twas the week before christmas...

...and all through the city, people wondered what the hell to I get their foodie friend this Christmas.

With just a week to go before Xmas descends on our heads, here are a few last minute gift ideas for food peeps in your life:

Cheap & Cheerful

From the guys that brought you ice-cube bone triceratops and the babushka measuring cups we loved lat year, get all stealth with their new range of cookie cutters. Not 'gingerbread men', but 'ninjabread men' (geddit?), $15.95 from here.

Check out the whole range here.

Simmer Mat

Slow cooking can be hard on a stovetop, especially in your home kitchen. These handy mats are great to place on your cook top to help you control a low, even heat so you can get that slow braise perfect, every time. $24.95, get it here.

iPhone Aps


There are a couple of seriously handy iPhone apps for food lovers, including a brand new one by Australian food royalty, Margaret Fulton. Containing over 60 of her famous recipes and a heap of handy tips, it's a snip at $8.99. If you're stuck for which restaurant to make a booking at, The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2011 app contains all you need to know to make your dining dilemmas a thing of the past, $9.99.

Hookturn coffee cups

For the caffeine fiend in your life, to them, and the environment a favour by buying them a reusable coffee cup. Looks like the real deal, but it's made out of heat-resistant silicone, so you don't singe your fingers, plus it keeps your cuppa joe piping hot. Starts at $10.95 here.

Middlin'

More books than you can poke a spatula at come out at this time of the year, so it's a bit of a no brainer gift idea if you're really stuck. The lovely folks at Phaidon pointed me in the direction of two interesting reads:

For beginners: What To Cook And How To Cook It, by Jane Hornby. Aside from looking awesome, it's a 'fear not' how-to guide for beginners who want to stop burning water and learn how to master the basics with ease. It's broken down into chapters that cover the everyday, to entertaining and dinner party pleasers.

Given where I'm headed for Christmas, I'm also loving India, by Pushpesh Pant, which contains a thousand Indian recipes, all cutely packaged within a cover that looks like a sack of rice. It's Indian kitsch to the max and contains useful tips on regional Indian cuisine, Ayurveda and simple instructions to make plenty of subcontinental treats.

Another one I'm putting on the wishlist is Heston's Fantastical Feasts. A documentation of Heston Blumenthal's quest to master mythical, magical and fanciful food from literature, history and beyond, this isn't just a recipe book, it's a window into the crazy mind behind some of the world's most imaginative chefs.

Other great ideas: Cooking classes at Sydney Seafood School are a hands-on way to indulge masterchef aspirations. You may even find your class taught by a celebrity chef, too.  Click here for the full schedule, starting at $85. Fratelli Fresh do some great classes, showcasing simple, pleasing Italian food, too. Check it out.

Exy but Sexy

Tojiro knife sets

 

If someone you know fancies themselves a bit of a pro in the kitchen, Tojiro is pretty much one of the best knife brands out there. Their Flash series of professional knives can be seen in some of the best kitchens in the world, but their gift sets for at-home use, while still expensive, are a knee-weakening gift for kitchen afficiandos. Not for cutting cans. Gift sets start around $190.

Macaron bling

 If you didn't realise it the International Year of the Macaron, then you've been living under a rock this past 52 weeks. Thanks to Laudrée, Pierre Hermé and our own Homme, Adriano Zumbo, this pastel-hued sweet treat is regarded as le patisserie item du jour. Boucheron have created a range of jewel-encrusted versions with tiny bites taken out of them - and for the cashed-up friend of a foodie, this is a pretty awesome place to grab kudos. Starting at around $6, 500, this one's so sweet, it might give you a toothache.

Thermomix

It can slice, dice, make sorbet in 2 minutes, leap tall buildings in a single bound - The Thermomix has become a commercial kitchen staple, but more and more households are giving a half-dozen other appliances the flick in deference to this one, extremely handy kitchen tool. Its ability to mix while heating and cooling, blend, steam and chop, makes it a seriously handy addition to your kitchen stadium. Find out more, here. Costs $1939 plus shipping.

xmas tips(y)

Christmas day and summer lunches are usually associated with a glass of chilled Marborough (NZ) Sauvignon Blanc on the table, next to the cold seafood platter, ham and turkey. But if you're thinking of trying something a little different on the tipple front this festive season, give these guys a go:

Sparkling Red

Sparkling Burgundy...or 'spurgle', as some like to call it, with it's big, fruit bomb flavours and soft red fruit overtones make great mates with the richness of a roast turkey, but work equally well with spicy flavours and other meats. This style of wine contains a mixture of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz grapes and you'll pick up notes of currant and blackberry fruit and clove, so it's no surprise it works so well at Christmas. 

