Delysia Chocolatier
Hill Country Lavender
La Patisserie
Brieger Pottery
hostess gifts
Sensational (and Local!) all year long By Jackie Benton
Antonelli’s Cheese Shop
Jingle bells and taco shells – it’s holiday time again! Time to don that gay apparel (or iron a crease in your favorite pair of jeans) and make merry with friends, neighbors and relations as we count down the days of December and look forward to the promise of the New Year. No one enjoys the holidays more than Central Texans, and it’s a sure bet that holiday par ty invitations will abound at this time of year. Show a little Lone Star Love to your host and hostess with something that’s more than just flowers and wine this season. Urban Home Magazine presents these eight sensational hostess gift suggestions from the Central Texas area to help you express your thanks in a way that’s sure to please all year long.
Hot Stuff! Jalapeno Popper Cookers: $25-$35 BBQ Outfitters 6715 Ranch Road 620 North Austin, TX 78732 877. 274.7455 | Bbqoutfitters.com Not only does the Chile Grill Jalapeno Cooker by Chile Grill do the job right, it’s just dang cute to look at. Purchase the Chile Grill cooker in the shape of the state of Texas that lets you cook 20 poppers at a time, and let the fun begin. Versatile enough to use either in the oven or on the grill, your hostess will love being able to easily make these appetizer favorites at home. The easy preparation consists of simply cutting the stem end from the jalapeno pepper, coring the pepper and removing the seeds, stuffing the hollowed pepper with cheese, wrapping the outside of the pepper with bacon and then placing in the popper cooker. (If that’s too simple for your hostess, BBQ Outfitters offers a matching cookbook with more recipes available for purchase as well). If you really want 64
Urban Home Austin – San Antonio
to spice things up for your hostess, check out BBQ Outfitter’s selection of John Henry’s Spices and Seasonings, or special hardwood cutting boards, both made in Texas. A Taste for the Exotic Humble House Foods Sampler Pack of Four Delectable Spreads: $20 Saturday – Pearl Brewery Farmers Market Sunday – The Quarry Farmers and Ranchers Market San Antonio, Texas 210. 541.8844 | Humblehousefoods.com San Antonio residents have long attested to the culinary genius of Luis Morales and his company, Humble House Foods. Now, you can share that genius with your hostess. Morales’ latest offering for the holidays is a sampler pack of four of his popular spreads, destined to be loved by both fearless kitchen divas as well as newbies learning the ropes. “These spreads are versatile enough that they are great for someone with a lot of experience, and very easy for someone who doesn’t know how to cook and doesn’t have time to learn,” says Morales. Beautifully packurbanhomemagazine.com
aged in a pretty orange organza bag, there’s something tantalizing here for every taste bud: the Tapenade spread’s original Italian recipe with capers and Kalamata olives gives it a salty and briny taste, the Roasted Tomato spread features tomatoes loving roasted overnight as well as sun-dried tomatoes and roasted garlic for added flavor, the Cilantro Pesto consists of fresh cilantro, white cheddar and sweet pecans, while the original Pesto spread’s fresh, hand-picked basil is combined with nuts and cheese, sure to make it everyone’s favorite. Stop by the Pearl Brewery Farmers Market on Saturday or The Quarry Farmers and Ranchers Market on Sunday during December to meet Morales in person and pick up your gifts, or order online. Sweet Addiction Delysia Chocolatier Nine-piece Box of Truffles: $20-$27 Austin, Texas 512. 413.4701 | Delysia.com More than just chocolate, confections by Delysia are as beautiful to present as they are to taste. Chocolatier Nicole Patel has perfected her craft to allow you to bring a little bit of chocolate ambrosia for your hostess to delight in. While Delysia offers a wide array of chocolate confections, of special note are her specialty truffle boxes, with more than sixty flavors available. Her special just-for-the-holidays nine-piece truffle box features three mint, three eggnog and three gingerbread truffles, all perfectly packaged. But, don’t forget year-round favorites, such as the Texas wine truffle collection, featuring three Merlot, three Cabernet Sauvignon and three Port truffles, all flavored using Texas-made wines, or The Latin Collection, featuring a nine-piece truffle collection of zesty spiciness using cayenne, habañero and jalapeño peppers. (And advance notice for those of you who are always on the prowl for something new — check back with Delysia’s website in mid-January, when the nine-piece Valentines boxes of raspberry, dark chocolate and Champagne flavored truffles become available.) Mon Dieu! Such Macarons! La Patisserie by Luxe Sweets Six Beautifully Packaged Macarons of Your Choice: $12 602 West Annie Street Austin, Texas 78704 512. 912.0033 | Lpaustin.com We know what you’re thinking: you’ll just dart into La Patisserie for a hostess gift of their acclaimed macarons, heralded by The Austin Chronicle as the perfect gift in their Foodie Gift Guide issue. Sure — tell yourself that, and then try, just try to leave with the one thing you had in mind when you walked in the door. We’ll bet you can’t, because we’ve tried ourselves, and found it impossible. In addition to the special gift-packaged, six seaurbanhomemagazine.com
sonal macarons for only $12 in your choice of pecan pie, pear spice, cranberry, champagne and peppermint, take your pick of other baked delights, including palmiers, eclairs and croissants, all in a variety of yearround and seasonal favorite flavors. And, if your hostess is observing a gluten-free diet, no worries — La Patisserie offers a wide array of gluten-free goodies, including pecan brownies and oatmeal cookies. Want something special? Call ahead, and see what the bakery can prepare for you ahead of time to pick up on your way. Fa La La La La Fromage! Antonelli’s Cheese Shop 4220 Duval Steet Austin, TX 78751 512.531.9610 | Antonellischeese.com When walking into Antonelli’s Cheese Shop, try to resist the urge to twist your head so much trying to see all the wonderful delicacies that this little shop tucked away in Hyde Park has to offer that you end up with whiplash. Cheesemongers and owners John and Kendall Antonelli have seen to it that their little shop has not only hundreds of cheeses available on a “taste before you buy” basis, there’s also a charcuterie selection and a host of other specialty food items, such as craft beer, boutique wines and classic vermouths, as well as chocolates and other artisanal foods that may easily be paired with select cheeses. You’ll find a wide array of hostess gifts in a variety of price ranges from which to choose. Don’t know where to begin? Kendall Antonelli suggests thinking of combining items, such as a nice cheese board, a Laguiole cheese knife, and a good hunk of cheese, or a cheese and chocolate basket with three cheeses accompanied by three paired chocolates. Speaking of pairings, you can’t go wrong with a quality cheese (like Coupole) combined with a sparkling wine — Antonelli’s has everything from Prosecco to Champagne. And don’t forget to check out their limited production seasonal cheeses, such as Rush Creek Reserve. Check back often — there’s always old favorites, and new discoveries to be made. O’er the Fields We Go…. Want to get your gift-giving on, but don’t like the mall? These favorite Texas destinations are sure to put you in the holiday spirit when you take Santa (and yourself ) on a sleigh ride out of town, and enjoy the scenery along the way. Urban Home Austin – San Antonio
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