The Most Expensive Foodie Gifts

It's that time of year for foodie gifts. What's great about any food or alcohol product is that they come in all price ranges. If you're extravagant you can buy your sweetheart something amazing. If you only have a few pennies, you can still present a really yummy surprise for that someone special. In the next few weeks there will be articles reflecting this . Take from this what you will and use it in gift giving.

Expensive gifts are always memorable. They make a lasting impression and are talked about for years to come. One of the most expensive is Angel Champagne, created by Britalian Stefano Zagni (he's fourth generation Italian bred in England) and American songbird Mariah Carey.One 75 ml bottle can set you back $575. The most expensive goes for quarter of a million (yes, it does) and comes in a diamond encrusted bottle. Another neat thing is that Angel was featured on that ultimately trashy show "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" however don't let this deter you. Some royals and celebrities also are big Angel fans too.


For the most expensive food gifts think caviar and truffles. Petrossian is one of the best online stores to get a variety of different roe. One of their most expensive is the Alverta , a buttery and nutty tasting caviar that costs $863 for just two to four servings. Planning for a party? Then the Alverta is $6,800 . However you can buy a cheaper version of it for only $63 dollars for the Tsar Imperial Transmontanus California bred white sturgeon. Truffles are every foodies X-mas fantasy gift. These gems, mined, in my great grandparents' province, Piedmont Italy can go for $340 for just one. There is also jarred truffle sauce that sells for $34 and can be used as a sauce for gnocchi or risotto.

If you want to score big with your foodies, then gift them with the best. You can try a bottle of Angel champagne and serve it with caviar or truffles. There's nothing like making a gourmet's holiday wishes come true.

A Good Tomato Sauce

A well made tomato sauce is important to any pasta, whether it's for a holiday party or for a Wednesday night dinner. The dilemma is creating one that's the right blend of ingredients. Some can be too watery. Some over salty or over sweet or not spiced enough. They key is to create a sauce is properly balanced ; one that will let the pasta shine through.

A good tomato sauce starts with , of course, the tomatoes. Plum tomatoes are the best to use because they are the meatiest with a richer, more robust flavor. Usually the canned diced kind are the most adequate however if you can get fresh right now then use them. Another must is a good base. This is usually a mix of olive oil and three cloves of chopped garlic. For an extra fillip , add fresh or frozen pesto sauce. The basil gives the sauce an earthy taste plus a richer color. Simmer for an hour before serving over pasta.


As with any basic recipe you can vary it to suit your tastes. Plain sauce is called pomodoro , the Italian word for tomato. Meat can be added, the most common being chopped beef. this results in a tasty Bolognese sauce however try ground steak too. A famed Neopolitan recipe calls for the addition of both pork and beef for a very tasty sauce. Chicken is another add in but not as common as beef. Some chefs and home cooks put in fish such as lobster, crab or shrimp. Other spices such as red pepper is added for the hot and fiery arrabiata sauce. Some home cooks add veggies such as broccoli, green pepper and cauliflower for a healthier variation.

What makes a good pasta? It's always the sauce . A well made one can make all the difference between a memorable dish and an ordinary one,

Peruvian Cuisine Uncle Paulie's

South American food is slowly but surely becoming a mainstay in American diet. With it comes a variety of truly delicious dishes from the Southern Hemisphere. I recently ate at a great Peruvian restaurant Uncle Paulie's near me. Their food was amazing and I will definitely go back.

This small restuarant located in Maywood New Jersey, (14 miles directly west of New York City more or less) has one signature dish -pollo de brasa - rotisserie chicken. Diners can order it whole, halved or quartered and with a special sauce. However it is just amazing plain, succulent and flavorful. It was really cooked to perfection , which is unusual for rotisserie chicken served in restaurants. There is also bifsteak and fish too, spiced to reflect the Peruvian diet.

Another good dish are the fried plantanos or plantains. These were perfection as well. The bananalike veggies were fried to a lovely crisp which seemed to caramelize them. Another plus is that Uncle Paulie's doesn't stint on servings. There were enough for three or four people (however they were so tasty I practically finished up one basket). The restaurant also has traditional rice and beans along with fries as other sides too along with salads.

Uncle Paulie's is a great place to go to and to be introduced to Peruvian food. The dishes are wonderful and addictive.It's a restuarant that will surely get a following.

Uncle Paulies 109 West Pleasant Ave, Maywood NJ.

Home Cooking With The Best

There's nothing like home cooked meals especially for the holidays. It turns out that even the best chefs like comforting cuisine as well and have written books about it. What's even better is that these cookbooks are out for the holidays. They're perfect for the home cooks who want to cook classics but also want that gourmet vibe as well.

The books were reviewed in an article in yesterday's New York Times Dining section. Julia Moskin, the Dining section's doyenne wrote whose was the best. There are a few, actually and they would make a great under the tree surprise to any comfort food loving foodie. There is Mario Batali who wrote "Molto Batali: Simple Family Meals From My Home To Yours"(Bloomsbury). This is an unusual cookbook in the sense that is is divided into seasons. His summer recipes include corn and fennel baked together along with tomatoes while his winter ones feature the veggies of the season such as pumpkin. For true foodies there is Ferran Adria, the avante garde chef from Spain. His meals aren't for home really but were geared more for dinners with his restaurant staff.His book is "The Family Meal:Home Cooking With Ferran Adria" (Phaedon Publishing). Another foodie adored chef is Hestom Blumenthal who has " Heston Blumenthal At Home" (Bloomsbury Publishing) and his is filled with simple and homey roast and vinaigrette recipes.

