 62. ITALIAN CHRISTMAS DELIGHT: Panettone by Pearl Bakery |
62 Italian Christmas Delight
While there are other places in town to purchase panettone, the version made at Pearl Bakery (102 NW 9th Ave., 827-0910, pearlbakery.com) is hands down the best. These big-bellied confections ($18)—filled with raisins and bits of candied orange and topped with a cocoa-almond crust studded with sugar crystals—tend to disappear from the bakery’s shelves faster than you can say, “Father Christmas.” Call and reserve one at least a few days in advance. (MHW)
63 Mountains of Mushrooms
No other chèvre can match the mellow creaminess of that made by Fern’s Edge Dairy (541-937-2093, fernsedgedairy.com) in Lowell. When paired with minced chanterelle mushrooms and piled into the pyramid-shaped tower of the Mount Chanterelle ($8.50 at Portland Farmers Market), it approaches divinity. If you’re looking for something a bit more festive to serve at a holiday party, try the cranberry-walnut chèvre ($10.99. New Seasons Market at Seven Corners, 1954 SE Division St., 445-2888). (MHW)
64 Christmas In Your Mouth
Getting your hands on these bite-size cookies from Two Tarts Bakery (75 cents apiece) just got a whole lot easier with the opening of Anna Phelps’ and Elizabeth Beekley’s retail location at 2309 NW Kearney St. (312-9522, twotartsbakery.com). Specialties for the holidays include ginger-molasses chews and five-spice shortbread. Pick them up by the dozen in classy beribboned boxes (pictured), or have the baking sisters craft a catered cookie tower for your next party. (MHW)
65 Summer In a Jar
Best known on the local chocolate scene for his pillowy-soft, chocolate-enrobed and salt-sprinkled caramels, David Briggs of Xocolatl de Davíd has been wowing us with unorthodox flavor combinations since 2005. This fall, Briggs is offering two very different treats: a bacon-infused chocolate and caramel pair ($5, available at local chocolate vendors and xocolatldedavid.com) that will make a great stocking stuffer for your favorite carnivore, and more mellow jars of fruit-and-chocolate preserves ($8. Meat Cheese Bread, 1406 SE Stark St., 234.1700). If the other varieties (huckleberry, rhubarb and Venus grape) are anything like the tart, earthy blackberry-chocolate preserves we tried, it will be hard to keep your spoon out of the jar. (MHW)
66 Sweet and Sour
Besides adding two seasonal flavors (cherry and pluot, $16 per 9-ounce bottle) to an already varied lineup—including Walla Walla onion, lemon-dill and peach, to name a few—of Oregon-made flavored vinegars, Blossom Vinegars (244-4736, blossomvinegars.com) also carries a holiday sampler of eight different flavored vinegars, including the seasonal cherry vinegar ($52, contains eight 2-ounce bottles). (MHW)
67 Globe-trotting Spices
Unwrapping a packet of Moroccan, Madras Curry, or Creole Cooking Spices and Rub ($7 for 2.5 ounces) from Dulcet Cuisine (756-4688, dulcetcuisine.com) is like taking a trip around the world: Each pungent mixture comes wrapped in a map and packaged with a recommended recipe. Whether stewed with butternut squash or used as a dry rub on meats, these versatile blends are a treat to cook with. The website offers an online store and a larger list of recipes using the firm’s spices and marinades. (MHW)
68 Holy Organic Basil, Batman!
The tea masters behind Tao of Tea have created the new Tulsi Organics line of teas featuring the healthful Indian herb tulsi, or holy basil (3430 SE Belmont St., 975-8327, tulsiorganics.com). Loose-leaf or in bags, these caffeine-free herbal teas and blends (purple-leaf tulsi, tulsi-lemongrass, tulsi-ginger, and more, $4.50 and up) are refreshing and full of antioxidants—plus, a portion of the proceeds of each sale goes to support a school for underprivileged youth in Northern India. (MHW)
69 Way Better Than Almond Roca
Even those who don’t like toffee will swoon for the delightful creations at Alma Chocolate (140 NE 28th Ave., 517-0262, almachocolate.com), and toffee fiends will achieve new levels of candy bliss with each bite. Made from turbinado sugar and organic butter blended with almonds and ginger, plus pistachios or Oregon hazelnuts, each slab is coated with fine dark chocolate for a perfect holiday treat ($7 per quarter pound). (MHW)
70 Bad to the Bone
Ben Dyer and his team at Viande Meats (City Market NW, 735 NW 21st Ave., 221-3007) know good things take time. They let local, hormone- and antibiotic-free, free-range beef sit in a carefully controlled environment for 28 days to create their impressively tender dry-aged prime rib roast ($18.95 per pound). Each seven-bone, 12-pound roast is carved up and sold by the bone; Dyer estimates one bone serves two. (BW)
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