The following appeared in Monday's Evening Herald and the dishes below were shown (and eaten!) on TV3's Midday show on Tuesday 9th Dec. 2008. The Herald Article can be viewed here:
http://www.herald.ie/lifestyle/christmas/homemade-gifts-get-cookin-1567259.html

Nothing demonstrates love like a well chosen gift, and a gift you have made yourself with time and care, will demonstrate this far better than any amount of money in an envelope or a voucher from Argos.

A charity goat present from Bóthar is indeed a worthy gift to give, but is often a little bit of a let down for the recipient – something easily softened by a box of home made chocolate truffles.

The gifts suggested below are mostly inexpensive to make, but could never be called cheap. The bowls, jars and bottles are re-cycled from my garage or from charity shops, and the ribbons, cloth and crepe paper were found in the house or bought from Euro shops. If do not keep empty jars, ask your mum as I'll bet she does.




Chicken Liver Pâté

Pâté seems to evoke Christmas and this is a good solid flavoured one to be spread liberally on toasted crusty bread. Small ramekins of pâté covered with melted butter and decorated with some herbs make an atttractive present. The bowls in the picture were bought for small change in charity shops and in Dunnes Stores.



500g Chicken Livers, trimmed of any green or stringy bits

1 large shallot, finely chopped

100g Butter

2 tbs Brandy, Port (or both)

Pinch Allspice, Cinnamon or Mixed Spice

Salt and Pepper

Pink Peppercorns (for decoration)



Melt 50g of butter in a pan and cook the shallot until translucent. Add the livers and sauté until they have changed colour and are firm to the touch (ideally they should still be a little pink inside). Add to a food processor with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper, the spices and the brandy/port. Blend until smooth and using a spatula scrape into ramekins. Once cool, melt some butter and pour over the pâté, add some herbs and pink peppercorns before the butter has set.





Country Pâté

This recipe also works as a large terrine. Star Anise can be found in ethnic shops and is well worth seeking out. The butchers on Moore St. are the easiest place to source pork belly and chicken livers.



300g Onions, finely chopped

500g Pork Steak (or Chicken thighs)

1kg Pork Belly, boned and skinned

500g Chicken Liver (trimmed of green and stringy bits)

4 large Eggs

2tbs Salt, Black Pepper, Star Anise, Allspice, Cinnamon (as much as you dare).



Heat Oven to 180 C. Fry the onions in a little butter until they are soft and add to a large mixing bowl. Cut the meat into chunks, removing any bones or hard fat from the belly (the soft fat is essential to the taste of the pâté). Blend the meat in batches in a food processor (or better still with a hand mincer) and use the eggs to assist in getting a smooth paste. Add the seasoning to a pestle and mortar and crush thoroughly (or omit the star anise and use extra allspice) and add to the bowl. Stir the pâté mix well and fry a teaspoon to check the seasoning. Spoon into earthenware bowls or dishes and cover with tinfoil. Place each in a large baking tray and fill with water so that the water comes half-way up the dishes. Bake in the oven for two hours at 180 C, checking the water levels occasionally. Once out of the oven place a weight on top of each dish (e.g. a tin of beans) and allow the pâté to cool. If the pâté has come away from the side of the dishes push with your fingers so that all gaps are filled. Melt some butter and pour over each dish and decorate with herbs and pepper corns. Wrapped in clingfilm this will keep for up to 3 weeks in the fridge.

Chocolate Truffles

The finer the chocolate, the finer the taste of the truffles. Search in your cupboards and you are bound to find an old gift box which you can cover in gold paper, line with tissue paper and tie with a festive bow.

400g Chocolate (min 55% Cocoa)

225ml Cream

2 tbs of Brandy, Whiskey, Rum, Grand Marnier, Very Strong Coffee etc.

Cocoa Powder, Chocolate Sprinkles, Finely Chopped Nuts.

Place a glass bowl over a pot of gently simmering water to make a bain marie. Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in the bowl with the cream, brandy/whiskey and stir until the mix is completely smooth. Scrape into a clean chilled bowl to speed the cooling process and once cool, chill for at least an hour in the fridge. Roll teaspoons of the mixture into small balls and then roll in cocoa powder or chocolate sprinkles or nuts. The truffles will keep fresh for at least a couple of weeks but it is doubtful they will last that long.

