, add the ham hock, beans, chicken stock or water to just cover the beans. Bring to a simmer and cover for approximately two hours or until beans are tender, but not falling apart. When beans are ready, discard stems and center ribs from collards and roughly chop leaves. Add collards, to the bean mixture and simmer until collards are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove ham hocks, pull meat off the bones and return the meat to the pot, discarding bones. Season soup generously with salt and pepper. Serve with vinegar and cornbread. (Soup is even better the next day.)
Wow, so many ideas – thank you!! And I particularly like your silly “Duck, duck, gift!”