Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, November 19, 1993 TAG: 9311190235
SECTION: HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE PAGE: HGG-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By SARAH COX
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
And each year, a friend of mine makes, from a secret recipe, the most delicious, creamy, eggnog. She also said that tradition compels her to make brandy applecake as a gift.
All those food gifts, that came from the heart, took thought and a lot of time. When we cast our eyes around the piles of gifts we will accumulate this holiday season, can we say the same about each one?
Food presents, often made in your own kitchen, are regarded as valuable and, as Dolores Kostelni said, "epitomizes sharing, which is the meaning of the season."
Kostelni, a restaurant critic, food writer, former chef and owner of a catering business, has given food gifts for years. "Thoughtfulness, devotion and sharing was the original meaning [of Christmas], and there is no better way to share than to make something and give it to a friend," she said.
Kostelni said that probably you will know the lifestyle of the person you're giving to, and can tailor the gift to suit individual tastes. However, she cautioned that trying to make your own food gifts as a matter of economics is "an absurdity. You're going to use the best ingredients and the hidden costs of electricity [have to be considered]. But this is something that is a treasure."
As a matter of fact, Kostelni says more and more people are beginning to like the idea of exchanging food items as presents. In her own group in Lexington, Kostelni said food-related gifts, from the small items (an herb-flavored olive oil or vinegar) to significant items such as a casserole to get someone through a particularly busy week, are given with regularity during the holidays.
Last year, one woman in her tennis group gave Kostelni a cranberry bread that was "a picture to behold," with its bright red fruit and sugary lemon glaze.
One year during the holidays, one of Kostelni's children cooked dinner for Kostelni and her husband when she was working in Roanoke and commuting. She said thinking of that special dinner still brings tears to her eyes. And one year, a woman gave her cookies on a Christmas plate; in the bottom of the plate was the recipe for all the cookies.
But then, cookies are dear to Kostelni's heart. Her cookbook, "Cookies By The Dozen," is scheduled for publication next fall. "Cookies are the essence of Christmas. You leave cookies for Santa Claus when he comes down the chimney," she said.
Kathleen Messimer, owner of Baker's Bazaar on Williamson Road, is also full of gift ideas. She sells baking and candy-making supplies, and has a particularly nice selection of lollipop molds, complete with sticks, flavored oils, food coloring and coating flavors that include dark and white chocolate, strawberry and even orange. In addition, she can explain how to make lollipops with minimal trouble and maximum satisfaction - they'd make great teacher presents.
Messimer also suggested making suckers out of chocolate, as well as chocolate candies with cream centers. For nice presentations, Messimer has a good selection of candy wrappers, candy paper cups, lollipop bags and cake boxes.
Marilyn Donato, a consulting registered dietician, said the things she likes most in the food gift category are exotic fruits that she's never tasted but would like to. But, she added, the fruit must be in excellent condition.
Fruit is an excellent alternative if you don't know a person's eating habits or dietary needs. She suggested subscribing to a fruit-of-the-month club for friends, but be sure the company is reputable and the fruit is guaranteed.
If you love to indulge yourself during the holidays, Donato said try to go off a diet for a short period of time. Chocolate can be given in small and select quantities, said Donato. But she recommends against dietetic candies, because the number of calories, she said, is almost the same, as are the carbohydrates and fat.
A person of long and close association with good food is Evie Robison, co-owner, along with her husband Doug, of the Wildflower Cafe and the Buck Mountain Grill. Robison said she started giving food gifts during the long winters she spent in Bozeman, Mont., when her children were younger.
Her best reward, she said, was people's reactions. She would spend all year scoping out the best recipes for food gifts, not really caring about the money as much as the enjoyment of making and baking in her home.
One of her earliest recollections of a food gift was when a friend gave her family a big box of goodies that they ended up enjoying on Christmas morning, a time when she didn't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. It was filled with homemade granola and an assortment of cookies. And last year, a co-worker gave them a "wonderful basket, filled with cheese, wine and cookies," Robison said.
Here are some recipes that our contributors have shared, to make your holidays sweeter:
CASHEW SHORTBREAD COOKIES
- By Evie Robison
1/2 c butteri
1/2 c margarine
1/2 t light brown sugar, packed
1 c finely chopped, toasted cashews
2 c flour
1/2 t baking powder
Cream together margarine, butter and sugar. Add nuts and mix well. Add dry ingredients, and work dough into cohesiveness with fingers. It will be crumbly. Don't refrigerate it before rolling it out to of an inch thickness, unless you let it return to room temperature. Cut dough into shapes, and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden, in a 350-degree oven on ungreased cookie sheets.
Robison likes to cut two cookies of the same shape, slather jam on one and use the other cookie as a top.
FRENCH CHOCOLATES
- By Dolores Kostelni
3 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate (use a name brand)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Melt chocolate in top of a double boiler and gradually stir in condensed milk. Continue to stir over simmering water until very thick. Let cool slightly. Lightly butter your fingertips and, using a melon ball scoop, roll chocolate into balls. Then roll the chocolate in finely grated, toasted coconut, chopped nuts, jimmies or cocoa and place in fluted paper cups.
Kostelni said you can also add flavors such as brandy, orange liqueur or dark rum, in limited quantities, to the chocolate. If you add too much it won't solidify enough.
by CNB