Great Gift Idea: A Cookbook and …

I know it might seem early to some, but I’m already thinking about my holiday gifts. This year I’ve decided to stay with a theme that I call ‘A Cookbook and …’ which means that all my gift recipients will get a cookbook plus a little something extra that relates to that book. An example would be a cookie cookbook with a baking sheet and a roll of parchment paper. Read on for my pairings and add a few of your own!

Here are just a few of my ideas. I’m also pairing the cookbook with the recipient, so my niece in her new apartment will get a copy of The Joy of Cooking and a few kitchen basics like measuring cups and spoons. All cookbooks will be wrapped in a tea towel or large napkin and tied furoshiki-style.

• On Food and Cooking and a kitchen scale
• Jamie at Home and several packets of vegetable seeds
• The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook and a case of canning jars
• Tartine Bread and a cast iron combo cooker
• Plenty or Moro and hard to find, related spices like saffron, nigella seeds or sumac
• Canal House Cooking subscription wrapped in a tea towel and tied with a tin of good anchovies or a jar of truffle salt
• Good to the Grain and an assortment of unusual whole grain flours
• Thai Street Food and essential Thai food ingredients like palm sugar, kaffir lime leaves and a bottle of fish sauce

Well, you get the idea. What are your cookbook pairing ideas?

Related: In Praise of the Well-Used Cookbook

(Image: Dana Velden)