Centered amid the peppers is a small bottle of a liquid pepper, Borre's Scotch Bonnet. The basis of this seasoner is a unique pepper known as the Scotch Bonnet, the fruit bonnet-shaped. It's a pepper difficult to raise, a hothouse baby, the young plants grown under glass, then garden-planted; as the peppers are late to mature, their harvest is hazardous. The concentrated flavor, hot and intriguing, is extracted from the fruit and blended with sherry to reduce it in strength, then into wooden casks for the long, long aging. The pepper's full flavor is brought out by the sherry, making its uses manifold in soups, sauces, meats, any cooked dishes, in salad dressings, and especially nice added to the dunk sauce for oysters and clams.
The pepper baskets are packed by John Wagner and Sons, of Philadelphia, a firm in business now for over one hundred years. Always they have specialized in the importation and distribution of spices, herbs, seeds. Greig, Lawrence & Hoyt of New York City are the distributors for the Eastern seaboard, and in New York we saw the baskets selling at Hammacher Schlemmer, 145 East 57th Street; Charles and Company, 340 Madison Avenue; Maison Glass, 15 East 47th Street. Prices vary as to choice of fillers. Small basket, five seasoners, ＄5.50 to ＄6.50.
Good news for the holiday. Those little eye-cup-sized jars of caviar so pesky to pry into have been given new easy-lift lids. The Romanoff Caviar Company has made a new jar in a special mold with a lid so easy-raising it “ups” with a coin.
It seems the company officials didn't like those tight fits in the “little ones” any better than the rest of us did. But stop us if you have heard of this before: there was a war on, and glass companies didn't have time to bother with special requests for luxury packs—not until now. The new jars with the “easy-up” tops sell in delicacy stores of all leading cities. In New York City, Hammacher Schlemmer, 145 East 57th Street, have them in the 2-ounce size, ＄2.98; the 1-ounce jars are at Charles and Company, 340 Madison Avenue, ＄1.55.
Tight-bodied Kadota figs, sweetly spiced, preserved in heavy syrup, packed in sturdy wooden kegs, is the perfect Christmas present for those who enjoy entertaining. The preserved fig has a dozen uses; only a couple are as a relish with meat and fowl, stuffed with seasoned cream cheese for a sophisticated dessert.
The Hamiltons, Department G, 644 C Street, San Diego 1, California, have been packers of the figs for forty years, and are now offering them for mail order in three sizes, 3 pounds ＄4.15, 5 pounds ＄5.35, 10 pounds ＄7.75, delivered anywhere in the United States. Numerous other delectables come from their kitchen. Order their catalogue for a listing.
Merriest holiday box in the candy world is the Ting-a-Ling package, from Blum's of San Francisco, which carries its own Christmas bells fastened to a crossbar along one side of the box. The over-all wrap is silver and blue, the pound container is divided into four sections convenient as a utility box after the sweets are gone. ＄2.95.
Candy Cane is for the young in heart, a colorful, full- sized, red-and-silver-striped cane 29 inches long, containing dozens of Blum's Almondettes, chews, and bumps. ＄2.95.
The Lights Before Christmas box is electrified; lights go on, lights off, with a flick of a switch. This is done in French gray with a moss-green tree, bedecked with multicolored lights and filled with 3 ½ pounds of Blum's very best. ＄14.75.
Greeting Box is unique, representing a giant Christmas card with a good-cheer sentiment printed inside and a place for the donor to sign his name. The entire Christmas-card lid lifts up, and behold—1 ½ pounds of Blum's unusual candies! ＄4.50; 3 pounds for ＄8.75.
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