| Food Gifts for the Holidays (Recipes) |
|
|
|
advertisement
|
 |
|
Boulder, Colo., Dec. 11, 2000 -- Carol Taussig, a certified teaching chef, poses in her home kitchen with some of her wrapped chocolate gifts. (SHNS photo by Jon Hatch / Daily Camera)
|
By Jennifer Chergoand Cindy Sutter
Scripps Howard News Service
If the prospect of the shopping grind has you longing for leisurely winter afternoons spent drinking hot cider and puttering about the house, perhaps a different approach to gift giving is in order. A little time in your very own kitchen can go a long way to supplying gifts and transforming your attitude. Isn't a gift born in a homey, aromatic kitchen against the background of Christmas carols a thing more desirable than a stress hormone-infused mall gift? Why do you think monks make fruitcake for a living? While in no way are we suggesting an approach so, uh .... spiritual as to require the making and giving of fruitcake, let alone the ascetic sensibility required to actually eat the stuff, a little labor of your hands in the service of giving may be just the tonic you're seeking this year. And here's the cool thing: You don't have to be Martha Stewart to make interesting, attractive food gifts. And you don't have to start before Halloween to get them done, either. While liqueur gifts and some infused vinegars require a month or so to age, many food gifts can be made now or a few days before you're ready to give them. Carol Taussig, who taught a holiday gift foods class in late October in Boulder, Colorado, offers some advice and recipes to elevate your food gifts to a level above the typical office goodie tray. This year, her class learned how to make plum pudding with bourbon hard sauce, Scottish shortbread, chutney with dried fruits, homemade Irish cream, coffee liqueur in chocolate cups and spiced bourbon. "The Scottish shortbread knocked people's socks off because it's so easy," Taussig says. "The chutney is great because you can put in it whatever you have around." There are plenty of delicious ideas for foods to make and give in this season's holiday cookbooks. The Essential Christmas Cookbook lists recipes for truffles, gingerbread cookie tree ornaments and decorative liqueur fruits to be served with cream, ice cream, waffles and crepes. Recipes for specialty oils and vinegars also abound. Cookbook author Barbara Ciletti's "Creative Pickling offers a myriad of chutneys, salsas and pickles. Several recipes will keep up a week or more in the refrigerator without special processing. Or consider making spice blends. Get an Indian cookbook and find out how to toast and grind spices for several different styles of curry powder. Or you could make a Moroccan blend with cumin, coriander and a touch of cinnamon. Package your mixtures in attractive bottles. Experiment with your computer to make interesting labels, or buy a gold or silver paint pen at an arts supply store and decorate your own label. If you like, give a cookbook or a couple of recipes to complement the spices. Another nice gift is a homemade cheese spread in a pretty crock with homemade crackers. The Better Homes and Gardens' Christmas All Through the House cookbook provides several packaging ideas for food gifts. The book provides instructions and patterns to create decorative tins for fragile baked goods, velvet gift bags, jars painted with gingerbread characters, and other packaging ideas. "Half the battle in making gifts is knowing how to wrap them up. But you can do a lot with a red ribbon and a pretty bottle," Taussig says. She suggests stocking up on wired ribbons of different widths and colors to wrap around bottles and boxes. Ciletti suggests putting your goodies in baskets filled with potpourri and tied with a festive ribbon or placing a jar of chutney inside a wooden recipe box. Or for a natural look, use a paper bag or corrugated cardboard to "wrap" the gift. Then tie with natural twine and a bunch dried red chilies. Taussig says she keeps an eye out all year for pretty packaging for her food gifts. The effort put into cooking, baking and packaging holiday food gifts will be much appreciated, she says. "The thought and care that goes into making these gifts, and the beautiful packaging, touches people more than another pair of gloves," Taussig says. Whatever you choose to make, when you have finished, sit back with a glass of red wine or port and survey the lovely work your hands have wrought. It beats driving home from the mall. Truffles Recipe courtesy Carol Taussig. Ingredients: 1 pint heavy cream
1 lb. chopped semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate (Taussig suggests Cacao Carry, a French candy making chocolate available at specialty stores)
6 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. flavoring such as peppermint or orange oil or 2 to 3 oz. Gran Marnier, Kahlua or another liqueur Preparation: In a medium saucepan, bring cream to a boil. Take cream off heat and submerge chocolate and butter. Do not stir for 5 to 10 minutes, then stir until smooth. Let sit until room temperature, then add flavoring or liqueur. Roll in balls over crushed, toasted almonds, powdered sugar or crushed mocha espresso beans. Package each truffle individually in gold and silver candy cups (available in specialty stores) and present in a foil-covered box with gold ribbon. Fantastic Holiday Chutney Recipe courtesy Carol Taussig. Ingredients: 1/2 cup dried peaches, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped
1 cup dried apples, coarsely chopped
3 Tbs. vegetable oil
3 large onions, diced
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 to 4 large jalapeno chilies, seeded and minced
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbs. brown sugar
6 Tbs. sugar
1-1/2 Tbs. molasses
1/3 cup raisins
3/4 cup orange juice
1-1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3/4 tsp. coriander seeds, coarsely ground and toasted lightly in a hot saute pan
3/4 to 1 cup water
3/4 cup white vinegar
3 Tbs. lemon juice
