The Sweet…and the Savory

Photo: Dwight Eschliman

The Sweet
1. Chocolat Michel Cluizel Brownies
Seth Greenberg, son of William Jr., has brownies in his blood, but these super-fudgy specimens are made with Michel Cluizel 72 percent cacao chocolate and sold only at the chocolatier’s Stateside boutique ($45 a dozen; 888 Broadway, at 19th St.; 212-477-7335).

2. Venchi Assenzio
With absinthe newly trendy, the market has grown for this exotic Turin-made dark-chocolate bar flavored with wormwood extract and dill—just the sort of curiosity you’d expect to find at the funky new Spuyten Duyvil Grocery ($5; 218 Bedford Ave., at N. 5th St., Williamsburg; 718-384-1520).

3. Jacques Torres’s Mudslide-Cookie Mix
If a batch of these cookies strategically placed by the hearth on Christmas Eve doesn’t get the little ones in good with Santa, nothing will ($12.95; 350 Hudson St., nr. King St.; 212-414-2462).

4. Papabubble Candy
The Barcelona-based confectioner’s new Soho shop handcrafts psychedelic Cindy Lou Who–size lollipops, plus little nuggets in flavors like kiwi and passion fruit ($4 to $15; 380 Broome St., nr. Mulberry St.; 212-966-2599).

5. Vosges Peanut-Butter Bonbons
The greatest thing to happen to peanut butter and chocolate since Reese’s. The ingredients are organic, and each bonbon is sprinkled with sea salt ($27 for nine pieces; 1100 Madison Ave., nr. 83rd St; 212-717-2929).

6. 1880 Honey-and-Almond Brittle
This one isn’t local, but Despaña, the excellent Spanish-foods shop that carries it, is. And Marcona almonds make a more sophisticated brittle than Planters peanuts ($10.60; 408 Broome St., nr. Lafayette St.; 212-219-5050).

7. Kyotofu Original Gift Box
A Japanese-inspired assortment of soufflé cupcakes, soybean-pulp-enriched cookies, and “mini miso chokos”—irrefutable proof that chocolate and fermented bean paste really do belong together ($25; 705 Ninth Ave., nr. 49th St.; 212-974-6012).

Photo: Dwight Eschliman

The Savory
1. Honey Bean Coffee Beans
If you can’t get your hands on this year’s “It” bean—the $130-a-pound La Esmeralda Special— try the up-and-coming Honey Bean from a nearby Panamanian farm ($17 for a twelve-ounce bag at Café Grumpy, 224 W. 20th St., nr. Seventh Ave.; 212-255-5511).

2. Marlow House Bitters
Home mixologists will love these micro-batch citrus bitters, made in-house by Marlow & Sons’ resident tinkerer Tom Mylan from the rinds of oranges, grapefruit, and pomelo, plus secret herbs and spices ($15; 81 Broadway, at Berry St., Williamsburg; 718-384-1441).

3. Lassi Spices
Replicate Indian dishes at home with Lassi’s freshly ground spice blends like garam masala, heady with cumin, cardamom, and coriander, and the shrimp-rub-ready Bengali five-spice ($3.50 per three-ounce bag; 28 Greenwich Ave., nr. W. 10th St.; 212-675-2688).

4. Cloth-Bound Grafton Cheddar
That old wax-sealed denizen of the holiday gift basket gets a cloth-bound, cave-aged makeover, courtesy of Vermont’s Jasper Hill Farm in its new role as affineur ($20.99 a pound at Saxelby Cheesemongers, Essex St. Market; 212-228-8204).

5. Taïm’s Harissa
Taïm uses its house-made harissa to flavor its falafel, but you can use the pungent, paprika-packed Tunisian condiment on anything ($8.75; 222 Waverly Pl., nr. W. 11th St.; 212-691-1287).

6. Red Hook Rye
Spirits specialist LeNell Smothers expects the third batch of her signature rye whiskey to arrive after Thanksgiving, but act fast: The first shipment of the stuff—spicy and rich, with a peppery bite—sold out in two days ($110; 416 Van Brunt St., nr. Van Dyke St., Red Hook; 718-360-0838).

7. Keith’s Farm Shallots
What better gift for the practicing locavore than a bag of organic New York State shallots? Farmer Keith Stewart’s rocambole garlic has gotten all the glory, but one should never underestimate the importance of a great shallot vinaigrette ($5; Union Square Greenmarket).

8. Blue Ribbon Bakery Market Pickled Peppers
Hot and piquant, these chopped serranos and jalapeños will perk up a sandwich or kick-start your morning eggs, just like they do the bakery market’s scrumptious egg toast ($5; 14 Bedford St., nr. Downing St.; 212-647-0408).

9. Channing Daughters Wine Club
Surprise your budding oenophile with a bi-monthly shipment of two Long Island wines, produced by a rule-breaking vineyard that plants seldom- seen-in-these-parts grapes like Muscat Ottonel and Blaufrankisch. One-year minimum (631-537-7224).

SEE ALSO:
Nine Savory Food Items

The Sweet…and the Savory