For stocking stuffers, we look for special items around $10 (or less). Here’s the first bunch of gourmet foods we’d like to find in our stocking.

ANNIE B’S CARAMELS

In polka dot gift bags of 20 caramels, Annie B’s caramels are sure to please. The Signature Mix includes Butter Rum, Chocolate, Sea Salt and Original (vanilla) caramels. The Holiday Mix has Chocolate Raspberry, Peppermint and Pumpkin Spice caramels. The Chocolate Lovers Mix has Chocolate, Chocolate Sea Salt and Chocolate Raspberry.

Each bag is $8. There are larger gift boxes and keepsake metal tins, $24. Get them at AnnieBsCandy.com.
 
BAULI MINI PANETTONE OR PANDORO

These sweet Italian Christmas breads now come in 3.5-ounce mini sizes—the equivalent of a breakfast pastry or a croissant. But what a pleasure biting into the little domed yeasty raisin bread (panettone) or sponge cake (pandoro)—we prefer the panettone. They’re $2.99 each at PiccolosGastronomia.com.

If you want to give a full-size version, no one will be disappointed. It just won’t fit in the stocking. See the whole line at BauliUSA.com. The line is certified kosher by Star-D.
 
GOURMET CHOCOLATE BARS

Chocolate bars from two prestige producers are just right for stocking stuffers.

 
THE MILL FUDGE FACTORY

There’s lots of hand-crafted fudge around, but The Mill Fudge Factory gets it right: just sweet enough, not cloying. It’s melt-in-your-mouth moist, hand-cut and hand-dated for freshness.

The company makes classic and inventive flavors. Choose from Belgian Chocolate, Chocolate Coconut, Chocolate Salted Caramel, Chocolate Raspberry, Chocolate Walnut, Natural Peanut Butter, Penuche and Pure New Hampshire Maple. Seasonal flavors include Cranberry Maple Nut, Eggnog, Holiday Mint and Pumpkin Pie.

Want a hint of spirits? Scottish Whiskey fudge is made with with Johnny Walker Red. Cabin Fever Maple Whiskey Fudge is made with the whiskey declared the best flavored whiskey on the market. And Bailey’s Irish Cream Fudge is a perennial favorte.

We loved every bite we tried of the regular fudge flavors. The sugar-free fudge was OK, but we could taste the erythriytol—we hope the company will consider re-formulating with maltitol (see the different types of non-nutritive sweeteners).

TOP PHOTO: Annie B’s gift bag of caramels. SECOND PHOTO: A mini panettone from Bauli. THIRD PHOTO: Holiday chocolate bars from Chuao Chocolatier. BOTTOM PHOTO: The Mill Fudge Factory has conventional and “spirited” fudge.

Go for it at TheMillFudgeFactory.com.

TOP PHOTO: A foot of marshmallows from
Quin Candy. SECOND PHOTO: A marsh-
mallow snowman topper for hot chocolate or
coffee, from Sur La Table. THIRD PHOTO:
Three of the nine flavors of Superseedz.
BOTTOM PHOTO: Topperfino chocolate mug
toppers.

QUIN “FOOT LONG” MARSHMALLOWS

Quin’s melt-in-your-mouth marshmallows are different from any others. They’re made in foot-long lengths, then cut into thirds to fit into a stocking-worthy packet. In Coffee, Root Beer or Vanilla, they’re delicious, fun and $4 per bag (2.9 ounces) at QuinCandy.com.

SUR LA TABLE SNOWMAN MARSHMALLOWS

These adorable vanilla marshmallow discs with a snowman face are new and nifty. Individually wrapped in a perky square box, Frosty’s marshmallow face peers through a cut-out.

Place one atop a cup of hot chocolate and it will melt into something even more delicious than it looks. The marshmallows work with coffee, too—especially flavored coffees like hazelnut and vanilla, or with a spritz of pumpkin spice syrup. We’ve used them to top chocolate teas, too.

They’re $9.95 per box at SurLaTable.com.
 