Try Primo Estate Joseph Sparkling Red NV, McLaren Vale.

Brachetto

Brachetto is a red Italian wine varietal grown mainly in Piedmont, in northwest Italy. The most notable wine from this varietal is Brachetto d'Acqui (DOC), which is made in both a still and sparkling (spumante) style. One made in the dolce style is perfect for Christmas dessert with mince pies and short breads.



Try Paola Sordo Brachetto d'Acqui 2008, DOC




Falanghina

Named after the ancient Greek method of growing vines, tied to a pole (or 'Phalanga), this varietal is becoming more known in Australia and is originally produced in Campania in Southern Italy. Aromatic and fresh, with flavours that resemble green apple and citrus fruit, as well as aromas of banana and pineapple. Like most Italian wines, it works beautifully with food including grilled seafood and fresh salads.

Try Cavalier Pepe Falanghina 2008
  

Cider

The last few years have seen plenty of ciders flood into the Australian market, a popular alternative to the old brewski, they're fresher, fruitier and less heavy, but still maintains casual cool, while you lean against your fixy or adjust your Wayfarers.

Not just restricted to apple varieties, there are some interesting options out there including some great versions from NZ and Sweden, like pear or strawberry. Semi-sweet on palate with strong fruit hit up front, a good cider should finish with a slightly-tart back palate and low acidity. Serve over ice to reduce sweetness, add lemon for a more tarty twist.


Try Rekorderlig Pear Cider, Monteith's Crushed Apple Cider

sydney salads

Homer Simpson may have said "You don't win friends with salad", but perhaps if he'd tried a few of the absolute gems going around Sydney, he mightn't have been so quick to jump to conclusions where the humble insalate is concerned. And it doesn't need to be meaty to become substantial, just look at Fratelli's Cafe Sopra version for starters. All you need is a few interesting textures, a great dressing and of course, the produce better be fresssssssh.


Cafe Sopra, Fratelli Fresh
Potts Point, Walsh Bay, Waterloo

Chef Andy Bunn's cabbage salad may be simple, but it's a favourite throughout the year for its simplicity and elegance. As a side or the better part of your lunch, it's a consistent winner. Featuring sweet, shaved baby cabbage leaves, parmigiano reggiano, balsamic vinegar, and a custom lemon vinaigrette, it's simple enough to do at home, too.

Click here to find the recipe. Want to learn from the master? Check out the Fratelli Fresh cooking class schedule. Our mate Michael from Gosstronomy attended one recently, and the resulting Banofee Pie was pretty damned impressive.

Tropicana Cafe
227 Victoria St, Darlinghurst, 2010
 www.tropicanacaffe.com

As far as iconic salads go, this one's a doosy. From the cafe that spawned one of the largest short film festivals in the world, the Tropicana chicken salad's fans are many and varied. This ain't no fancy salad, it's served in a metal mixing bowl with a basic bread roll as company, but it's the perfect combination of Cos lettuce, thin slices of freshly grilled chicken, wedges of roasted potato, tomato, smokey grilled eggplant, avocado, and Tropicana's house vinaigrette and mayo that makes this salad great. Like Cindy Lauper said, time after time, this salad is consistently good, and with that much meat and vegetable protein, a meal on its own.


Bistrode CBD
Level 1, 52 King Street Sydney, 2000

Since Jeremy Strode took over this well-known dining space, which forms part of the Merivale empire, there are a few dishes that have stood out as favourites among regular diners and reviewers, but none has captured more imagination than the lamb 'hearts and minds' salad. Little globes of crisp-fried outer, creamy-centred lamb's brains sit atop a salad of witlof, watercress and grilled slices of lamb heart.

It's signature Strode in it's rustic simplicity and matter-of-fact employment of offal. Forget what you think it's going to be like and dive right in. You won't be disappointed.

Honorable mentions: 1. Flinders Inn's Tete a porc; brawn slow cooked over mire poix, reduced and served with pickled radishes 2. Yellow's fetta, pomegranate and mint salad.