Holiday recipe post: Merry ideas for homemade treats

Every year, as I write this post, I end up so hungry that I could eat post-it notes, but here we go again with a selection of  gifts to make or have on hand if you're hosting.  Yes, you could buy a fancy box of chocolates or nut brittle, but something homemade is especially heartwarming.

So, we tie on our aprons, put on music, and spend time an afternoon in the kitchen. This year, an assortment that meets a new criterion: you can multiply these recipes easily, so that, Oprah-style, Everybody Gets One!

Air-Fryer Potato Chips

Air-Fryer Potato Chips

From vegans to 'vores, potato chips are irresistible, and homemade ones, addictive. This recipe from momsdish.com takes you through the steps, but since air fryers have different configurations, make a test batch to test cooking time. Use russets (aka Idahos), a dry, starchy potato, and use a mandoline to get those thin slices—but in a pinch a sharp knife will do.

For gifts, you can use a low-key assembly-line process. Make a batch while the subsequent potatoes soak and dry—because a single batch, about two potatoes, is not going to make it untested into the tin.

Also check out wellplated.com's recipe, which adds directions for some cool specialty flavours like bar-be-que and dill. Pack into a tightly-sealed container, and give within a few days after making; freshness counts.

Something completely different? On it: Air-Fried Pickles, courtesy of LoveandLemons.com

Lemon Curd

Lemon Curd

There is something deeply cosseting about a fresh jar of velvety lemon curd; this recipe is easy and makes a generous two cups. It's a Mark Bittman recipe from "How to Cook Everything", and written in an away-we-go style without a lot of detail, but if you have ever made custard you'll be fine.

If this is your first curd rodeo, this recipe from Buttermilk by Sam provides illustrations and adds a "magic finishing step" he learned from a pastry chef. 

Spoon into a mason jar, give within a few days of making. As is, it perks up a slice of toast, or you might package it with a pound cake or scones from a favourite bakery.

Muhummara (Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Dip)

Muhammara

This is deliciously complex and flavourful, as you would expect from its source, star chef Yotan Ottolenghi—but it will not take a full day to make! I have long enjoyed this Levantine specialty, which is pricey to buy ready-made. Not so, at home. It's easy to scale up the recipe, provided by iamafoodblog.com, and you can roast and prep the peppers the day before.  

Don't cut even the teeniest corner here; if you can't find pomegranate molasses in your area, order it online. I can vouch for this; guests first ask, "What is this?" and then go home and make it immediately.

It's nice to give this with pita chips or a flatbread. A vegan recipe, so it will please every blessed person in the house.

No Cooking? Here's the Rub

Le Duc is devoted to rubs, which kick up the taste profile of everything from roasted eggplant to meats. All you have to do is buy the ingredients, mix 'em, and package. (Tip: Roast any spice before mixing, to maximize their flavours.) The options are endless. If you want to gift lavishly, you could make three and give a set!

Spice House "Spicy Mix"

Spicy Mix for Salmon and Pork: I like that this is suggested for both fish and meat. It's perky but not so unusual that a "classic" eater would find it challenging, and you can adjust the heat level. From Spicehouse.com.

North African Spice Mix (Ras al Hamout): The blend of cumin, cinnamon, clove and ginger adds depth to any stew (including vegetarian ones), and its fragrance alone makes it glorious. It's also a rub for grilled meat or fish, and adds flavour to rice or potatoes.

Maple Brown Sugar Dry(ish) Rub: Sometimes you've gotta give the big guy with the tongs his secret weapon. It's delicious and takes ten minutes to make and package. The texture is more like a paste, the brown sugar creates a melty caramelized coating. 

For this rub, write a "best by" date (within 4 weeks) on the jar. Spices have worked as preservatives for millennia but none keeps forever.

No time to make a gift?

Royal Berber Blend,  Épices de Cru

I am passionate about Epices de Cru's "Royal Berber Blend", no need to mix spices yourself. (Also perfect if you wish to mail a gift.) 

This small tin earns an unqualified "10"; we use it on chicken, pork, roasted vegetables, in tomato sauce, and soups. It is made in-house and composed of rare and unusual spices—the product of the de Vienne family's decades-long expertise as both "spice-trekkers" and cooks. Tip: Use it more as a dusting than a crust, it's potent.

Available for mail order, or you would hate me forever. Price, $15.25 for 50g. if you live in Montréal or are visiting, drop by the Épices de Cru store in Marché Jean Talon; you will leave with many treasures!

The de Vienne family say, "We know that if people shared good tea and tasty food we could all have world peace for dessert."

Amen.

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