SUPERSEEDZ SEASONED PUMPKIN SEEDS

SuperSeedz was a Top Pick Of The Week in 2007, and we’ve been superfanz ever since. Pumpkin seeds are a gift for anyone: vegan and cholesterol-free with 7g of complete, plant-based protein per serving. That means they contain the nine essential amino acids (more than peanuts, pistachios, almonds and chia seeds).

They’re allergen friendly: dairy-free, egg-free, fish-free, peanut-free, shellfish-free, soy-free, tree nut-free and made with gluten-free ingredients. And they’re shell-free! SuperSeedz are dry-roasted in small batches, using a proprietary pan-roasting technique that bakes the seasoning right into each seed.
 
Superseedz are currently available in nine flavors: Cinnamon & Sugar, Coco Joe, Curious Curry, Really Naked, Maple Sugar & Sea Salt, Sea Salt, Somewhat Spicy, Super Spicy and Tomato Italiano. Find them at food retailers across the U.S., including Safeway, Sprouts and Whole Foods Markets.

They can also be purchased online at Superseedz.com. Two 1-ounce individual serving pouches are $3.99; a 5-ounce pouch is $4.99.
 
TOPPERFINO CHOCOLATE MUG TOPPERS

Our Top Pick Of The Week, Topperfino chocolate discs sit atop your hot chocolate or coffee, providing marvelous aroma before melting in to add Belgian chocolate to the cup.

There are so many beautiful designs, in both dark and milk chocolate, that your biggest challenge will be deciding which design is perfect for which giftee. A box of 10 individually-wrapped discs is $13.99 at Topperfino.com.

As a follow up to our article on ways to use duck fat, here’s how we use duck bacon.

We love duck bacon. It has a wonderful flavor and is actually much leaner than pork bacon. It also leaves a less pervasive aroma to cling to our apartment’s air.

Treat yourself to some. It also makes a nice gift for people who like to cook and enjoy pork bacon or roast duck.

Duck bacon is sold by D’Artagnan in eight-ounce packages for $14.99, with a price break for a six-pack. Unopened packages can be kept in the fridge for eight weeks, or frozen.

WHAT IS DUCK BACON?

Duck bacon is thinly sliced smoked duck breast, made from Moulard duck breast (called magret de canard on menus and in recipes—see the different types of ducks).

The slices are somewhat smaller than pork bacon strips, but they are thick and meaty with a rich, smoky flavor.

All-natural duck bacon comes from humanely-raised ducks. The product is labeled “uncured” per the USDA, because it has no added nitrates or nitrites.

Duck bacon is delicious in any recipe that calls for regular bacon.

 
Duck Bacon At Breakfast

 
Duck Bacon At Lunch

 
Duck Bacon At Dinner

According to the Food Standards of the USDA, the term “bacon” designates the cured belly of a swine carcass. If meat from another portion of the carcass is used, the product name must be qualified to identify the portion—for example, pork shoulder bacon.

And if another animal is used instead of the swine?

Meat from other animals, such as cattle, chicken, duck, lamb, goat or turkey—and from vegetarian sources like seitan—may also be cut, cured, or otherwise prepared to resemble bacon. It may even be referred to as “bacon.”

But according to the USDA, it isn’t. Unless it’s from a pig, it’s “imitation bacon” and should be labeled as such. Alternatively, it can be called “crispy smoked duck strips” or any word other than bacon.

Another of our favorite products, Schmacon beef bacon, calls itself “uncured smoked beef strips.”

Come on, USDA, change those standards. Your way is much more confusing to the consumers you’re supposed to be protecting.

Don’t want the alcohol? Don’t want a frozen pie? There’s a very creamy lemon cream pie recipe below.

RECIPE: FROZEN LEMON VODKA CREAM PIE*

Ingredients For 1 Pie

 
*A.K.A. New Amsterdam Frozen Lemonade Pie.

1. BLEND the ingredients together thoroughly, and scoop into the pie crust. Freeze.

2. SERVE with whipped cream and a sprinkle of lemon zest. Berries are optional but they provide a nice hit of color.

RECIPE: LUSCIOUS LEMON CREAM PIE

This recipe from Pillsbury gets its creaminess from sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream (whippping cream).

