‘95 Gift Guide Gifts To Feed Their Body And Soul

Christmas shopping can be easy as pie - or cake, or cheese, or maybe some beer or wine.

For the cook on your list, a palate-provoking cookbook or a handy kitchen gadget is bound to fit. And when all else fails, go for something that can be consumed. After all, everybody eats.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

It’s hard to say what puts you more in the holiday spirit about “GOLD’n Delicious,” the first cookbook from the Junior League of Spokane - the 260 tasty, triple-tested recipes, many of which feature regional ingredients, or the fact that proceeds go to local charities. It costs $22.95 and is available at area bookstores and specialty shops, or by calling the Junior League at 328-2166. For a special touch, gift baskets featuring the book and related food items and accessories are available for $31.95 to $81.95 (or create your own combination) from Simply Northwest, 11808 E. Sprague.

Maybe you (or someone you know) always wanted to make a pie, but thought it looked too hard. Or you tried, but the crust crumbled along with your patience. Pat Rogers, owner of Creekside Pies & Pastries in Athol, Idaho, has produced a 28-minute video showing how to make a basic pastry crust and classic apple pie that will get beginners off on the right foot and might even teach experienced cooks a thing or two. It sells for $19.95 (suggested retail), and is available at The Kitchen Shop and the Copper Colander in Spokane, Tidyman’s, Super 1 and Rosauers supermarkets and Stein’s IGA in Kootenai County, The Kitchen & Bath Center and The Kitchenery in Sandpoint and by mail ($3.95 shipping and handling) from Creekside, P.O. Box 795, Athol, ID 83801.

Want to splurge a little on a dessert fit for a king? The original Sacher (pronounced “soccer”) Torte, a dense, double-glazed chocolate cake introduced to Austria’s Royal Court in 1832, is still made at the Hotel Sacher in Vienna using a secret blend of four special chocolates - and it’s available by mail order in a hand-crafted wooden box. Cost is $47 for an eight-serving cake or $57 for the 12-serving size, plus shipping. Call (800) 793-3863.

Closer to home, the award-winning Cougar Gold and other cheeses from Washington State University’s creamery can be shipped throughout the United States. Cougar Gold, a byproduct of research in the 1940s to create a cheese that could be stored and shipped in cans, was named one of the “Best Cheeses of 1993” by the American Cheese Society. All WSU cheeses are packed in 30-ounce tins and cost $11 plus shipping. Call (800) 457-5442.

Know someone who couldn’t cut a straight slice of bread to save their life? The Fiddle Bow Bread Knife from Montana’s Mountain Woods Inc. - more of a saw, actually - produces toaster-perfect slices every time and never needs sharpening. Available in right- and left-handed models in oak, maple and cherry for about $22 at several area kitchen and specialty stores.

We in the Northwest are fortunate enough to live in the heart of microbrew country, but there still are lots of beers you won’t see in stores. Microbrews Untapped, a Tacoma-based beer-by-mail club, searches nationwide for the best brews from new breweries and new selections from existing brewers (one recent offering was Desperado Export Ale from the tiny Ellensburg Brewing Co., a beer not normally seen outside that city). Members receive two different six-packs per month, along with a newsletter, for $15.95 plus tax and shipping; call (800) 958-6827.

For the wine lover on your list, a bottle with a bow is fine, but membership in a wine-of-the-month program is even better. Several area wine merchants offer such a service, selecting top-notch wines in several price categories.

For instance, you could arrange for your favorite fermented grape fan to receive a monthly gift of a different white or red wine in the under $10 price range. There are also under $20 and under $30 categories if you’re feeling generous. You can purchase a gift membership for any number of months.

Area shops offering the wine of the month program include Vino, Spokane’s newest wine merchant, as well as The Resort Cellar and The Wine Cellar, both in Coeur d’Alene.

The selection of wine books continues to grow, much of it general interest material for the budding connoisseur.

For the most exhaustive account of the world of wine, check out “The Oxford Companion to Wine” from the Oxford Press. This 1,000-plus page tome covers all of the wine-producing regions on the planet and offers maps and photos.

It’s edited by the respected English wine writer, Jancis Robinson, who is a frequent contributor to The Wine Spectator magazine. She has a refreshing, forthright style, so readers won’t get bogged down with technical details in this award-winning book.

“The Oxford Companion to Wine” is a bit pricey at $49.95, but it’s the ultimate reference book. It’s also something that you’ll likely need to special order, so give yourself an extra week or 10 days if you plan on putting this hefty guide under the tree.

In Italy, house vino has been known to be served in jelly jars. But when drinking and dining are a bit more formal, there are endless variations on wine glasses.

There are different shaped vessels for every type of wine, in fact. Most people are familiar with tall, elegant champagne flutes and squat-looking brandy snifters. But there are also glasses designed for serving pinot noir, cabernet, chardonnay, port and even young white wine.

One of the most respected wine glass producers is Riedel, an Austrian company that makes its simple and elegant designs with 24 percent lead crystal. The Resort Cellar in Coeur d’Alene carries a selection of Riedel glassware, where individual glasses start at $21 and go up to $27.50 for the glasses that will do justice to your best Bordeaux.

Serious wine-o’s tend to collect gadgets, whether it’s the world’s quickest corkscrew or a jacket that will give your bottle of riesling an instant chill. Wine shops stock a lot of those goodies.

Inexpensive wine preservation systems make terrific stocking stuffers. The Vacu-Vin pumps oxygen out of open bottles, so the wine can be kept for up to a week. The pumps can be found in specialty shops and supermarkets with upscale wine departments.

The Spokane wineries are a great spot to shop for offbeat gift items, including T-shirts, aprons, racks for wine bottles, gourmet food stuff, even jewelry.

Local vintners will be fully stocked for next weekend’s Holiday Wine Fest, an annual event that features food and wine-tasting along with gift and Christmas decorating ideas. The event runs from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Arbor Crest, Caterina, Knipprath Cellars, Latah Creek and Worden’s.

Wine merchants are adept at putting together unusual gift baskets. At Hallett Farms in the Spokane Valley, a dinner-for-two basket features pasta, marinara sauce, flavored olive oil and a bottle of wine for $20.95. Or, put together a selection of truffles with John’s Port made by Yakima River Winery.

The Spokane Wine Co. carries a selection of specialty food items and combines them with gourmet cheeses and selected wines for custom gift baskets.

If these suggestions seem mundane, you could splurge for a trip to Burgundy or Bordeaux. You can spend April in Paris for $878 round-trip airfare from Spokane. , DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo