Gourmet Gifts: 100 Delicious Recipes for Every Occasion to Make Yourself and Wrap with Style

444 Pages·2011·18.32 MB·English

by  Dinah Corley

Table of Contents
Title Page
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Photo
Introduction
SMALL TOKENS
Hazelnut Brittle in a Faux Bundle of Letters
Like an Avocado only Butter
Simply Marvelous Macaroons
Salt-Glazed Almonds
Seville Orange Slices in Caramelized Sugar
Iced Fennel Wrapped in Prosciutto
Cool Cucumber Vodka
Butter Button Cookies
Mango and Tomatillo Salsa
Fromage Blanc
Armenian Apricots
Olive Bar Selections, Dressed and Accessorized
Tuscan Melon Filled With Raspberries and Red Wine Syrup
Foolproof Crème Fraîche in a Box of Berries
Crackers, Italian Style
Cantaloupe Agua Fresca
Sublime Key Lime Curd
Rose Petal Vinegar
Dark Chocolate Pâté
White Chocolate Mandarin Truffles
BIG BATCHES
100 Cookies to Pinch and Press or Slice and Bake
Whole Preserved Lemons
Simca's Orange Essence Wine From Bramafam
Ten Country Pâtés
Pistachio Sugarplums
Round Jars of Tomato Marmalade with Leafy Lids
Toffee Lady Apples with Pink Sea Salt
Grissini and More Grissini
Cottage-Style Fresh Rhubarb Tea Loaves
Tapenade for Ten
Four-Plus Pounds of Truffles
Sticky Butterscotch Cakes in Baking Baskets
Fresh Mint Wafers in Julep Cups
Chinese Spiced Peanuts in Take-away Boxes
Fennel Pickles with Fresh Tarragon
Cupcakes by the Inch, Foot, or Yard
Crisp and Creamy Homemade Candy Bars
Peel and eat Shortbread on Chocolate Cards
A Rich and Buttery Yeast Dough, and Five Breads to Make with it
Sunny Orange Marmalade Danish
Greek Savory Sweet Rolls
Black Currant Buns
Sweet Baby Brioches
Asiago and Pine Nut Twists
Vanilla Sugar Tubes
PENNYWISE
Amaretti Cookie Clone
Nectarine Crostata in a Tissue Ruffle
Gingerbread Turned on its Head
Strawberry Shortcake Trifle
Green Tea Cookies in a Paper Lantern
A Lavish Lavash
Faux Escargot Pastry Swirls in a Garden Trowel
Buckwheat and Black Currant Cookie Roll
Cardamom Coffee Can Cake
Got Muesli? Cherry Almond Muesli in a Milk Bottle
Two Sisters, Side by Side: Cumin Tortilla Chips and Black Bean-Fresh Corn
Salsa
Oven-Roasted Ratatouille
Black and White Olives
January First Black-Eyed-Pea Relish
Sugar Pumpkin Chutney in a Paper Pumpkin Cage
Indescribable Eggplant in Won Ton Origami Cups
Vidalia Confit
Hot and Sour Carrot-Coin Pickles
Herb-Stuffed Eggs in a Wheat Grass Nest
Ten-Minute Chocolate Mousse
Chic French Milk Jam
Another Dozen Eggs (for Dessert this Time)
POUND FOOLISH
Gravlax and Limpa in a Fisherman'S Creel
Baby Artichokes Braised in Olive Oil
Filled Mocha Macarons on a French Pastry Stand
The Star Attraction: Sugar Cookies in a Champagne Bucket
Greens Goddess
Caviar Sampler with Crème Fraîche Crumpets
Fa-La-La-Fabulous: Kumquatpomanders in Christmas Cognac Punch
Al Fresco Feast in a Wine-Crate Hamper
Seckel Pears in Beaujolais Nouveau
Portable Bellini Bar
Mumbai Mixed Nuts in a Tiffin Box
Gouda Palmiers in a Coaster-Covered Tin
A Glass of Port and a Very Good Book
The Sweet Life: Three Tiers of Crème Fraîche Fudge
Aromatic Fleur de Sel in a Wooden Salt Box
Chalkboard Cheese Board with Quince Paste
FEEL BETTER
Herbal Tea Sachets
Eat Your Vegetables
Sunshine in a Jar (with Plenty of Vitamin C)
First Ade
It's Okay to Eat in Bed
Cuter than a Bees Knees
Everything is Going to be Ginger Peachy—and Crisp
Life should be a Bowl of Cherries
Mixed Berry Ice Pops
Go Fish
An Exceptional Coconut Pound Cake
Chocolate Poodles
SPECIAL DELIVERY
Blond Biscotti
An Impressive Chocolate Chiffon Cake
Baharat Caravan Bells
Big and Soft Rum Raisin Cookies
Lulu's Tin-Can Lemon-Lime Cake
Maui Macadamia Munch
Poster-Sized Peach Leather
Fiesta by Mail
Resources
Acknowledgments
Measurements Equivalents
Index
Index of Craft/Wrapping Projects
The Harvard Common Press
535 Albany Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02118
www.harvardcommonpress.com
Copyright © 2011 by Dinah Corley
Photographs copyright © 2011 by Alison Shaw
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, in-
cluding photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Printed in China
Printed on acid-free paper
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Corley, Dinah.
Gourmet gifts : 100 delicious recipes for every occasion to make yourself
and wrap with style / Dinah Corley.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-55832-435-0 (alk. paper)
1. Cooking. 2. Gifts. 3. Cookbooks. I. Title.
TX652.C7474 2011
641.5—dc23
2011012156
Special bulk-order discounts are available on this and other Harvard
Common Press books. Companies and organizations may purchase books
for premiums or resale, or may arrange a custom edition, by contacting
the Marketing Director at the address above.
PHOTOGRAPHY by Alison Shaw 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
for jackson

