Festive Feast: the top 20 artisanal treats of the season
Festive Feast: the top 20 artisanal treats of the season
A hedonistic reverie of hand-crafted, artisanal, drop-dead-delicious holiday treats
’Tis the season for reckless over-indulgence, so why waste it on frozen turkeys and mass-market confections? We rounded up the city’s most gorge-worthy holiday foods that’ll satisfy every nostalgic craving. Here, the top 20 holiday treats in the city.
Read More
- 300574
- The Etobicoke meat shop is hoping to turn the he-man dare into an elegant holiday staple. Butcher Angelo Veltri gets his birds from Beliak Heritage Farms in St. Ann’s, Ontario. He debones them, rubs them with a kicky Cajun spice blend, then carefully nests the skin-on chicken and duck inside the turkey so it stays moist from the inside out. In the thigh cavities, he stuffs sage and leek sausage meat, and in the centre, a mound of fluffy, thyme-flecked bread stuffing. It’s best roasted low and slow—Veltri cooks his at 325° for 25 minutes a pound. $8.95 per pound. <em>5241 Dundas St. W., 416-231-1500.</em>
- (Photograph: Vicky Lam)
- Medium Rare’s Turducken
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-01-200x200.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-01.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-01.jpg
- 945
- 1200
- https://torontolife.com/food/best-holiday-treats-toronto/slide/holiday-treats-toronto-01/
- holiday-treats-toronto-01
- 0
- 0
- 300575
- For her festive yule log, Dufflet Rosenberg rolls up a hazelnut sponge cake with fluffy hazelnut mousse, then glazes the cylinder with milk chocolate ganache and a bit of hazelnut crunch before adorning the pretty confection with gold-dusted white chocolate leaves. One bite channels Paris at Christmastime. From $25. <em>787 Queen St. W., <br /> 416-504-2870; plus two other locations.</em>
- Dufflet’s Bûche de Noël
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-02-e1417097767331-200x200.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-02.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-02.jpg
- 1000
- 500
- https://torontolife.com/food/best-holiday-treats-toronto/slide/holiday-treats-toronto-02/
- holiday-treats-toronto-02
- 0
- 0
- 300576
- At his new Cabbagetown shop, Jason Johnston dreams up exotic loose leaf mixes, like hibiscus rose for the dessert menu at Byblos, and the fragrant holiday blend with honeybush, star anise, coconut and organic candy cane. $12 per 100 grams. <em>410 Dundas St. E., 416-846-1057.</em>
- Lemon Lily’s Tea
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-03-200x200.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-03.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-03.jpg
- 1000
- 1000
- https://torontolife.com/food/best-holiday-treats-toronto/slide/holiday-treats-toronto-03/
- holiday-treats-toronto-03
- 0
- 0
- 300577
- The much-maligned fruitcake has been vindicated. The secret: lots and lots of rum. Chris Mathias macerates cranberries, prunes, cherries and candied orange peel in a spicy booze bath for a month, bakes them into a buttery loaf, and soaks the cake in even more rum. $25. <em>130 Ossington Ave., 416-532-2333.</em>
- Côte de Boeuf’s Fruitcake
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-04-200x200.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-04.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-04.jpg
- 1000
- 1000
- https://torontolife.com/food/best-holiday-treats-toronto/slide/holiday-treats-toronto-04/
- holiday-treats-toronto-04
- 0
- 0
- 300578
- Husband-and-wife team Sophie Kaftal and Bobby Zielinski make small-batch jams and jellies in their tiny Parkdale tea shop. They mull wine and stir it through Ontario pear jam for a fruity-spicy spread—our favourite of their wintery offerings. $10. <em>1574 Queen St. W., 647-926-9711.</em>
- Kitten and The Bear’s Jams
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-05-200x200.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-05.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-05.jpg
- 1000
- 1000
- https://torontolife.com/food/best-holiday-treats-toronto/slide/holiday-treats-toronto-05/
- holiday-treats-toronto-05
- 0
