Oh oh oh, it is the most beautiful time of the year indeed! A time to look back at the year’s past and make best-of lists. A time to celebrate with friends and family-but also a time to give and receive presents! If I had to write a (wish) list for le Papa Noël this year, it would look something like this:
Dean & Deluca Spice Rack
It may not be the most practical – and at $105 for the small and $165 for the large rack, it’s certainly not the cheapest either – but this stylish and elegant spice rack sure would look lovely on my counters! I also could use a spice grinder come to think of it…
Diptyque’s Special Edition Roasted Chestnut Candle
If you think spending $68 on a candles is outrageous (and I used to think that at one point myself) you have probably never lit one of Diptyque’s incredible smelling candles. The Paris-based perfurmer (finally) opened a flagship store that I can get to! Diptyque’s candles come in over 50 perfumes, my favourite being Tubereuse. For the holiday season, however, I have always been a big fan of their Christmas scent. In the past, I have favoured the Pomander Candle with its mix of orange peels, spicy cloves, and fresh cinnamon. This year, the special edition Roasted Chestnut candles, which comes in an ornate burgundy glass jar, is replacing it at the top of my wish list!
Seven Deadly Sins Mingling Plates
I host wine tasting parties about once a month and the issue of holding a glass of Côtes du Rhône AND trying to spread St. Marcelin on a slice of olive bread routinely presents itself. Enter mingling plates! The plates have a slot to hold your wine glass, allowing you and your guests to mingle, shake hands, and spread cheese all while holding both a wine glass and something to eat. Brilliant! Extra bonus points for these sassy seven deadly sins mingling plates: Bacchus would approve!$19.89 gets you 7 plates. Alternatively, I would also settle foor these cute wooden mingling plates.
Graham’s 2003 Vintage Port
I discovered this excellent port at Bar Boulud in New York City. At $85 a bottle, it’s a little on the pricy side, but again, that’s why this is a wish list 😉 I’ve also seen it come in haf-bottles in a few wine stores. This classic full-bodied Graham has a great depth of structure and endless layers of very ripe blackberry fruit. Some say it would pair very well with dark chocolate, but I much prefer to sip in a glass in lieu of dessert!
Gingerbread Ale Brew Kit
Ever since I chatted with Erica Shea and Stephen Valand of Brooklyn Brew Shop at the Brooklyn Flea Market I have been obsessed with them! The two entrepreneurial beer enthusiasts decided help America put the craft back into craft-beer! They started selling a $40 home brewing kit that includes a glass gallon jug, a three-piece air lock, and an auto siphon for pouring the beer into bottles, as well as grain, yeast, hops and sugar so you can go home and get started. All you need is a stove, a stockpot, a strainer and 12 bottles with swing-top caps! The line-up of beers that they currently offer include Grapefruit Honey Ale and Chocolate Maple Porter but in the spirit of the holidays I think I would prefer to try my hand at Gingerbread Ale or the Eggnog Milk Stout!
Boska Holland Mini-Raclette Grill
Can you think of anything more romantic than an intimate raclette evening with your man (or gal)? I’m sure you can…but for the sake of this one paragraph, let’s say you can’t. The Boska Hollan Mini-Raclette grill is designed just for two and allows you to melt swiss raclette cheese while grilling on top of the machine. Priced at just $44, it also won’t break the bank! But if you did want to break the bank with a fancy raclette grill, how impressive would it be to whip out this Quarter Raclette Cheese Melting Set in front of your guests? I think very.
Paris Pâtisserie: History, Shops, Recipes
If you’ve been to this blog a few times or follow my rants tweets I probably don’t need to explain this one. Paris Pâtisserie is an exquisitely photographed introduction to the great French tradition of baking, from croissants to macarons, with text by Pierre Hermé and pictures by Christian Sarramon. The book takes you on a tour of the City of Lights through its pâtisseries and includes recipes from 20 pastry chefs who also help explain the
evolution of the pastry art (why oui, of course it is an art) and put eclairs, macarons and other sweet treats in the context of their historical tradition. Now the book doesn’t technically come out until after Christmas, but that’s ok… my birthday is in January! 😉
Hum… sure hope the husband reads this post!
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