By Joel Magalnick, Editor, JTNews
As the air is filled with the sounds of doom and gloom, financial analysts say this holiday season will be one where people hunker down and stay home to watch TV. But let’s get real. Somebody, somewhere is throwing a party — and you’ve been invited.
You’ve figured out what to wear and dusted off a white elephant gift from out of the back of your closet, so now comes the really important question: What kind of goodies are you going to bring? Have no fear. JTNews is once again here to help.
We gathered some of the best and brightest treats — all kosher, you should know — and highlight them here, cost and place to purchase included. So let’s get started!
as an appetizer
Lynn was surprised to find a brie that’s been hechshered, but there it was: President’s Brie log (Trader Joe’s, $3.29), which Leyna marked as a favorite. “Creamy and flavorful,” she noted. David liked the light flavor — “great for melting on crackers,” he said.
Cameron begged to differ, however.
“Lame-o,” she said. “Bland and mediocre for a cheese that’s hard to screw up.”
People loved the packaging, though, and wouldn’t hesitate to give it as a gift.
Even the checker at Trader Joe’s had great things to say about their Marinated Mozzarella ($4.99), a fresh-braided hunk with spices and olive oil. The boring plastic packaging got boos, but we all liked the product itself.
“Very sharp, good flavor,” said David.
Everything we tried is kosher, but without at least a little smoked fish, we can’t call it Jewish! We tried two: Wildcatch’s kippered white salmon (Madison Market, $11.99) and that same fishery’s smoked cod, also known as sable ($17.99). Packaging gets low to middling marks, but the fish — oh, the fish!
“Great flavor and texture,” noted Mike, who marked the salmon as a favorite. “Very tender and moist,” agreed Karen.
I found it to be less dry than other kippered salmons I’ve tried, and not too fishy. But I kept going back to the sable. Having grown up with a father who occasionally worked at a fishery, I’ve had smoked cod that is out of this world. This stuff wasn’t it — it was a bit watery and stringy for my taste and budget — but it still good.
“I agree about the firmness,” noted Susan, “but it is pretty tasty.”
David kept checking under the table and chairs for his bagel and cream cheese.
All this cheese and fish had to go on something — and mostly it went on Trader Joe’s Multigrain Crackers ($1.69), which everyone called nice, simple, and basically everything a cracker should be: A place to hold the good stuff.
Mary’s Gone Crackers gluten-free crackers (Madison Market, $2.99) got similar reviews; Susan marked them as a favorite.
“Would be great with a strong cheese,” noted Kelly.
Unfortunately, Foods Alive’s Flax Crackers (Madison Market, $6.49) failed on that score, with comments like “very odd” and “not very good.”
Leyna got philosophical about these crackers: “Why do these exist?” she mused.
But for snacks served best in a bowl, Leyna had only wonderful things to say about Boulder Canyon’s Spinach and Artichoke Kettle-Cooked Potato Chips (Madison Market, $2.39).
“I want to never stop eating these and then die a happy sodium-induced death,” she said. To me they tasted just like a spinach and artichoke dip — only saltier.
Olive Tortilla Chips (Madison Market, $2.89) also got great reviews: “Yummy and not overpowering,” noted Karen. Becky liked the flavor and crunchiness, plus the fact that they’re low sodium.
“So amazing it makes me want to choreograph moves to Motorhead,” noted Cameron. She may have added a little something extra to hers.
Packaging was a mixed bag, so to speak, but perhaps in a basket with other treats it would fit right in, Karen noted.
feeling nutty
The shelves of Trader Joe’s are filled with all kind of nuts in all kinds of flavors. We chose reduced-sodium Dry Roasted and Salted Mixed Nuts ($5.29) and their Cinnamon Almonds ($4.99).
For taste, the salty nuts were right in the middle. “Nice combination,” commented Stacy, who likes “not so salty.”
I found the cinnamon almonds not overly sweet, with a nice neutral flavor and a hint of cinnamon. Although Sam, found them not sweet enough. The packaging on both, however, was not so great, which is why Stacy suggested the nuts be part of a gift basket. So we paired them with Trader Joe’s Chocolate Covered Blueberries ($4.99). Nobody could actually find the blueberries inside, but as Leyna put it: “Hey, who doesn’t like little balls of chocolate?”
Also from Trader Joe’s, and a big favorite, were their Dark Chocolate Peppermint Joe-Joe’s ($3.99) — think Oreo cookies drenched in chocolate with sprinkles of candy cane on top. Sure, it’s a bit Christmassy, but it didn’t bother the mashgiach, so don’t let it bother you, either.
“If you like peppermint and chocolate, yum,” said Karen.
“These are the best, and so festive!” commented Stacy.
Jean could have done without the candies on top, however. Everyone, it should be noted, would happily give these as a gift.
Rounding out this sweet gift basket are Trader Joe’s Baklava ($4.99), which were considered pretty good but not a favorite, at least among baklava connoisseurs, and their Snowflake Pretzels ($5.99), white star-shaped pretzels covered in yogurt and white non-pareils. The transparent tin and the whiteness of the stars made this a winner in the packaging department, and they tasted good, too.