.



40 Day Olives

This recipe can be found in Kevin Gould's bonkers but excellent cookery book Loving and Cooking With Reckless Abandon. All olives are improved by this preservation method but you must use un-dyed olives with their stones intact. They are best after 40 days but taste pretty damn good after seven. Asian shops are a good bet if you want to save some money on olives. The better oil, the better result - Don Carlos or Aldi Extra Virgin both work well. Once the olives are eaten save the oil for salads or dips.


Quantity of Black and Green un-stoned Olives

1 lemon

1 bunch of Fresh Mint

Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Jam as many olives into a clean jar as will fit. Pour on boiling water and leave the olives to swell for 10 minutes. Pour off the water and push in some mint leaves and thin slices of lemon. Top with olive oil, seal and leave to sit in a cool place (not the fridge) for 40 days.


Lemonade

This lemonade (or lemon cordial) is very refreshing and a good alternative for designated drivers. When giving this as a present I bottle it in old Oil or Grolsch bottles. This is an old family recipe from an Aunt in Youghal and once opened will keep in the fridge for a couple of months.


3 Large Lemons, Juice and Rind

3 Pints of Water

3 lb Sugar

2 oz Citric Acid (buy or order from your local pharmacy)

Heat the water and sugar until dissolved. Grate in the zest from three lemons, then squeeze in the juice, followed by the citric acid. Bring to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Strain into sterilized bottles and store in a cool place. Dilute with sparkling or still water.


Preserved Lemons

Preserved lemons are a crucial ingredient of Middle Eastern and North African Cookery. Any Claudia Roden cookery book will have lots of recipes. Use them chopped when marinating lamb – particularly for the Barbecue – use in Lamb Stews, Tagines, with Cous Cous, Bulgar Wheat and with fish. Roast some courgettes, peppers and root veg in the oven with olive oil and mix in a chopped preserved lemon to literally taste the Mediterranean. You need to preserve the lemons unopened for at least 30 days but they keep for a year or two once opened.

Lemons (small ones work best)

Crystallized Sea Salt (Sel de Guerande if you can find it)

Large Jam Jars

Unless you are using organic give each lemon a good scrub to remove the wax. Cut each lemon in four but not all the way through. Open out and sprinkle in lots of sea salt and push into a large sterilized jar.– feel free to cut some in half to help you fill gaps. After one week, top up the jar with lemon juice and leave for a further three weeks. After one month the skin should have softened considerably and there should be little acid taste.

Cranberry Sauce

The sharp tang of cranberry sauce will lift the flavour of bland turkey like no other condiment. Most commercial jars of Cranberry sauce taste like strawberry jam and thus miss the point. Feel free to scale this recipe up or down- the quantity below will fill 3-4 small jars.


700g Cranberries

100ml Water (or water and fresh squeezed Orange Juice)

150g Sugar (or more if you wish)

Dash of Port, Grand Marnier, Brandy or Kirsch (optional)

Dissolve the sugar in the water, add the cranberries and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries pop and soften. Stir in the alcohol and add more sugar if required. Spoon into sterilized jars.


Mango and Apricot Chutney

This fruity, sour-sweet chutney keeps for months and works as well with a toasted sandwich or boiled bacon as it does with Indian food. The chutney keeps for a couple of years so I recommend making a large quantity. The recipe below makes approx. 2.5 litres but feel free to halve the quantities.


3 Fresh Mangos, peeled and cut in chunks

500g Dried Apricots

1750g Cooking Apples, peeled, cored and chopped

300g Sultanas

10 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and mashed

100g Ginger, peeled and grated

1kg Sugar

900ml White Wine Vinegar

4tsp Salt

1 tsp Chilli Powder (or more if you like heat)

Combine all the ingredients in a large heavy pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat to medium and cook vigorously for 60-90 minutes, stirring regularly. Stir more frequently as the apples melt and the chutney thickens. When a spoonful on a cool saucer will set easily, the chutney is cooked. Allow to cool a little, then spoon into sterilized jars.