- 0
- 300579
- At their small family farm and cannery in Ayton, Ontario, Adam Smith and Blythe Weber grow and pick their own fruit and veg, and turn them into the city’s best relishes and chutneys. Their pickles—cucumbers fermented in a saltwater brine; Arabic turnips with beets and bay leaf; carrots with garlic, dill and hot peppers—have just the right amount of garlicky bite and will add kick to a holiday party platter of smoked fish. $7. <em>Sorauren Park Farmers’ Market, Monday 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Dufferin Grove Farmers’ Market, Thursday 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., 519-362-8370.</em>
- Spade and Spoon’s Pickles
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-06-200x200.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-06.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-06.jpg
- 1200
- 808
- https://torontolife.com/food/best-holiday-treats-toronto/slide/holiday-treats-toronto-06/
- holiday-treats-toronto-06
- 0
- 0
- 300580
- Laura Slack is known for her beautiful but unconventional creations (her most popular treat is a chocolate skull filled with black garlic–infused caramel). After hawking her goods at McEwan and Holt Renfrew, Slack opened Maisonette, a storefront in the Distillery District, where she sells caramelized almonds dipped in chocolate and painted with silver lustre until they sparkle like gems. Slack also wraps orange, peppermint and spiced pecan flavoured chocolate bars in artful Japanese paper. $6. <em>12 Tank House Ln., no phone.</em>
- Maisonette’s Chocolates
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-07-200x200.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-07.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-07.jpg
- 1000
- 1000
- https://torontolife.com/food/best-holiday-treats-toronto/slide/holiday-treats-toronto-07/
- holiday-treats-toronto-07
- 0
- 0
- 300581
- Sandra Katsiou’s encyclopedic selection of buttery sweet and savoury scones clocks in at an unbelievable 40 flavour combinations. Traditionalists will find the standard lemon-currant and cheddar-dill-chive varieties, but there are also seasonal options, like sweet pumpkin, cranberry-orange and gingerbread. $2.75. <em>693 St. Clair Ave. W., 416-657-2663.</em>
- Baker and Scone
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-08-200x200.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-08.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-08.jpg
- 1200
- 837
- https://torontolife.com/food/best-holiday-treats-toronto/slide/holiday-treats-toronto-08/
- holiday-treats-toronto-08
- 0
- 0
- 300582
- In their Wonka-like lab, David Castellan and Cynthia Leung make wild flavours like Vietnamese coffee, Thai Stick (with coconut milk, ginger, lemon grass, chili and lime), and The Chamoy, which bursts with hot, sour, salty and sweet notes. $2. <em>443 King St. W., 416-599-7662; 32 Tank House Ln., 416-815-7662.</em>
- Soma Chocolate’s Truffles
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-09-200x200.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-09.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-09.jpg
- 1000
- 1000
- https://torontolife.com/food/best-holiday-treats-toronto/slide/holiday-treats-toronto-09/
- holiday-treats-toronto-09
- 0
- 0
- 300583
- Choosing among Amanda Somerville’s airy doughnuts is a happy glutton’s conundrum. There’s chocolate dipped in minty frosting and topped with candy cane. There’s pumpkin injected with creamy pie filling and glazed with cinnamon sugar. And there’s sufganiyah bursting with cherry jam. That they’re vegan is almost beside the point. From $3. <em>1277 Bloor St. W., 416-998-3321.</em>
- Through Being Cool’s Doughnuts
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-10-200x200.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-10.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-10.jpg
- 1200
- 800
- https://torontolife.com/food/best-holiday-treats-toronto/slide/holiday-treats-toronto-10/
- holiday-treats-toronto-10
- 0
- 0
- 300584