For true family cooking there is John Besh's "My Family Table:A Passionate Plea For Home Cooking. "(Andrew McMeel publishers) Chef Besh reflects his life as this in his book: a busy and messy dad cooking for his four little ones. However his recipes wouldn't go amiss at any adult dinner party. He creates a risotto and creamy veg soups that work with any palate. On a higher note there is Jean Georges Vongerichten who brings his Alsacian roots into play with his cookbook," Home Cooking With Jean Georges;My Favorite Simple Recipes" (Clarkson Potter).

Home cooking is always a good thing for the holidays.Even chefs realize this and want to impart their best take on comfort food. It results in some good dishes, a perfect gift for the home chef who loves to cook simple dishes from family recipes..

Pig Wings The Newest Treat

The expression"When pigs fly" actually may have some truth to it. The latest craze now is pig wings. This tasty cut of meat is hitting restaurants and home kitchens right in time for the holidays. It's kind of like the pork version of chicken wings and just as addictive. People across the US are clamoring for this latest craze and with good reason. Pig wings are tasty.

This new treat was the subject of an article in today's New York Times Dining section. The piece, written by Dining section regular, John T. Edge, explains that that pig wings are nothing new. They're just a reinvented shank which is the fibula of the pig's back legs. These pieces have a part of chewy meat on them and they're small enough for fun eating. Traditionally they've been used to flavor soups and stews. Shanks have been cut from the ham before selling and were reprocessed into cold cuts and other products like hot dogs and sausages. Now that's all changing , thanks to a renaming. At first they were called slammers and then the cuter name pig wing was then settled on.

Pig wings are served like traditional chicken wings. They're usually battered and and then deep fried, served with a variety of dipping sauces, Like chicken wings , they can be hot and fiery or mild and crunchy, always having a side of cool ranch dressing and celery sticks. Celebrity chefs are jumping on this new phenomenon. Paula Deen has her own brand of pig shanks and she's selling them on QVC., the home shopping channel. Farmland Foods,a division of Smithfield which produces hams , is selling them as KC Pig Wings to chain restaurants. Some eateries are even putting them on sticks and serving them as Carnitas Lollipops. French restaurants are also picking up pig wings and giving them the fancier name of French pork confit.

Pig wings are becoming the latest craze to hit the American palate. They are exactly what people want, crunchy and flavorful along with just being fun. We'll definitely be seeing more of them in the months to come.

Cake Pops Pop

There's a new treat phenomenon hitting restaurants and parties - cake pops. These fun yummy takes on classic lollipops are now easy to make. Once a domain for only gourmet bakers . they're now being created for something as simple as a family dessert or holiday party.

The treat is only a few years old and it's the first sweet that received its' buzz through social media. People gobbled up this idea of a fun cake that's not messy to eat and easy enough for little hands to hold and bite. Restaurants started making their version , first using cheese cake which can be scooped into small orbs using melon ballers. It was then used on regular cake and the next step was a cake ball maker. This last looks like a waffle iron except that it has a mold pocked like a golf ball's surface. Another lookalike section is put over that and then pops baked.

Like cupcakes, cake pops can be made in a variety of flavors using any cake mix. . Bakers can vary using marble and carrot mixes and even add a squirt of jam inside for a surprise. The cakes are them dipped in melted chocolate or frosted with a regular bought or homemade frosting. Luckily there are You Tube videos that help neophytes with icing their first batch. If you're making cake pops for the holidays think about attaching two balls together to form snowmen or even penguins. There are so many ways in which to present them for any holiday. They can be dipped in pastel white chocolate for Easter or frosted in orange to make cute pumpkin pops for Halloween.Cake pops also make great favors at showers and weddings too.

Cake pops are the latest craze that foodies are going wild over. Now they can be made as easily as cookies, thanks to pop makers. They're a fun spin on traditional cake and a perfect sweet for the upcoming holidays.

PBS Vs The Food Channel

PBS was the original food channel and its' shows opened the eyes of the American public . Fast forward to the Nineties where a fledgling food channel started to air its'own food based programming. Now both are neck in neck as to giving the public viewing audience cooking lessons and tips to create the perfect meal. Who is better though? That's the question.

PBS was and still is the classier station for cooking shows. After all it was the one who gave us the great Julia Child and Graham Kerr, The Galloping Gourmet. It showed America that French cuisine is as easy to cook ans American and debunked a lot of myths. It continues to this day with the fabulous Jacques Pepin who still create amazing meals. America's Test Kitchen is another informative no nonsense program. Chris Kimball gives a dry and wry view as he tests out recipes and products. it is an excellent way of learning about the nuances of cooking. For a more low key and maternal cooking style there is Lidia Bastianich who also runs the famed Da Posto restaurant in New York.PBS also offers a kid's cooking show,Fizzy's Lunch Lab, where the little ones can create surprisingly sophisticated meals.

Thre Food Channel does offer chefs who give good advice. While the PBS ones are more reserved these are loud and in your face. (think of Charlie Rose vs Jay Leno or David Letterman).Ann Burell is interesting chef, and her advice cam be helpful. However she can be loud at times as some of th e other Food Channel faves such as Guy Fieri. He not only has his cooking half hour but also is the force behind Diners Drive Ins and Dives" a fun and informative half hour that shows off the best of America;' eateries. The channel also feature competitions which does appeal to certain crowds. Yes, they entertaining but do home chefs really learn from them?

What to watch? That;s a hard call. For information and education.I'd go to PBS. For just plain fun, then watch The Food Channel. In the end you will know a little bit more about how to cook and what to cook.