s Christmas nears, my my spotted and worn list of holiday food gifts gets shorter and shorter. Just to be sure, ‘I’m checking it twice’. Let’s see ... three bags of Lentil Soup Mix - check; six bags of ‘Rise and Shine’ Granola - check; ingredients for Bûche de Noël, buckwheat blinis, venison stew - check, check, check. Everything on the list has been completed. I should be feeling prepared. But I’m not.
Missing from the list? My annual batch of fruit preserves. Each year I fill a half-dozen quarter-pint jars with concentrated fruit flavors of the season. They make great spontaneous gifts, and they come in handy at home. A spoonful of bright fruit flavor enhances breads, cakes, desserts, cheese, ice cream, game dishes. I could go on...Rather than play it safe with a known recipe from Gourmet Preserves Chez Madelaine, this year I improvised a colorful two-flavor combo of cranberry and kiwi fruit. Your gift recipients may either spoon out one flavor at a time, or try them both together. (The latter is my preference.)
Photo taken by Sabrina Tyus
Best wishes for the holidays, and a New Year filled with the pleasures of the table!