- This frilly Mount Pleasant storefront predates the artisanal craze by 80 years—they’ve been hand-making ornate bonbons in the same spot since 1927. Uli Blankenhorn, the German owner, whips up a luscious ganache of dark and milk Belgian chocolate, stirs in a splash of Ontario icewine, enrobes the truffle in milk chocolate, and adorns it with a sprinkle of edible gold leaf. He tried several grapes before settling on vidal—the ultra-fruity hybrid was the only one with a strong enough flavour to stand up to all that chocolate. $2. <em>683 Mount Pleasant Rd., <br /> 416-480-1878.</em>
- LeFeuvre’s Truffles
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-11-200x200.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-11.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-11.jpg
- 1000
- 1000
- https://torontolife.com/food/best-holiday-treats-toronto/slide/holiday-treats-toronto-11/
- holiday-treats-toronto-11
- 0
- 0
- 300585
- Ruth Klahsen runs a boutique dairy in Stratford, where she churns fanciful cheese experiments—her stinky True Blue is made with water buffalo milk, and the creamy Black Sheep is rolled in vegetable ash. As is often the case, though, her most basic cheese is also her best: a crumbly, velvety cheddar made with organic milk from pastured cows. It’s aged 11 months, but it’s so bracing and sharp, you’d swear it was older. $4 per 100 g. <em>125 Jefferson Ave., <br /> 647-700-8598.</em>
- Monforte Dairy’s Cheddar
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-12-200x200.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-12.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-12.jpg
- 1000
- 1000
- https://torontolife.com/food/best-holiday-treats-toronto/slide/holiday-treats-toronto-12/
- holiday-treats-toronto-12
- 0
- 0
- 300586
- Ben Latchford sources his plump birds from the Bernier family in Cap-Saint-Ignace, Quebec, then stuffs them with pork sausage, blackcurrants, apricots, apples and red fife sourdough from Blackbird Bakery. The meat, with its light flavour, is an ideal vehicle for rich gravies. $20. <em>786 St. Clair Ave. W., 416-657-6278. </em>
- Roast’s Partridge
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-13-200x200.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-13.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-13.jpg
- 1000
- 1000
- https://torontolife.com/food/best-holiday-treats-toronto/slide/holiday-treats-toronto-13/
- holiday-treats-toronto-13
- 0
- 0
- 300587
- Julian Katz spent his free time canning and preserving until he decided to turn it into a full-time vocation. He makes a terrific Muskoka cranberry and red wine sauce, and bottles intensely earthy Ontario black walnuts with raw wildflower honey from Niagara—a rich accompaniment for strong cheeses or a traditional tourtière. From $7.95. <em>476 Roncesvalles Ave., <br /> 647-766-5267. </em>
- Stasis’ Preserves
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-14-200x200.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-14.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-14.jpg
- 1000
- 1000
- https://torontolife.com/food/best-holiday-treats-toronto/slide/holiday-treats-toronto-14/
- holiday-treats-toronto-14
- 0
- 0
- 300588
- Jennifer Bundock whips up baked treats without butter, white sugar, lard, eggs or dairy, which sounds vaguely blasphemous. Yet by some kind of Santa magic she delivers rich, crumbly shortbread cookies. $1.50. <em>589 Markham St., Lower Level, 416-532-7575.</em>
- Apiecalypse Now’s Cookies
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-15-200x200.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-15.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-15.jpg
- 1000
- 1000
- https://torontolife.com/food/best-holiday-treats-toronto/slide/holiday-treats-toronto-15/
- holiday-treats-toronto-15
- 0
- 0
- 300589
- Tête de Moine dates back eight centuries to the Bellelay Abbey monks in the Swiss Jura mountains. Today, Cheese Magic imports the large cylinders from Switzerland for sale only during the holidays. The raw cow’s milk cheese is semi-hard, with a mild, fruity flavour—a savoury dessert to accompany a tumbler of fortified wine and a plate of dried fruit. $45. <em>182 Baldwin St., 416-593-9531.</em>
- Cheese Magic’s Monk’s Head Cheese
