Kasey Wilson: Gifts from the kitchen
Credit to Author: Tracey Tufnail| Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2019 19:00:20 +0000
With Christmas less than a month away, the giving season is upon us. Rather than hurling yourself into a crowd of shoppers, Today’s recipes offer a range of possibilities, from a decidedly Canadian chutney made with blueberries and maple syrup to elegant sugar cookies and hearty granola.
Remember to label food gifts with necessary information on storing, serving, freezing or reheating. You may also want to enclose the recipe so recipients can produce batches of their own.
For special friends, consider delivering New Year’s Day brunch in a basket (with advanced notice, of course). Pack a jar of blueberry chutney and the dry ingredients for your favourite pancakes or waffles along with a card describing how to mix and cook them. Add a chilled bottle of bubbly and a Thermos of hot espresso.
Serve this chutney as a condiment, spread it on muffins or pancakes, spoon it over ice cream or layer it in a trifle. These directions produce a refrigerator chutney. For a shelf-stable version, use sterilized canning jars and lids and process in a hot-water bath.
1½ cups (375 mL) maple syrup
1½ cups (375 mL) fresh or frozen blueberries
3 medium apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
¾ cup (175 mL) raisins
½ cup (125 mL) chopped pecans
¼ (50 mL) cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
1 tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped onion
¼ tsp (5 mL) ground cloves
Combine the syrup, berries, apples, raisins, pecans, lemon juice, salt, onion and cloves in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 40 minutes, until thickened, stirring often to avoid scorching. Ladle into clean 8-ounce jars, cool to room temperature, cover tightly and refrigerate. Makes 4 (8-ounce) jars.
You can store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days or freeze undecorated cookies for up to 3 months. Do not freeze decorated cookies as the icing may crack. (Adapted from Set for the Holidays with Anna Olson: Recipes to Bring Comfort and Joy, Appetite by Random House, October 2018.)
1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, chopped, at room temperature
1 cup (130g) icing sugar, sifted
2 large egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
2½ cups (375g) flour
½ tsp (2.5 mL) fine sea salt
Royal Icing (available at Michael’s)
Decorating gel
Decorator’s or sanding sugar, dragées and/or other edible decorations
Using an electric mixer, beat butter until smooth. At low speed, beat in icing sugar. Gradually increase speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Add flour and salt and beat at low speed just until dough comes together. Shape into 2 discs, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, knead 1 disc of dough a little to soften it and roll it out to a thickness of just under ¼ inch. Use a 2-inch or 3-inch cutter to cut out cookies. Arrange 1 inch apart on prepared pans. Repeat with second dough disc, rerolling scraps as needed.
Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Prepare icing according to royal icing mix for flooding or piping. (See tips below.) Ice and decorate cookies as desired. For edible place cards, use decorating gel to personalize them with guests’ names. Makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies.
This granola is great with yogurt and fresh fruit. The recipe can be doubled (use two baking sheets) to make a great gift from the kitchen. If the dates are a moist variety, such as Medjool or Barhi, tear rather than chop them. Package the granola for gift-giving in clear plastic bags and seal with a sticker.
3 cups (740 mL) rolled (old-fashioned) oats
½ cup (125 mL) each whole raw almonds, raw pumpkin seeds and chopped pecans (or walnuts)
1 tsp (5 mL) ground cinnamon
½ cup (125 mL) packed brown sugar
¼ cup (50 mL) honey
¼ cup (50 mL) light molasses (not blackstrap)
2 tbsp (30 mL) canola oil
1 tsp (5 mL) kosher salt
¾ cup (175 mL) chopped, pitted dates
½ cup (125 mL) dried cherries or raisins
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a large, heavy, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, pecans and cinnamon in a large bowl.
In a heavy saucepan, combine brown sugar, honey molasses, oil, salt and ¼ cup water over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Raise heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil.
Pour hot liquid over oat mixture, stirring with a rubber spatula to combine well. Spread evenly on prepared pan.
Bake until granola turns golden brown, stirring once, about 40 minutes.
Sprinkle the dates and cherries over the granola and stir to combine. Continue baking until brown, stirring once, about 10 minutes longer. Stir again and set aside to cool completely.
Store at room temperature in airtight containers for up to six weeks. Makes 2 litres.
To make thin icing for flooding cookies, place royal icing in a small bowl and stir in milk a little at a time until you achieve the desired consistency.
To make thick icing for outlining cookies, transfer ½ cup of the icing mixture to a bowl and stir in icing sugar a tablespoon at a time until thick enough to pipe. Icing should be thick enough to hold its shape and not spread out when you pipe a small line on a test cookie or piece of parchment paper.