Introduction
Creativity and generosity are admirable qualities shared by most good
cooks. We find real gratification in sharing what we cook with others, and
creating food that delights the eye as well as the palate is an integral and
enjoyable part of that process. Making gifts of the foods we cook is an
expression of our generosity. Making these gifts beautiful provides an outlet
for our creativity.

Food gifts in themselves are certainly nothing new. Our culture has a long
history of giving food as a token of esteem, a gesture of concern, or an
expression of affection. An apple for the teacher, homemade soup for an ailing
friend, and chocolates for a sweetheart are just a few iconic examples.
I hope you will find that the gifts in this book are delicious and attractive and
that they have been designed to meet the same high standards that make any gift
truly successful.
The way a gift is wrapped immediately conveys our joy in giving and our
affection for the recipient. The presentation should tangibly reflect the time and
attention lavished on the contents. That means no flimsy paper plates covered
with plastic wrap and no disposable aluminum pans. And because a gift by its
very definition has no conditions and incurs no obligations, the beautiful
wrapping must be part of the gift. After all, no one enjoys washing and returning
dishes.
A successful gift also should provide instant gratification for the recipient. It
should lack nothing that is necessary for its immediate enjoyment. Therefore, the
gifts in this book are designed to share all the pleasures of the table but none of
the workload. You will not find in these pages any jars of muffin mix or baskets
of raw ingredients with recipes attached. Those are not gifts; they are chores. I
certainly cannot imagine giving a friend yarn and needles instead of a handmade
sweater, and by the same token I would not give them muffin mix instead of
muffins.
I hope, too, that you will find that the gifts I've created here suit the way we
live today. Nowadays, everyone is overburdened and overwhelmed by all their
possessions. "Things" and their maintenance encroach upon an ever-diminishing
amount of personal space and time. So a gift that can be consumed instead of
kept, one that is intended to be savored rather than saved, is ideal. After all, the
only way food can be enjoyed is by eating it. There is nothing left to store, or