Gourmet Gifts
Gourmet Gifts for gourmands
gourmet gifts
The gourmet gifts in your life, you enjoy the delicious ways to express yourself in the kitchen. Either one of these recipes will be a nice gift or hostess, a special gift. These recipes are simple and easy to follow and have a real “WOW” presentation. Place them in a basket with napkins colored cloth, a bottle of red wine and a baguette of french bread. You can find unique glass canning jars with lids that close tightly with garage sales, variety stores or thrift shops. Make sure to label or tag all donations and include suggestions or recipes here.
Caper tapenade tomato – 1 cup of fact
- ¾ cup dried tomatoes in oil, drained
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup drained capers
- 2 clover garlic
- 1 v. Tea fresh lemon zest
- 1 v. tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 v. tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Wash-8 oz a glass jar and lid in hot soapy water and rinse thoroughly. Sterilized glass jar in boiling water for 10 minutes. Invert on a towel and keep covered until needed. Place all ingredients in a food processor until smooth and chop, spoon into a hot sterilized jar and seal. Best made 1 day before. Store up to 6 weeks in the refrigerator.
Serve with pita chips, lavash, and french or Italian bread. Make a tapenade bruschetta with feta and fresh basil, slather tapenade on bread hamburger and top with a grilled hamburger or add aioli.
Dried Italian Marinated Peppers – makes 1 pint
- 2 red peppers, quartered, seeded and deveined
- 2 green pepper, quartered, seeded and deveined
- 1 v. Tea Sea Salt
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 v. Tea dried rosemary
- 2 v. Tea dried tarragon
- 1 v. Tea red pepper flakes
- Olive oil to cover
Preheat oven to 250 ° F. Sprinkle inside of peppers with sea salt. Dry peppers on a rack in a slow oven for 3 hours, turning every hour. Add garlic drying and continue cooking until the peppers are dry but not brittle. Peppers should be rubbery. Pack peppers dried in a hot sterilized jar with garlic and herbs. Pour enough olive oil to completely cover the peppers and seal the jar. Best made 1 week ahead. Store up to 2 months in the refrigerator.
Serve with antipasti, a loaf of sourdough bread and a piece of vintage cheese. Serve on a plate of mezze olives, figs, salami, feta cheese or marinated bocaccini balls, crispy fried zucchini chips, dolma, hummus and pita bread.
Marinated feta cheese – makes 2 quarts
- 1 pound block of feta cheese
- ¾ cup milk
- ¾ cup water
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 small fresh red chillies
- 1 v. Tea yellow mustard seed
- 2 v. Tea berries
- 1 v. Tea with lemon zest
- Approximately 1 cup olive oil
2 sterilized 1 pint jars or quart jar. Cut cheese into 1 inch cubes in a large bowl, pour over milk and water, cover and refrigerate overnight. Drain and discard the milk. Place cheese, herbs, peppers, seeds, berries, and zest to sterilize the jars, cover with oil, leaving ½ inch between oil and the top of the pot. Add more oil if necessary. Seal jar. Best made 2 days in advance. Store jar in a cool, dark place up to 2 weeks. Refrigerate up to 6 weeks, let come to room temperature before serving.
Serve on salad melt on top of the pizza house, including on a mezze plate or antipasto plate. Add to macaroni and frittata dishes. Use the marinade for toasting bruschetta slices.
Olives Lemongrass and Chile – makes 2 cups
- 1 pound of ripe black olives with stones, drained
- 1 lime
- 1 ½ tsp Tea cumin seeds
- ¼ cup minced fresh lemongrass, tender white part only
- 1 onion, minced pearl
- 2 small fresh red chillies, seeded and chopped
- Approximately 1 cup olive oil hot
Lime zest and mix with olives, seeds, lemongrass, onion and chili in a bowl. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in small saucepan until hot but not smoking. Place olive mixture in the sterilized jars, pour over the hot olive oil, leaving ½ inch between oil and the top of the pot, seal immediately. Best made one week before serving. Refrigerate up to 2 months.
Serve in salads, bread and bake pizza crust, and add to the plates of mezze and antipasti platters. Add black olives mature ‘al cacciatore and pasta dishes. The possibilities are endless.