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-16-200x200.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-16.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-16.jpg
- 1000
- 1000
- https://torontolife.com/food/best-holiday-treats-toronto/slide/holiday-treats-toronto-16/
- holiday-treats-toronto-16
- 0
- 0
- 300590
- Pastry chef Tina Su, classically trained at Le Cordon Bleu, bakes whisper-light macarons daily. Her fluffy meringue and almond sweets have delicate, crispy shells and rich centres of jelly, buttercream or ganache. December creations include pumpkin spice, gingerbread and candy cane, with additions like nutmeg and peppermint blended into the cookie for spicy oomph. $14 for six. <em>3467 Yonge St., 647-341-8686.</em>
- Butter Avenue’s Macarons
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-17-200x200.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-17.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-17.jpg
- 1000
- 1000
- https://torontolife.com/food/best-holiday-treats-toronto/slide/holiday-treats-toronto-17/
- holiday-treats-toronto-17
- 0
- 0
- 300591
- At their new uptown location, cake wizard Allyson Bobbitt and pastry chef Sarah Bell stock homey American treats (salted caramel corn, buttery cupcakes) and haute French bonbons (macarons, fruit tarts). Just for the holidays, they’ve concocted a pumpkin spice and cream cheese buttercream layer cake—a princessy alternative to pie. From $38. <em>1121 Queen St. E.; 3347 Yonge St., 416-466-8800.</em>
- Bobbette and Belle’s Cake
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-18-200x200.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-18.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-18.jpg
- 1000
- 1000
- https://torontolife.com/food/best-holiday-treats-toronto/slide/holiday-treats-toronto-18/
- holiday-treats-toronto-18
- 0
- 0
- 300592
- For their posh Rosedale butcher shop, brothers Sam and Ben Gundy source elk venison from Second Wind farm near Guelph, and blend Tamworth pork fat into the pastry dough for a luxuriously flaky crust. $35. <em>1097A Yonge St., 416-928-0296.</em>
- Olliffe’s Elk Pie
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-19-200x200.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-19.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-19.jpg
- 1000
- 667
- https://torontolife.com/food/best-holiday-treats-toronto/slide/holiday-treats-toronto-19/
- holiday-treats-toronto-19
- 0
- 0
- 300593
- Matthew Kumprey sources his free-run geese from Everspring Farm just outside of London, where the fowl happily munch on a mixed grain diet—which yields the most flavourful meat. When it comes time for cooking, Kumprey stuffs his goose with a traditional dressing of bread, onions, mushrooms, dried cranberries and fresh apples, and roasts it until the skin is golden and crackling. $12.99 per pound. <em>2055 Yonge St., 416-901-9414.</em>
- The Butcher’s Son’s Goose
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-20-200x200.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-20.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-20.jpg
- 1000
- 1000
- https://torontolife.com/food/best-holiday-treats-toronto/slide/holiday-treats-toronto-20/
- holiday-treats-toronto-20
- 0
- 0
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/food/best-holiday-treats-toronto/&title=Festive Feast: the top 20 artisanal treats of the season&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/holiday-treats-toronto-624x624.jpg&description=A hedonistic reverie of hand-crafted, artisanal, drop-dead-delicious holiday treats
By Emily Landau, Rebecca Philps and Kelly Reid | Photography by Vicky Lam
[caption id="attachment_300597" align="aligncenter" width="656"] Cinnamon candy apples from Apiecalypse Now[/caption]
’Tis the season for reckless over-indulgence, so why waste it on frozen turkeys and mass-market confections? We rounded up the city’s most gorge-worthy holiday foods that’ll satisfy every nostalgic craving. Here, the top 20 holiday treats in the city.
[gallery columns="6" ids="300574,300575,300576,300577,300578,300579,300580,300581,300582,300583,300584,300585,300586,300587,300588,300589,300590,300591,300592,300593"]){kind=link}