Some of us absolutely adore hosting friends and family for the holidays.
Some of us are super grateful that someone else wants to do it.
For the latter, read on for three amazing options that fulfill the mantra trifecta of shop small, shop local and “don’t go empty-handed.”
For the former, enjoy the sweet spoils come dessert time. Sit down, take a break from hosting and have a bite. Hopefully, someone will step up to clear and clean while you do so. Happy holidays!
Blue Amphora baklava, pistachio pictured, makes for a gorgeous, ghee-laden host gift come the holiday season. (Courtesy Lisa Wilk/TasteCookSip.com)
Blue Amphora
Service is sweet at this terrific Turkish cafe, which the Orlando Sentinel covered in depth over the summer. But if all you need is a special something to bring to the table this season, the baklava here will do an outstanding job of impressing your hosts and their guests.
The Turkish variety, which differs somewhat from its well-known cousin in Greece, gets its moisture from simple syrup, not honey, and its explosive buttery-ness from ghee.
And the flavors? Outrageous.
Beautiful boxes are filled to order, with your choice of walnut, tahini, pistachio and, for you chocolate-hazelnut addicts, Nutella. Pick one or two or mix it up.
If, for some reason, you want to add a little something extra to the mix, Blue Amphora’s Dubal chocolate baklava is a larger format and, let’s face it, on trend. The nice part is that, unlike so many other iterations, this one isn’t too sweet.
Dubai chocolate baklava cross-section. Crisp phyllo meets kataifi meets YUM. (Courtesy Lisa Wilk/TasteCookSip.com)
Instead of overpowering the pistachio elements with chocolate, bakers here employ cocoa powder for a chocolaty flavor that balances beautifully with the rich nuttiness of house-made pistachio cream.
And if this holiday party happens to be lunchy or brunchy, you can opt for one or more of the savory pastries Blue Amphora makes, as well.
A beautiful box of those two-bite baklava squares, however, makes the neatest, sweetest impression.
More info: 1461 N. Goldenrod Road in Orlando, 941-307-0873; blueamphora.com
Made in-house at D’Amico & Sons Italian Market in Oviedo, the lobster tails make for a gorgeous party gift, whether filled with cannoli, whipped or Bavarian creams. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)
D’Amico & Sons Italian Market and Bakery
Oviedo’s epicurean cred rose by miles when this real-deal Italian market opened here a few years ago, and in the time since, it’s found fans from all around and even outside the metro who drive here for all kinds of Boot-imported deliciousness, but also a pastry selection that’s half house-made and half gleaned from New York’s finest bakeries.
On one side of the vast case, cakes (whole or slices) and cannoli and lobster tails that rival the savory seafood variety, stuffed with creams and fruit and chocolate. You can even buy the cannoli cream by the container and create your own delightful dessert “chip and dip.”
Your hosts will be so delighted to put these rainbow cookies out on their holiday dessert table, but I bet they’ll stow a few in the fridge for themselves, too. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)
On the other side, the motherlode of the Empire State’s best Italian dessert bites. All the hits are here, from pignoli and pistachio to sticky-delicious Sicilian-style cuccidati, black and whites to rainbow, macaroons to (not Italian, but still delicious) macarons.
Choose your own adventure and tote the alluring, white “mystery bakery box” to the party or select a larger, curated tray and let your hosts get the oohs and aahs out the moment they open the door.
You can even grab a bottle of Sangiovese or Lambrusco to share, as well.
Buon Natale — and mangia!
More info: 1170 Oviedo Mall Blvd. in Oviedo, 407-542-0783; damicoandsonsmarket.com
ÔBon Chocolatier at East End Market on Corrine Drive in Orlando has created beautiful — and tasty — bonbons. (File)
ÔBon Chocolatier
Your pupils will dilate with delicious possibility gazing into the case at ÔBon Chocolatier, where the brilliant bakers behind Light on the Sugar have branched out, creating some of the shiniest, most beautiful bonbons in the city.
The only thing that surpasses the range of color and design in these hand-crafted, poppable treats is the range of flavor.
A recent visit during Halloween saw beautiful holiday design work in effect, adorable candies with monstrously cute themes and fall flavors were in the mix. We delighted in pumpkin and s’mores and cinnamon toast crunch, and so expect similar seasonal sensations as we head into the December crush.
Shiny-beautiful artisan chocolates make a stunning host gift that the hosts may keep all to themselves! (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)
Classics abound, but so, too, do flavors like matcha yuzu, croissant and ube coconut. And boxes both small and large allow guests to curate a perfect party mix for their friends and family to enjoy alongside coffee, tea, wine and more.
There’s more than bonbons, too, so feel free to peruse the selection and/or grab a tea or lemonade, or perhaps a cocoa or latte (hot or iced) in flavors you never knew you wanted ‘til you saw them on the menu.
More info: Located inside East End Market, 3201 Corrine Drive in Orlando; instagram.com/obonchocolatier
Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com, For more foodie fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.