Chocolate bliss

Boxed chocolates were once a big part of my family’s Christmas traditions. Aunt Pat always gifted us a small square box of Laura Secord’s French and frosted mints on Christmas Day, along with her famous orange carrot pineapple Jell-O mold, while Dad brought home boxes of Pot of Gold chocolates and bottles of Crown Royal whisky from courthouse clients.

This year I’ve revived the tradition with help from Purdys Chocolatier. While B.C. residents have enjoyed the company’s creations since 1907, they were a revelation to me. With help from friends and family I’ve happily munched my way through best sellers like Peppermint Bark, creamy white chocolate studded with candy cane bits and drizzled with dark chocolate. The company’s Sweet Georgia Browns taste fresher than the Turtles my brother once coveted, and the cute Hedgehog chocolates remind me of Northern Italy’s beloved gianduia chocolate, blended with hazelnut paste.

Purdy’s new Canadian Wine & Spirits gift box may be the ultimate hostess gift – sophisticated truffles filled with velvety chocolate cream flavoured with orange and sumac liqueur from B.C.’s Legend Distilling, ice wine from Mission Hill and whisky cream from Forty Creek in Grimsby. But any of their products, some in handsome boxes, wrapped in purple, would make a fine gift. Shop online or look for the nearest store at purdys.com.

Nuts about nuts

I’m constantly amazed by the number of small Quebec companies selling innovative food products. From spicy peanut butter to overnight oatmeal, there’s no end to their creativity. My newest find is the Nutterie based in Laval, which sells a wide range of nuts, seeds, dried fruits and snack mixes online packed in attractive bags. It’s like having your very own bulk food store, except the owners are committed to sourcing the freshest, most sustainable products straight from farmers around the world. Sample a Discovery Box of four to five different products and taste the quality for yourself.

If one of Your New Year resolutions is making your own non-dairy milk at home, Nutterie’s Nut Milk Box contains 3 to 5 kg of premium nuts.

Best Kitchen Gear

This fall I was thrilled to meet Alison Fletcher, owner of several Cookery stores in Toronto.  Alison’s knowledge and enthusiasm for quality cookware makes Cookery THE place to shop for all things culinary. The well-trained staff will ask questions about how you cook so they can match you with the perfect item or gift that will last a lifetime. Current favourites include a pre-seasoned Lodge Blacklock cast-iron skillet and the Zwilling Henckel vacuum-sealer kit of bags and containers to help you keep leftovers and ingredients like brown sugar fresh for ages.

If you still need a stocking stuffer for your favourite home cook, the Escali Folding Digital thermometer has a large easy-read screen. At under $20, it’s a fantastic bargain considering my last meat thermometer cost $50 and I can hardly read the small screen. Cookery-store.ca

Viva il Panettone!

At the recent New York Panettone Festival, Viva was one of 30 international finalists selected to compete at the Panettone World Cup next November in Milan, Italy. Buy online or in TO stores such as Fiesta Farms. Fiesta also carries the new (and delicious) loaf from the Toronto Panettone Co. Vivapanettone.com Torontopanettone.com