2 tsp. fresh mint, minced Heat a heavy, medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil and saute the onions stirring occasionally until transparent, about 7 minutes. Add the peaches, apricots, cranberries and apples, and stir. Cook an additional few minutes, or until the fruit has been heated through and softened slightly. Add all the remaining ingredients up to the water and bring just to the boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for one hour. It may be necessary to add a few tablespoons of water if mixture begins sticking to the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and stir in 3/4 cup water, vinegar, lemon juice and mint. Mix well. If mixture seems too thick add the additional 1/4 cup water. Serve hot or spoon into clean jars and keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Fruit Infused Vinegar Recipe from Creative Pickling by Barbara Ciletti. Ingredients: 3 cups of red raspberries or blueberries
White distilled vinegar Preparation: Directions: Rinse and clean berries, removing any small stems. Set aside in a colander to drain. Place the berries in a sterilized jar and pour the vinegar over them. Apply the lid and allow the mixture to stand for 10 days in a cool, quiet area of your kitchen or pantry. Strain the vinegar and transfer to another jar. Refrigerate for future use. Serves: 1quart jar Jamaican Jerk Sauce Recipe from Creative Pickling by Barbara Ciletti. Ingredients: 1 cup chopped scallions, green and white parts
1/2 cup lime juice
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup fresh ginger, chopped
6 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
2 jalapeno chilies, seeded and diced
2 serrano chilies, seeded and diced
1/2 tsp. cinnamon, ground
1/2 tsp. nutmeg, ground Preparation: In a food processor or blender, place the scallions, lime juice, vinegar, molasses, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, chilies, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pulse for approximately 10 seconds until the ingredients are mixed but still a bit coarse. Transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan, and cook over medium heat until bubbly. Transfer the hot sauce immediately to a small container and allow the sauce to cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate. Will keep from 7-10 days in the refrigerator. Punjabi Garam Masala Recipe from Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking by Julie Sahni Ingredients: 1/4 cup cumin seeds
1/4 cup coriander seeds
1-1/2 Tbs. cardamom seeds (from black or green cardamom pods)
2 whole cinnamon sticks, 3 inches long
1-1/2 tsp. whole cloves
3 Tbs. black peppercorns
4 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. ground mace (optional) Preparation: Heat a heavy frying pan for 2 minutes over medium-high heat. Combine all the spices except the mace, and add them to the pan. Dry-roast them, stirring and turning them constantly until all the spices are several shades darker and exude a spicy aroma (about 10 minutes). Transfer them to a bowl. Let spices cool completely; then grind them to a fine powder using a blender or spice mill. Add the mace to this mixture, mix well, and store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Serves: 1/4 cup Curry Powder Recipe from Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking by Julie Sahni Ingredients: 1/2 cup coriander seeds
15 dry red chili pods (see note)
1-1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1-1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1-1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
1-1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
15-20 curry leaves, dry or fresh (optional)
3 Tbs. turmeric powder Preparation: Mix coriander, chili pods, cumin, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and peppercorns in the container of an electric blender or spice mill and grind the spices to a fine powder in several batches. Pour into a bowl and combine well. If you are using fresh curry leaves, dry them briefly (about 4 to 5 minutes) in an ungreased frying pan over low heat. Grind them in the blender and add them to the spice powder in the bowl. Stir in the turmeric. Transfer the curry powder to an airtight jar, cover tightly and store in a cool place. Note: For mild-tasting curry powder, reduce or eliminate chili pods. For a sweeter curry powder, known as Hyderabad curry powder, add 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon and 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves to the mixture. Cumin Cheese Spread Recipe from Cooking with Bon Appetit: Gifts from the Kitchen Ingredients: 1 tsp. cumin seed
6 oz. soft goat cheese
6 oz. Monterrey Jack cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature Preparation: Cook cumin seed in heavy small skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant but not brown, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix together both cheeses, butter and cumin in processor until completely smooth, about 2 minutes, stopping as necessary to scrape down sides of work bowl. Serve at room temperature. Can be prepared one week ahead and chilled. LBJ Ranch Cheese Wafers Recipe from Cooking with Bon Appetit: Gifts from the Kitchen Ingredients: 2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 cups finely chopped pecans Preparation: Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, cayenne and salt in large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in cheese. Fold in nuts. Form dough into 1-inch rounds. Place on ungreased baking sheets and flatten to 1-3/4-inch rounds, using back of fork. Bake until light brown, 15 minutes. Cool on rack. Store in airtight container. (Contact Jennifer Chergo and Cindy Sutter of the Daily Camera in Boulder, Co., at www.bouldernews.com.)
RESOURCES :
The Essential Christmas Cookbook
Model: 1552851095
(October, 2000)
To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.
Whitecap Books
Creative Pickling
Model: Barbara J. Celietti
Author: 1579901778
(December, 2000)
To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.
Gifts from the Kitchen (Cooking with Bon Appetit Series)
Model: 089535179X
Author: Knapp Press
(April, 1987)
To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.
Knapp Press
Christmas All Through the House: Crafts, Decorating, Food (Better Homes and Gardens)
Model: 0696209764
Author: Better Homes and Gardens
(September, 2000)
To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.
Bon Appetit Christmas: Entertaining, Holiday Baking, Gifts from the Kitchen
Model: 0679439773
(November, 1995)
To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.
Villard Books/Random House, Inc.
New York, NY 10022
Phone: 212-572-2878
| 
)
