Hasta La Ideas

Food and drink-focused highlights from our 2011 holiday gift guide

The holiday season is underway and so is our freshly launched 2011 Holiday Gift Guide, and with the magnificent gorging of Thanksgiving, we’ve got food on the brain. Peppered among art-related items and the newest gadgets are culinary trinkets, tools and ingredients to fuel your aspirations throughout this season and the following year. The following are eight of our favorite foodie additions to the gift guide, from hand-pressed espresso to a home-grown mushroom kit.

Bought, Borrowed & Stolen

This unique book showcases the most extravagant meals chef Allegra McEvedy encountered on her most recent travels around the world. Accompanying each recipe is a unique knife from each locale, reflecting the gastronomical heritage of each of the 20 countries.

Paella Kit

From Calasparra rice to saffron and spices to the actual Paella pan, the Paella Kit provides the essentials for cooking up the ultimate surf and turf Spanish delicacy—just add shellfish and sausage.

Clear Hive Honey Set

Inspired by the geometry of bee hives, the Clear Hive Honey Set is perfect for design enthusiasts and apiarists alike. Plus the artfully crafted wooden dipper keeps fingers sticky-free.

Steel Chef Knives by Bob Kramer for Zwilling

As the only master bladesmith in the world specializing in kitchen cutlery, Bob Kramer’s supreme skills have been tapped to construct a set of knives built for remarkable strength and unmatched edge-retention.

Intelligentsia Pourover Set

This winter-themed Pourover Gift Box contains a Hario V60 dripper, a box of 40 paper filters, a custom designed notNeutral coffee mug, a half-pound of coffee beans and detailed instructions for brewing the perfect cup of joe.

Presso

When there’s not enough time to enjoy a drip coffee there always espresso to get you going. With Presso just add boiling water and you’ll be enjoying your hand-pressed shot before most automated machines would have even gotten warm.

Twin Hens Chicken Pot Pie

We love a good, old-fashioned chicken pot pie when winter hits. Nothing says comfort food like these delectable little gems from Twin Hens, but if you’re feeling guilty about indulging, just remember they’re made with organic ingredients and free range chicken.

Mushroom Garden

Perfect for the urbanite with a green thumb, the Mushroom Garden grows more than a pound of gourmet oyster mushrooms in a matter of days. Best part is they grow from the box so there’s no real gardening necessary.