Edible gifts are, once again, all the rage. Best of all, they give pleasure to both the creator and the recipient. Here are some great ideas.
Cupcakes, truffles and biscuits:
Note: To personalise biscuits, cookies and cupcakes, write the recipients name on them with iced filigree: lightly whisk 1 egg white, then add enough sifted icing sugar to make a thick icing. Use a piping bag and fine nozzle to pipe the decoration onto the surface.
Lavendar sugar: Lavender sugar is sublime in desserts, tea, cakes and biscuits and simply unbeatable sprinkled over fresh berries. Whizz a heaped tablespoonof lavender leaves (preferably organic English lavender) with 1 cup sugar and store in an airtight container.
Gourmet salt: Whizz together 1/2 cup of course salt with up to 1 tablespoon of your favorite dried herbs and spices, either singly or a mixture of several. If you use fresh herbs, the salt should be stored in the refrigerator. Store in pretty jars that you can label with your name.
Candied violets: Preheat the oven to 80ºC. Using a fork, stir a drop of purple food colouring through 220 g caster sugar – the sugar will become purple in colour, but must remain dry in texture. Whisk 1 egg white with another drop of purple food colouring. Dip clean, pesticide-free violets first into the egg white then into the sugar. Place on baking paper on an oven tray. Dry in the oven for 1 hour then turn off the heat and allow to cool. Once cooled, place in an airtight container.
Macarons are meringue rounds sandwiched together with butter icing or ganache (a melted mix of cream and chocolate).
Fresh whole-fruit jam is much easier to make than you'd think, and still makes a great personal gift.
Preserves are still so popular. Try our Fig and pomegranate preserve