“Kids will love it and the packaging is lovely and festive,” Susan remarked.
“Love the salty-sweet,” added Rachael. “Mmm… great presentation.”
Kids have always loved cookies and caramel corn, but their palates seem to have grown refined over the years, meaning plain ol’ Cracker Jacks won’t do. But Whole Foods Market’s Party Popcorn ($6.99), featuring three different versions of the caramel-covered standby in a fun cardboard box, got decent reviews.
“Very sweet, but delish,” commented Rachael.
The kids might also like Chocobillys (Madison Market, $3.19), a light and crunchy package of chocolate chip cookies, which Susan thought were “as good as Famous Amos.” I didn’t find them terribly exciting, but they would probably be just right for youngsters’ less-developed tastebuds.
Also in the cookie aisle were Dancing Deer’s Holiday Stars cookies (Whole Foods, $6.79), a mix of shortbread-like cookies that kids may like, but the grownups were a mixed bag.
“Not too bad,” commented Lynn, though Kelly found them a bit dry.
Leyna thought you’d need strong teeth just to bite into them, so you’d better brush afterward, kiddos!
feeling thirsty?
For a little something cool and wet to cleanse the palate and quench our thirst. The Kagome juice company has two offerings we tried: Ruby Pomegranate juice and Mango juice (Madison Market, $2.19 each), both of which got high marks for taste, and nearly as high for packaging. Interestingly enough, nobody recommended the juice as a gift item.
“Nice flavor, a great after-dinner juice drink,” commented David.
“Fruity flavor, no sugar, healthy,” commented resident health nut Becky.
Susan preferred the pomegranate to the mango, but Stacy found the latter to be “light, fresh, delicious.”
And who knew that Martinelli’s had gone organic? This champagne-alternative mainstay (Whole Foods, $3) has graced our tables for decades, so it was a nice surprise to taste their organic sparkling cider.
“I always enjoy Martinelli’s for any celebration or holiday,” noted Jean.
“Always a crowd-pleaser,” echoed Lynn.
The bubbles were nicely balanced, and unlike a similar Brut, this was not too dry. Burp!
chocolate addicts rejoice!
Hanukkah wouldn’t be Hanukkah without chocolate. At least, it wouldn’t be nearly as festive. With that in mind, we tasted chocolate. And when we say chocolate, we mean a lot of chocolate. We’ll start high-end, with Dagoba’s Chai Tea Milk Chocolate with Crystallized Ginger and Spices (Madison Market, $2.59). Dagoba uses only equitably sourced and traded cacao beans, and they put great care into the production of their chocolate. You can taste the results.
Kelly thought it was “Delish!” She enjoyed the “perfect ginger/cardamom flavor,” to which I could only agree. The bitterness of the chai and ginger provided a nice balance to the sweetness of the milk chocolate. Mike thought it was a “great idea, needs better execution.” Reviews of packaging and gift appropriateness fell right in the center.
Divine’s 70 percent Dark Chocolate (Madison Market, $3.19) fared much better. “Nice package, good dark chocolate taste, not too sweet,” commented Susan. I agreed that the packaging, a dark black on black, was gorgeous, and the flavor itself was quite smooth, and not too harsh for such high cacao content.
“Yeah, that’s good,” agreed Leyna.
Lake Champlain Milk Chocolate Caramel Leaves (Whole Foods, $9.99) came in okay for taste — certainly it wasn’t worth a 10-spot — but the golden foil-wrapped sack of candies could make a nice a gift, particularly for someone with an extreme sweet tooth.
Dove’s Silky Smooth Cranberry Almond Dark Chocolate (Target, $2.29) “is surprisingly good for a ‘generic,’ inexpensive chocolate bar,” noted Cameron. “Puts other brands on either side of the spectrum to shame!”
Speaking of smooth and silky, that’s exactly what Mike thought of Starbucks’ Chocolate Tasting Squares (Target, $1.99), a box filled with a selection of bite-sized chocolates in three grades of chocolate content. As compact and nicely printed as they are, they’d make a great gift as well, he noted.
Finally, traveling from San Francisco is Ghirardelli’s Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter (Target, $1.99), which came in decent for taste, though some prefer its mass-produced competition, according to Susan — “not as good as a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup,” she noted.
the true crowd pleaser
It’s sweet, it’s crunchy, it’s delicious. For decadence without the price tag, Wendi’s Fine English Toffee (Whole Foods, $11.99) was the crowd pleaser among crowd pleasers.
“Wow! Excellent — so buttery,” commented Susan. “It’s wonderful.”
“Tastes like heaven,” said Jean.
The packaging, a simple beige paper bag, got okay marks as a gift item, but most everyone would want to give it as a gift — probably so they could justify sneaking some for themselves.
Finally, as you give out food for gifts, remember that more people this year are going without. So as you check out at your local grocer, spend a few extra dollars to purchase a bag of food or meal voucher to feed the hungry. The recipient may not show up to your party, but they’ll certainly be celebrating.