Top Picks from the 2011 Winter Fancy Food Show

Everybody's crazy about Duff Goldman's look in cakes (think "Ace of Cakes"), but most people are afraid to attempt them at home. Well, not anymore. With Goldman's line of baking supplies, the fear is gone. The line includes cake mixes, cake tattoos, cake graffiti (edible spray paint), icing, buttercream, fondant, bakeware, and more. They're easy to use, affordable ($2.49 to $24.99), include instructions and videos online, and you end up with a pretty darned professional-looking cake. Look for an airbrush machine, red velvet cake mix, cake charms, stencils and more in June.

I've always loved a good fairy tale and Fairytale Brownies are too good to be true. I completely fell in love with these Belgian chocolate confections -- brownies (in 12 flavors), truffles (11 flavors), and double chocolate and caramel pecan cookies. The purple packaging is exquisite and the flavors are superior. I can't imagine anyone not liking these for Valentine's Day, Easter, Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day, oh, you get the idea. They ship worldwide and are certified Kosher. Just imagine building a beautiful plated dessert around one of these brownies. Add fresh berry coulis and a dollop of whipped cream and you're the new pastry chef du jour.

Don't pay attention to what the pundits say about pie being the new cupcake. Main Street Cupcakes reinforces the claim that cupcakes are here to stay. These beautifully decorated, moist cupcakes come in 210 flavors, and of those I tasted, the Berry Berry Red Cupcake was my favorite. They are baked to order, shipped frozen and look beautiful on any sweets table. You can also order cupcake mixes and buttercream to try your hand at making them at home.

One of my favorite cooking aromas is brown sugar and butter contentedly bubbling away in a saucepan. Well, now all the work (such as it is) has been taken away by the King Brothers who've bottled their great-grandmother Georgia "Granny" Quarles' recipe for brown sugar dessert sauce. These guys are also the creators of award-winning savory spicy brown mustard, barbecue and other sauces. Try a dollop of this sauce over vanilla ice cream or even sweet potatoes!

Willow McGrain's Heritage Shortbread made in South Carolina's Lowcountry is simply exquisite, buttery and delicate. And now, the chocolate-dipped variety is just icing on the, well, shortbread! Perfect with a cup of tea, cup of coffee, glass of milk or all on their own. They're boxed attractively and make a great gift for the foodie with discriminating taste. Better than Walkers Shortbread, in my estimation!

Wow! All I can say is WOW! The French Patisserie / Looka Patisserie produces some of the most exquisite, restaurant-quality desserts I've seen in a long time. They arrive frozen in perfect condition and thaw within two hours. Just plate them a few hours before serving and you have a spectacular meal finale. I'm talking mousse trifles, chocolate-enrobed pyramids, French macarons, frangipane tarts, cherry clafoutis, creme brulee and more. Restaurant and retail lines available.

I sampled several of the chocolates imported and marketed by Niche Gourmet Products -- Santander from Columbia, Hachez from Germany, Butlers from Ireland (my favorite), and German Reber. These are some of the finest eating and couverture chocolate I've tried recently. But chocolate is just the tip of Niche Gourmet's iceberg. The company also imports European liquors, cakes, cookies and more. Check out the Niche Gourmet catalog online.

Not only do I love the name of the producers of this goat's milk caramel -- Fat Toad Farm -- the product itself is superior, creamy and sweet with no gamey flavors from the goat's milk. How can you miss with an all-natural product made by a small, family-run Vermont goat dairy. They specialize in making farmstead, artisanal cheeses (plain, maple, sundried tomato basil, ginger cilantro sesame, and olive lovers') and flavored caramel (original, vanilla bean, coffee bean, and cinnamon), known as cajeta in the Mexican tradition, from the milk produced by their Alpine and Saanen goats.

Eastern Europeans love mushrooms and FungusAmongUs really delivers. The organic line is extensive -- dried mushrooms, mushroom seasonings and rub marinades, porcini salt, and truffles galore -- in mustard, sauces, oils, with honey, with balsamic vinaigette. Truly there is something for every mushroom lover here.

Tahitian Meritage is the newest product from the Tahitian Gold specialty vanilla products company headquartered in Torrance, Calif.. Meritage is a blend of sweet, floral and fruity Tahitian vanilla beans and smooth and creamy Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans. This and all the other vanilla products produced by Tahitian Gold -- beans, extracts, pastes, sugar, fleur de sel, and ground beans -- hold up exceptionally well in baking. Looks like Nielsen-Massey is getting a run for their money!

The Mozzarella Cheesemaking Kit from Roaring Brook Dairy is a kick and as the company touts, "fun for everyone and easy to make." The kit comes with cheese salt, a dairy thermometer, rennet, citric acid and Latex gloves. All you add is 1 gallon whole or 2% pasteurized milk to make 4 pounds of fresh mozzarella cheese. Think pulling taffy is fun? This is easier and tastier, in my book. Just add Roma tomatoes and fresh basil and you have caprese salad, popular not only with Italians, but Croatians and Romanians. What a neat gift this would be for the foodie who has everything.

In 2010, Bissinger's Chocolates broadened its line of confections with the introduction of the Rainforest Collection made with Rainforest Alliance-certified cocoa. Not only is it tasty, health- and earth-friendly, it promotes respect and concern for natural environments, wildlife, farm families and local communities. Talk about guilt-free indulgence!