Cranberry-apple syrup can be made with or without brandy (or bourbon or rum) for gift-giving.
Christmas ideas: Recipes for food gifts from your kitchen
Need a Christmas gift that gives big without a lot of effort? Infusions present a wealth of options for uniquely flavored food items ranging from vinegar to vodkas to salt.
Fresh or dried herbs, spices and fruits – or their rinds – are potential agents for flavoring and coloring. The selected ingredients and sterile containers are usually all that is needed.
Homemade syrup: Culinary Institute of America instructor Doug Miller suggests infusing the flavor of dried fruits into homemade brown sugar syrup. “All you need to make homemade syrup is sugar, dried fruits, water, and your favorite spirit,” Miller says in a blog post at www.ciaculinaryintelligence.com. “You can even add things like nuts or fresh cranberries.”
Miller shows how to make Cranberry-Apple Brandy Syrup in a CIA video. See recipes below for the featured syrup, tropical fruit and coconut syrup, and pumpkin syrup. These can be stirred into coffee or cocktails, poured over pancakes and waffles, or mixed with breakfast oats and other hot cereals.
Flavored maple syrup: Robb Turner of Montclair has been experimenting with flavored maple syrups that are expected to be released next year at his Crown Maple Farm, which produces three varieties of organic maple syrup in Dutchess County, New York.
View full sizeThe “Tasting Trio” from Crown Maple Farms includes organic maple syrup in light, medium and dark amber.
While it would probably be better to sample these high-end syrups outright (a tasting trio of 12-ounce bottles is $52), the company shared some advice for making flavored syrups as gifts: 1. Use glass bottles and metal caps and sterilize them by boiling. 2. Add distilled water to the pan when simmering the syrup with the added ingredients. When fruits, spices or herbs are added to syrup, they should be pasteurized by simmering (don’t boil) the mixture about 10 minutes at a temperature of 160 to 185 degrees. Some of the water that evaporates as the syrup heats should be replaced to prevent it from becoming too thick or hardening. The amount of water needed can vary depending on the water content in the flavoring ingredients. If the finished syrup seems too watery, cook it down, stirring, to the desired thickness. 3. When the consistency and flavor are satisfactory, strain if desired and carefully pour the syrup into bottles. (If you use a funnel, be sure it has also been sterilized.)
Here are proportions for a ginger maple syrup from Epicurious.com: Combine 1/4 cup water and fresh ginger in heavy medium saucepan. Cover and simmer until ginger is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of maple syrup, 2 tablespoons of whiskey or brandy, 1 teaspoon each of fresh lemon juice and grated lemon peel, and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Simmer to desired thickness.
Flavored salt: Solid seasonings also can be infused with flavor, and the food website Chow.com has moved beyond vanilla-flavored sugar to vanilla salt. Similar to making vanilla sugar, a vanilla bean and 1/4 cup of coarse salt are stored in an airtight container to make the flavored salt. Citrus salt can be made by blending orange, lemon and lime rinds with salt — perfect to rim a margarita glass (I’d use this salt for a cluster gift packaged with margarita ingredients). Blended salt options include Bloody Mary and Porcini-Parmesan.
Flavored spirits: The web is full of options for making flavored spirits. While no heating is required, infusing flavor into vodka and other spirits will take time, so plan accordingly. The same is typically true for flavored oils and vinegars. A post at About.com is a good starting point with recipes and ideas for flavoring spirits.
Celebrate It! paper bakeware from Michaels craft stores can make baked gifts easier to give by acting as both baking pans and light-weight packaging.
Packaging: Whether it’s spiced salt, fruity syrup, herbal vodka or a buttery baked treat, presentation can make the gift even more special. The web site Save-on-crafts.com is a good source for corked and lidded bottles and jars in a variety of shapes.
For baking, several companies now make decorative paper baking pans that can cut several steps from the gift-giving process and lighten the load for holiday mailing. Simply bake the cake or other treat in the pan, enclose in cellophane and cinch with a ribbon or other decorative closure.
Michaels sells Christmas-themed paper and foil bakeware as well as Martha Stewart boxes and other containers that can elevate gift-giving.
FOOD GIFT IDEAS: CIA FLAVORED SYRUP RECIPES
Cranberry-Apple Brandy Syrup
Makes about three 8-ounce jars
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon raisins
1 tablespoon cranberries
3 pieces dried apples
3 pieces dried plums
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup bourbon, rum, or brandy
1. Heat brown sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium high heat until the sugar melts.
2. Add the raisins, cranberries, dried apples, dried plums, honey, vanilla extract, and brandy, and simmer for five minutes.
3. Allow to cool to room temperature. Fill about one half of a Mason jar with the fruit from the syrup. Pour the liquid syrup over top of the fruit, place the lid on the jar, and screw down the top.
- Courtesy of Culinary Institute of America
Tropical Fruit and Coconut Syrup
Makes about four 8-ounce jars
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup water
1/4 cup dried mango
1/4 cup dried papaya
1/4 cup coconut flakes
1 cup coconut rum or dark rum
1. Heat brown sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar melts.
2. Add mango, papaya, coconut flakes, and rum, and simmer for five minutes.
3. Allow to cool to room temperature. Fill about one half of a Mason jar with the fruit from the syrup. Pour the liquid syrup over top of the fruit, place the lid on the jar, and screw down the top.
- Courtesy of Culinary Institute of America
Pumpkin Syrup
Makes about six 8-ounce jars
2 cups pumpkin meat or one small can of pumpkin
3 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon mace
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1. Place all ingredients in a pot, bring to a soft boil for three minutes, remove from the heat, and allow to cool to room temperature.
2. Fill about one half of a Mason jar with the fruit from the syrup. Pour the liquid syrup over top of the fruit, place the lid on the jar, and screw down the top.
- Courtesy of Culinary Institute of America
Kimberly L. Jackson may be reached by e-mail.
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