Ingredients For 8 Servings

 
Preparation

1. HEAT the oven to 450°F. Bake the crust 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

3. BEAT beat 2 cups of the whipping cream and the food color in large bowl, with the electric mixer on high speed, until stiff.

4. FOLD the lemon mixture into the whipped cream until just blended. Spoon it into the crust. Cover; refrigerate at least 3 hours until set.

5. BEAT the remaining 1 cup of whipping cream in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on high speed, until stiff. Spoon dollops on top of the pie or on slices of pie when serving. Store the pie covered in the refrigerator.
 
 
 
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EVAPORATED MILK AND SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

The quickest explanation is in the names: sweetened condensed milk has added sugar and evaporated milk doesn’t. It is also much thicker: Evaporated milk pours like regular milk, but sweetened condensed milk pours like molasses. They are not interchangeable in recipes, but both can be used in coffee.

 
 
 
THE HISTORY OF EVAPORATED MILK & SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK?

Both were invented by Gail Borden, who subsequently formed the dairy company that bears his name. In 1852 he was traveling transatlantic when the cows aboard ship became too seasick to provide milk (and there was no refrigeration in those days to keep milk fresh). He began to experiment, and two years later produced a canned milk that did not go sour at room temperature for three days after the can was opened.

Borden received a patent for sweetened condensed milk in 1856 and began commercial production the following year. Unsweetened condensed milk, now called evaporated milk, took more time to perfect since it didn’t have the sugar to inhibit bacteria growth. It was finally canned successfully in 1885.

In the days before refrigeration, both evaporated and sweetened condensed milk were used more than fresh milk because they were less likely to spoil and harbor harmful bacteria.
  

November 28th is National French Toast Day, so have fun with it.

At Fabrick, a fine restaurant restaurant in New York City, part of the culinary journey is food fun. Almost everything on the menu offers a new take on the traditional.

For French Toast, it’s nuggets.

The French Toast is cooked and cut into squares, which are:

 
How would you turn French Toast into fun?
 
MORE FOR NATIONAL FRENCH TOAST DAY

Sure: We toss them right on top of plain Greek yogurt.

Or atop a green salad.

Or on top of mac and cheese or casseroles.

We never let those little pieces chips die heedlessly. We use them as croutons.

We use any chip pieces, plus cracker and pretzel pieces—anything crunchy. You can store all the crumbs in an airtight jar. A mix of crumbs will taste even better!

If you have enough, pulse them to an even consistency and use them as breading for chicken and fish.
 
TYPES OF CHIPS: CAN YOU ADD TO THIS LIST?

Here’s the list of chips we’ve had. Can you add to it?

Sweetgreen garnishes a green salad with tortilla chips. We use the broken chip pieces at the bottom of the bag. Photo courtesy Sweetgreen.

 
*The main difference between the two types of chip is that a tortilla chip is cut from a whole tortilla, and a corn chip is made from corn meal.

TOP PHOTO: Maya Kaimal Naan Chips.
BOTTOM PHOTO: Tandoori-cooked naan from
Stonefire.

A NEW KIND OF CHIP FROM MAYA KAIMAL

The latest addition to our roster of chips are Naan Chips from Maya Kaimal Fine Indian Foods. Joining the company’s line of Chickpea Chips, they’re available nin Sea Salt, Rosemary and Almost Everything (onion, poppy and anise). You can find a store locator as well as e-tailers at MayaKaimal.com.

One of the delectable family of Indian breads, naan (pronounced like the female name Nan) is a light, leavened bread, traditionally in a teardrop shape and cooked in a clay oven (see photo).

The chips are baked in a proprietary flame-baked process meant to emulate a wood-fired tandoor oven. The process creates the signature blisters and bubbles of authentic naan flatbread (it took more than 40 tries to get it right).

The toasty triangles are lighter and flakier than pita chips, and the seasonings are incorporated into the dough, not dusted on the surface.

Enjoy them with guacamole, hummus or other dips; with cheese or soup; or simply crunch away.