Electronic Edibles

If your halls are decked with slippery stacks of glistening mail-order catalogs full of eye-popping four-color photographs (as mine are), you have a decision to make. Do you sweep them off the table into the circular file as you leave for the mall or attempt to find a quiet, balmy December evening when you can give each little mail-order masterpiece the consideration it deserves and choose just the right present for every person on your list without ever leaving home? We'd like to propose a third option. Contributing writer Barbara Chisholm and I spent some time recently going through a mountain of catalogs, and we've culled what we think are some very interesting suggestions for the food lovers on folks' Christmas lists. Some of the businesses represented are local and some are national; almost all of them offer the added benefit of online ordering. Relax in the easy chair and light a fire in the fireplace (depending on how well your AC works) while Barbara and I tell you what we found on our online/catalog shopping spree!-- Virginia B. Wood

La Madeleine

800/956-9807

Aficionados of this Dallas-based favorite will find this site a welcome repository of the staples they have come to love: tomato/basil soup, Caesar salad dressing, cream of mushroom soup, even pre-shaped, unbaked croissants. Too bad the Romanoff syrup for the strawberries isn't shelf-stable. Ah well, the French-inspired accoutrements of tiles, mugs, and table linens will bring back those Sunday afternoons at the Texas version of a French bistro, and can bring the flavor to friends for the holidays.

Berdoll Pecan Farm

512/321-6157

The sweet harvest of Central Texas' autumn is the (pardon the expression) meat of this nut and candy family business located in nearby Cedar Creek as well as in a new retail outlet just west of Bastrop. Shelled pecans, cracked pecans, in-shell pecans, roasted pecans, cinnamon sugar pecans, and even jalapeño flavored pecans! I feel like I'm in an Austin version of Forrest Gump; instead of shrimp possibilities, though, it's all the ways to eat pecans. The family business has expanded into candies, but only those that complement the ubiquitous pecans. A very friendly catalog and business.

American Spoon Foods

888/735-6700

A site devoted to collectors of memento spoons, you may ask? No, it's primarily stuff that is eaten with a spoon: preserves, jams, and jellies. And other "regional" foodstuffs, too. But the joke for us in the subtropics is that when these folks say "regional," they don't mean chilies, pecans, and salsas (well, there are salsas, actually), but rather wild rice, cherries, and hickory nuts. That's because the region from which this company hails is Michigan. American Spoon Foods is a great source of all forms of cherries, and its Web site is utterly charming with its folk art illustrations.

Cook's Illustrated

800/526-8442

If you've ever spent 45 minutes searching through stacks of old food magazines searching for the recipe you made a mental note of, this collection of bound issues of the popular magazine is your savior. The 1999 editions are in one collection, and there is a master index of recipes from 1993-1999. Also offered are favorite cookbooks such as The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook and individual volumes of their Master Series of speciality areas of cooking: poultry, pies, and salads, each offered in its own slim edition.

Specialty Food Catalog

Nothing fancy here except the food that is for sale. This is one place where it's substance over style. Offered are the foodstuffs of members of the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, Inc. That cumbersome name is the moniker for the folks who present the Fancy Food Shows. The trade association represents lots of swanky food manufactures, importers, and retailers. So this site offers lots of posh stuff, categorized in areas such as beverages, desserts, gourmet mixes, and on and on. Since there are a myriad of companies represented here, the sale is bit softer than at other sites, but the variety and quality is impressive.

-- Barbara Chisholm

Mrs. Beasley's

800/575-2253

Surely you've heard about the trend in Los Angeles where everyone sends baskets of muffins? Well, it turns out that Mrs. Beasley's in Beverly Hills is one of the hottest places for purchasing muffins, tea cakes, brownies, and cookies when agents want to strike a deal and moguls want to woo some talent. Now you, too, can send gifts just like a movie mogul. Mrs. Beasley's has a new catalog and Web site where the motto is ".com never tasted so good." The kit we received contained a selection of tea cakes, cookies, and brownies which were individually wrapped and quite delightful. The trio of cakes flavored with lemon, lime, and orange had a strong taste of artificial flavoring which wasn't too appealing but, overall, the impression was very tasty.

Fruitful Gifts of Arizona Inc.

800/575-8597

One of the bright spots of my trip to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area last spring was seeing beautiful fruits blossoming in the valley of the Sun. A recent reminder of that trip arrived in a catalog for John and Liz Wake's family-owned company, which sells the foods and fruits grown in the Arizona desert. The centerpiece of the Wakes' product line are Celebration Dates, the fruit of a "wild" date palm that was discovered near Phoenix in the 1920s. The Wakes' small grove of Celebration Dates is now the only one of this particular variety that remain in the area. The dates are remarkable, luscious and creamy, unlike any I've ever tasted before. The catalog also offers chocolates and pistachios plus an assortment of seasonal citrus fruit (tangerines, oranges, tangelos, mandarins), all of which may be lovely. But if there's a date lover on your list, Celebration is the way to go.

CIA's Marketplace -- Products & Recipes from the Campus Store at Greystone

Fax orders 24 hours daily to 877/967-CHEF(2433)

Believe me when I tell you the kitchen gadget junkie or aspiring chef on your list will want many things from this catalog. Equipment and gadgets are selected based on their popularity with the college's staff, faculty, and students and have been evaluated as to efficiency, practicality, durability, and function of design. There are also many lovely gift ideas, some CIA logo items, and books. I found many things I wanted on every page. This is one of the few catalogs that comes with no online ordering option, but surely that can't be far behind.

New England Cheesemaking Supply Company

413/628-3808

We first heard from this company early last spring, but their fascinating product line would make perfect gifts for the cheese-obsessed. Why send someone a wheel of cheese when you can offer them the opportunity to learn to make their own? There are kits for making mozzarella (easy and delicious when we tried it), mascarpone, fromage blanc, and basic cheeses such as cheddar and Jack. They also offer equipment, molds, waxes, cultures, home pasteurizers, and instructional booklets on how to start a small-scale goat cheese production.

Royer's Round Top Cafe

877-866-PIES (7437)

After a fling with business in College Station and an attempt to sell their eponymous cafe on the bustling square in downtown Round Top, the Royers have settled down to doing what they do best: marketing everything they have. Peruse the Web site catalog to order their famous homemade pies (pecan, chocolate chip, butterscotch chip, buttermilk, and buttermilk delight shipped alone or with Haagen Dazs ice cream), choose from their sampler of rubs, seasonings, marinades, and condiments, or get one of the nearly four-pound Sin-namon Rings covered with frosting and nuts for the family or the office. Also check out the "Cafe in a Can," which offers a selection of Royer's label condiments, and the "Millennium Survival Kit in a Can" with things such as a flashlight, fishing line, matches and a candle, a can opener, some potted meat, crackers, a deck of cards, etc.

New Canaan Farms

800/727-JAMS (5267)

Nearby Dripping Springs is home to New Canaan Farms, or the Jelly Ranch, as we've come to think of it. Their whimsically illustrated brochures and Web site promote their complete line of jams, sauces, salsas, dips, and mixes, available for purchase individually or in gift assortments. We found ourselves partial to the Brazos River Blackberry Jam, the Texas Red Plum Jam, the Bee Creek Honey Mustard, and the Cibolo Creek Cilantro Salsa. Their newest offering could perhaps be the quintessential Texas millennium gift: a 32oz jar of Texas Caviar beautifully packed in a wooden crate, complete with some handy serving selections and the story of why eating black-eyed peas on New Year's brings good luck.

-- Virginia B. Wood