Give Mom the gift of food or drink

REBECCA SODERGREN

MAY 9, 2018 7:00 AM

Mother’s Day is four days from now, and if you’re still giftless, you’re toast. But maybe not. The Post-Gazette comes to the rescue with some ideas for the food-and-drink-loving mom.

Espresso sea salt: This salt made with espresso beans, brewed espresso and Pacific sea salt can be used to top ice cream, baked goods or even grilled meats. A 1.6-ounce jar is $4.95 at Steel City Salt Company in the Strip District. The stand is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays near Mon Aimee Chocolat at the corner of Penn Avenue and 21st Street, which could be another good place to grab a treat for Mom. steelcitysalt.com.

Cheese basket: The new Chantal’s Cheese Shop in Bloomfield is offering a Mother’s Day basket ($79.99) that includes salted caramel, two kinds of cheese, oatcakes, crackers, salami, jam and A519 chocolates. chantalscheese.com.

Single-serving loose-leaf teapot: Does your mom enjoy a cup of tea every afternoon? With the Riklig teapot ($9.99) from IKEA in Robinson, she won’t have to worry about trying to get her loose tea ball to stay sealed while her tea steeps. This single-serving teapot makes it easy to brew one cup of tea. There’s a larger size ($14.99) for a crowd. ikea.com.

Mother’s Tea: Blue Monkey Tea, which has shops in Squirrel Hill and Carnegie, sells a special canister of “Mother’s Tea” ($10.99) with natural strawberry and vanilla flavors. The shops also promote their ability to ship gifts to moms who are out of town or in the military. pittsburghcuppa.com.

Rose cider: Threadbare Cider on the North Side is debuting Bouquet de Rose Cider, made with rose hips and hibiscus, as Mother’s Day treat. Preorder a bottle ($18) online and a handwritten card will be included. threadbarecider.com/product/bouquet-de-rose/.

Mother’s Day cake: Take Mom a professionally baked cake. For a group, try a quarter-sheet white almond cake with seedless raspberry filling (starts at $37.95) from Pastries a la Carte in Pleasant Hills (412-653-2236; pastriesalacarte.com). For a personalized treat for Mom to enjoy all on her own, go with the 6-inch round orange white chocolate cake ($18) from Eadie’s Market, Downtown (eadiescatering.com). Or for something a little different, try a beautiful fraisier (vanilla mousseline cake layered with sponge cake and fresh strawberries) or millefeuille (layers of puff pastry alternating with pastry cream and daintily decorated on top) from La Gourmandine, which has locations in Hazelwood, Lawrenceville, Mt. Lebanon and Downtown (prices vary; lagourmandinebakery.com).

Monkey Butter: Batch, a little shop and lunch counter in Saxonburg, sells a variety of jarred goods such as Monkey Butter ($5 for a four-ounce jar or $9 for an eight-ounce jar), which is made with bananas, coconut, pineapple and spiced rum. Other flavors of jams and spreads include strawberry mojito, pinot grigio with rosemary, tomato jam and more. batch-homegrown-handmade.com.

Local honey: The Fine Family Apiary’s Squirrel Hill store, Pittsburgh Honey, sells local honey, including Black & Gold Honey ($12 for two 6-ounce jars). The “black” side is buckwheat honey, and the “gold” side is lighter-colored Fall Bloom honey. squareup.com/store/pittsburghhoney.

Specialty coffee: Pittsburgh-based Crazy Mocha sells specialty coffees, such as Ethiopian Sidamo, Snickerdoodle and Jamaican Me Crazy, at $14 for a 16-ounce bag. The chain has locations in Friendship, the Hill District, Oakland, Canonsburg, Beaver, Sewickley and several other neighborhoods. crazymocha.com.

Rebecca Sodergren: pgfoodevents@hotmail.com; @pgfoodevents