Home-made holiday treats: Kitchen alert!

Thanks to a comment ("You post your holiday treat ideas too late for me to make them!") here's the 2025 edition well before the holiday season. If this isn't enough lead time, you probably should order a gift basket. 

Savouries: Two cheeses, one condiment

1. "Your" Boursin

We use the herby, spreadable Boursin in sandwiches and omelettes, and as an appetizer with crudités or crackers. Art and Kitchen shows how to make your own with cream cheese, super-easy and it's even better than the store version because you can put your own twist on it. Use some or all of the dried herbs in the recipe; we add finely-chopped garlic and cayenne for heat. A welcome appetizer to bring to a communal dinner, with a baguette or crackers. 

Photo: ArtandKitchen by Food Friends

2. Marinated chevre log

Ridiculously easy! Marinate a log of soft, rindless chevre like Woolwich in olive oil; submerge it about half way, and slap on more chopped or pressed garlic than you think you can get away with, about five cloves for a 113g log. Marinade for 45 minutes or a couple of days and it's always right. You can add fresh chopped parsley, chives, basil, dill, mint— whatever you wish.

The recipe is from The Café Sucre Farine, and shows it made with sun-dried tomatoes and fennel seed, yet another variation.

Photo: Thecafesucrefarine.com

If any is leftover, it perks up scrambled eggs or any sandwich from tomato to tunafish. Use the oil as a salad dressing, or drizzle over roasted vegetables.

Give either cheese in a lidded, wide-mouth jar. It will last many weeks in the fridge but I don't know the limit because our friends polish it off right away.

Ricardo's Quebec Ketchup (Vegan)

In Quebec, "ketchup" refers to a relish that is resoundingly not the bottled supermarket tomato product. The mix of tomatoes, apples, onions and peppers makes a tantalizing addition to pizza, sandwiches, or with for roasted meats or fish. It is delicious spooned into the hollow of a roasted acorn squash. The recipe makes 16 cups. 

Photo: ricardocuisine.com

Put it in sterilized jars if the recipient will keep it on a shelf. If not, use any lidded container to store in the fridge for up to three weeks. (Note: Do not reduce the sugar very much; it should be sweet-sour, not astringent.)

Baking: Irresistible donuts

Fancy donut shops have sprung up like spring mushrooms, but I refuse to spend more on a donut than a sandwich, and making your own is a fraction of the price. (OK, you have to buy a donut pan.) This easy recipe from Bake It With Love makes 18 full-sized oven-baked donuts. 

Photo: BakeItWithLove.cm

These bake in only ten minutes; the buttermilk adds flavour and depth. (You can bake, freeze and thaw later to frost or sugar, but making them fresh is best.) A fun project to do with kids but you may have to make two batches as there will be heavy sampling.

An easy, elegant torte

If you hear yourself saying, "I'll bring dessert", this rich, nutty single-layer torte by Peg Bracken will deliver in a snap. There are a hundred links to her Cockeyed Cake, but not this—so here it is, with my notes. 

An easy, elegant torte

Prep the nuts and graham crackers the night before and you can make this in less than an hour, schatzi!

Nice Simple Viennese Torte (6 servings)
Adapted from Peg Bracken's "I Hate to Cook Book"

Ingredients

1 box of graham crackers
3 large eggs
1 cup (130g) toasted, roughly-chopped nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts or pecans)
Good fruit jam of your choice
1 cup (230g )whipping cream
White sugar
Baking powder
Pure vanilla extract

1. Separate 3 room-temperature eggs. Beat the egg whites till stiff, then add 1c (200g) white sugar and 1/2tsp (3g) baking powder.

2. Fold in 1c (130g) toasted hazelnuts, walnuts or pecans, and eleven 2in. (5cm) graham crackers, crushed and the baking powder. (To max the Viennese Effect, use hazelnuts.)  

 3. Pour into greased 9in. (23cm) springform pan; bake at 350F (175C) for 30 min. The torte rises minimally to about a one-inch single layer. *

4. When cool, thinly spread top with jam. (I like Bonne Maman plum, fig or quince, or a citrus marmalade. I've made a version with walnuts and maple cream spread.) 

5. Whip cream with 1/2tsp (2.5ml) vanilla, no sugar. Cover the top of the torte with it; leave sides unfrosted. (Option: Substitute 2tsp (10ml) Cointreau or plum eau de vie for the vanilla.) If I have it around, I garnish the top with a spray of candied orange peel or ginger. A friend pipes the whipped cream to make a border‚ but it's lovely as is. 

Refrigerate for two to four hours before serving; the whipped cream moistens the torte slightly.  If you are carrying this, take the whipped cream separately and 'frost' on arrival; hold it in the fridge or in a cool place.

* You can also double the recipe to make two layers and assemble by stacking them, using the whipped cream between the layers and on top; this will serve 8 persons.)

Flirty chocolates

White Chocolate Snowball Truffles

This is a Martha Stewart recipe. Always an elegant gift, these truffles are easy to make, though the estimate of 30 min. is strictly the cooking time; you need cooling time, too.

It is sensually purry to hand-roll the truffles in your palm; they need not be perfect rounds.

Photo: MarthaStewart.com

You can separate the steps to hold the chocolate mix up to two days in the fridge before returning it to room temperature to roll the balls and dip them into the coconut 'snow'. Yields 24 truffles and doubles easily.

"People eat with their eyes", chef Bob told me years ago, so it's not required, but the frilly candy cups add to the joy. They come in packs of hundreds—possibly a lifetime supply, but cats love playing with them, too. I found mine in a dollar store.

I'm sure you have seasonal favourites in mind, perhaps a pudding already marinating in rum, or butter stockpiled for shortbread, and a list of lucky recipients. I always feel a special tenderness when making goodies to share, don't you?

No time? The fabulous chocolates to buy

Sometimes life intrudes and you have no time for cooking. My heart thrums for chocolates— jawdropping chocolates: I know where they live.

My daughter-in-law recently gave me these exquisite chocolates, each unctuous ingot handpainted with cocoa butters, from Lecavalier Petrone. A special, splashy gift available at their Montreal store. 

If you'd like to have divine chocolate shipped, an excellent option is État de Choc, a chocolate lab and boutique who ship their bars (and those of other makers) throughout North America.