FOR THE FOOD LOVER —
Jose Garces
A perfect gift for the Latin food lover – buy them an AUTOGRAPHED copy of Chef Jose Garces’ first cookbook Latin Evolution and a Garces Restaurant Group (GRG) gift card. The GRG gift cards are available in increments from $25 to $200 and can be used at any GRG restaurant – Amada, Tinto or Distrito. You can purchase both the book and gift card online at www.grg-mgmt.com – under “gift certificates.”
Hot Eclat
Under the direction of Master Chocolatier Christopher Curtin, Philadelphia magazine’s “Best Chocolate, 2008,” Éclat announces a new and innovative line of organic hot cocoas, Hot Éclat. Crafted from the world’s finest organic cocoa and presented on a convenient, fanciful stirring rod, Hot Éclat is a decadent treat for the true connoisseur of chocolate. Hot Éclat is offered in two varieties: spicy, three-chili Molé and 72% Cocoa. It is available for $4.50 per serving. Fans of rich, classic European hot chocolate can create a more decadent treat by adding less milk; those who prefer a subtler, softer chocolate flavor can use more milk according to their tastes. You can purchase online at www.eclatchocolate.com or can pick them up at Fork, etc.
Starting With Ingredients: Baking
Nine-time author and chef Aliza Green follows her masterful, 1,000+page Starting with Ingredients (Running Press, 2006) with an equally comprehensive sequel, Starting with Ingredients: Baking. Green’s books have garnered national attention and a devoted following, and her innovative structure – literally “starting with ingredients” – organizes the recipes so that readers understand the most important baking ingredients, their origins, how they’re used, and how they work. The carefully categorized, functional format has proven popular with the success of Starting with Ingredients. Starting with Ingredients: Baking includes more than 350 recipes, which are organized by common ingredients such as Apples, Chocolate, and Walnuts, but also covers such uncommon items as Brazil Nuts, Poppy Seeds, and Quince. SWI: Baking is available at all major bookstores in Philadelphia. www.alizagreen.com
FOR THE BEER LOVER —
For the holidays, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, will release their Triple Bock, a heady, high-alcohol winter brew that is a perfect way to warm up as the weather starts to get cooler. Brewed for a special, limited holiday release of just 1,300 bottles, Triple Bock is the newest addition to Iron Hill’s Reserve Bottle Beer line, large bottles designed to drink in the restaurant, take home or for a gift for the beer lover. Triple Bock’s eye-catching 3-D label was designed by gifted local graphic artist Jeff Schaller of PinkCow Studio. The label features a long-horned ram, the traditional symbol for Bock style beers, and is meant to be viewed through 3-D glasses that make the ram’s horns appear to leap off the bottle. Triple Bock will be sold in 375 mL bottles, at 13.2 % alcohol. Bottles will retail for $12, or $25 with a limited edition Triple Bock t-shirt. Both the beer and the t-shirt will be sold with complimentary 3-D glasses, making them a fanciful and innovative holiday gift for beer lovers. Triple Bock will be available for sale at all seven Iron Hill locations. www.ironhillbrewery.com
Don Russell’s Christmas Beer Book
Philadelphia Daily News beer columnist Don Russell, whose alter-ego, Joe Sixpack, is a renowned authority on the city’s brewing scene, will celebrate the release of his second book, Christmas Beers: The Cheeriest, Tastiest and Most Unusual Holiday Brews (Universe, 2008). It is the first comprehensive collection of information about the 2,000-year-old worldwide tradition of brewing and drinking festive ales and lagers during the winter holidays. Available at all major bookstores in Philly. www.joesixpack.net
