Holiday Gift Guide: Part 1

If you’re visiting this blog, it’s highly probable that you like food. Chances are that you also have friends and family who like it just as much, or like me, they think you’re a bit crazy because you like it so much. Since it’s now December, I thought I would put together a few gift ideas for food lovers.

I’ll start with a list of extravagant and luxurious gifts for those who are looking to splurge on something that’s at the pinnacle of its class. If for some reason, you are looking to splurge, but don’t have anyone to splurge on, I would gladly offer my assistance free of charge. All prices are in American dollars unless otherwise noted.

L’Ecole des Chefs (2 days: $1,400, 5 days: $2,600)
Imagine getting the chance to work and learn in the kitchen of a world famous restaurant like L'Arpège, The French Laundry, or Charlie Trotter's. L’Ecole des Chefs makes this possible by offering two and five day programs at restaurants belonging to Relais Gourmands. The programs are intended for passionate amateur cooks, and allow you to rotate between different stations.

Dinner for two at Masa ($600-$1,000+)
Earlier this year, Chef Masa Takayama closed his much celebrated restaurant, Ginza Sushiko to open Masa in the world-class ‘food court’ at New York’s Time Warner Center. If you’re fortunate enough to secure one of Masa’s 26 seats, you will feast on such delicacies as fish that’s flown in daily from Japan, and shabu-shabu made from fresh lobster and foie gras.

2005 Gourmet Institute Weekend ($1,300, October 21–23, 2005)
This year’s inaugural Gourmet Institute Weekend featured 19 cooking demos by the likes of Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Jacques Torres, 11 seminars including appearances by Anthony Bourdain and Ruth Reichl, as well as wine and spirit tastings, and lessons on food styling. It’s your chance to meet your favourite chef or food writer, and eat at some of New York’s finest restaurants.

Grand Livre de Cuisine d'Alain Ducasse ($395)
This could very well be the king of cookbooks by the king of chefs. Written by Alain Ducasse (holder of six Michelin stars) and his chefs, this cookbook contains 700 recipes and is divided into 90 products and 10 techniques. For example, the book covers over 40 different ways for using and preparing lobster. Ducasse also has a similar book on pastry, which for the time being is only available in French.

Martini on the Rock ($10,000, Algonquin Hotel, New York)
This is a $10,000 martini. And if you order it now, you could be the first one to buy it. Fortunately, this pricey drink comes with a diamond at the bottom of the glass (hence its name). It’s the latest in overpriced foods, following the $1,000 frittata at Le Parker Meridien hotel earlier this year. The drink is aimed at would-be brides or grooms, and must be ordered at least 72 hours in advance, partly to ensure that it’s brought to the right table.

The Bocuse d’Or World Cuisine and the World Pastry Cup 2005
Held every two years in Lyons, France, the Bocuse d’Or and the World Pastry Cup are two of the world’s premiere cooking competitions. The competition travel packages offered by the Canadian and American teams also provide tours of food-related destinations, including visits to a truffle farm and the Valrhona Chocolate Factory.
Canadian Packages: $2,400-$3,400+ CDN
American Packages: $3,245-$8,520+

KitchenAid Pro Line Frozen Dessert Maker ($1,200)
This machine is 24 times more expensive than my Cuisinart ice cream maker. And while I haven’t read any reviews on its performance, it looks as though it’d let you run an ice cream parlour out of your home. Unlike my machine, this model comes with its own built-in freezer, so prefrozen bowls aren’t necessary.

Jura-Capresso IMPRESSA S9 Super Automatic Espresso Machine ($2,200, review)
Technology meets gourmet in this fully automatic and programmable espresso machine with independent heating systems for brewing and steaming. Instead of spending $4 a day at Starbucks, buy this machine. It’ll be cheaper in the long run.

Next up: Weird and Unusual Gifts

Comments

[Jennifer]

OH. MY. GOD. Okay, Clement, THIS is my official Christmas gift list. I'll just forward it to my fiance...he should just love you!

[Sam]

my christmas list too!
fred isnt actually the gift-buying type
but i am sure i can persuade him to buy some extra lottery tickets in which case I have no doubt he'd be very generous and make considerations from the list (if he wins)

[Clement]

Hmm.. I should probably find a girl, so that I'll have someone to give the list to too. Although asking for $20,000 in gifts upfront would seem to be a bad move.

[Sixy Beast]

shouldn't be too much of a problem - sure you're going to win her heart with your cooking!

But before you present her with your requirements don't forget to put the Bowens Tri-lite Kit on the list too!

[Clement]

Of course :)

[mangosteen]

Hi, Clement. I have really enjoyed your pictures and write-ups. I'd like to offer an alternative to the $2000+ ice-cream maker, though. Last May I got a Lello Jr. (formerly Simac) from Amazon for $200 (sometimes they're on sale for $180), and couldn't be more pleased. It also has a built-in compressor freezer and makes a quart a time, which is plenty for a small household. We used it several times a week in the summer. No matter what the custard/sorbet mix, the resulting texture is indistinguishable (to me) from the local gelato place in Berkeley.

[mangosteen]

Whoops, that should have been $1000+.

[anthony]

Here's hoping "Weird and Unusual Gifts" is easier on the pocket or it's a terrible and unfortunate food poisoning incident for elder and wealthier members of the family this Christmas.

[johanna]

hi clement, i only found out about your blog when I read the announcement of SHF for Feb - so this comment comes a tad late. (love it, btw, and especially admire the photographs!!!)
I sincerely hope you got the Jura coffee maker for Christmas... I have one at home myself and it is impossible now to imagine that I could ever have done without it! Your next challenge will be to find your "perfect" coffee... I have found mine (Musetti), but have been trying for months to BUY it here in the UK and been unsuccessful so far, despite 2 phone calls to the distributors AND the factory in bella Italia!
We also did the maths using our daily intake at Starbucks and the like to justify the expenditure, unfortunately, we still spend too much money there for mediocre coffee - because while our Jura espressos, lattes etc are infinitely better than Starbuck's, the machine is not exactly what you carry around with you all the time... and I don't like the idea of coffee on the go, call me old-fashioned!

[Clement]

Hi Johanna, thanks for visiting. Unfortunately I didn't receive any of the items on my list. To be honest, I didn't actually give the list to anyone since I was certain that anyone I gave it to would just start laughing, thinking that I couldn't possibly be serious. I did however check out the Capresso machine at my local William-Sonoma. I tried a cup of coffee from the machine and was very impressed. I do agree with you about home-made versus store-bought. I can't go back to drinking watery hot chocolate that's loaded with sugar, after making my own from wonderfully deep and rich Valrhona chocolate!
I don't have much experience with coffee, but if I become addicted to it one day (which seems likely), I will certainly try to find the "perfect" coffee here in Canada.