Gifts they will be thankful for this holiday season
Food styling by Cynthia Kent | Photographs by Robin Conover
It’s not on the calendar, but we all know that the holidays are already here. It’s going to be busy and expensive. There’s something you can do right now to keep your time and budget under control: Plan to give the gift of homemade foods. These recipes are simple, elegant and delicious. They will be appreciated by anyone lucky enough to receive them, and you’ll get to be grateful, too, for the time and money you’ll save. Let the holiday season begin!
Whiskey and Dried Apricot Cracked Mustard
Plan ahead because this concoction needs to meld at least 2 weeks in the refrigerator before giving. This recipe can easily be doubled.
Author: Tammy Algood
Serves: Around 1¼ cups or enough for 3 small canning jars
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup mustard seeds
- ½ cup whiskey, divided
- ⅓ firmly packed chopped dried apricots
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1½ teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Place the seeds in a medium glass bowl and add half of the whiskey and ⅓ cup room temperature water. Cover and allow to soak overnight or up to one day.
- Two hours before you make the mustard, place the apricots and the remaining whiskey in a bowl. Cover and allow to macerate.
- Drain the seeds, reserving the soaking liquid. Set aside. Place the apricot mixture, vinegar, honey, salt and mustard soaking liquid in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add the seeds and pulse until they are cracked. Transfer to clean jars and cover with the lids. Refrigerate for 2 weeks, then label and gift.
Fall Pear Butter
Author: Tammy Algood
Serves: 8 half-pints
Ingredients
- ¼ cup apple juice
- 6 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
- 7 pounds ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a large, deep Dutch oven, combine the apple juice and 4 tablespoons of the lemon juice and place over medium heat. Add the pears, tossing to coat. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Boil 16 minutes and reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until the pears are very tender, stirring frequently with a flat-bottomed spatula to prevent scorching. The mixture will splatter, so make sure to stir frequently and use a deep pot.
- Press though a food mill or process in a food processor until pureed. Return it to the pot and add the remaining lemon juice as well as the sugar, nutmeg and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat and simmer about 50 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to prevent scorching.
- Ladle the pear butter into sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles, wipe the jar rims and adjust the lids. Process in a boiling water bath 10 minutes. Cool on wire racks away from drafts.
Lemon Herb Butter Logs
Author: Tammy Algood
Serves: 2 logs
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 1½ tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Zest from 1 lemon (1 teaspoon)
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place the butter, chives, parsley, lemon zest and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix until thoroughly combined. Divide the butter in half with a spatula.
- Place 2 pieces of plastic wrap on the counter and put half of the butter on each piece. Wrap with the plastic and form into logs. Cover the plastic with aluminum foil, seal and refrigerate. When ready to gift, remove the foil and roll each log in parchment paper. Tie to secure and label.
Chocolate and Dried Cherry Biscotti
Author: Tammy Algood
Serves: 32 biscotti
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups dried cherries
- 3½ ounces coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, around 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the almond and vanilla extracts.
- With the mixer speed on low, add half the flour mixture, beating just until incorporated. Repeat and fold in the cherries and chocolate.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide the dough in half. Dough is going to be sticky. With floured hands, roll each half into a log and place both on one of the prepared baking sheets around 3 inches apart. Bake for 24 minutes, remove from the oven and allow to stand 10 minutes.
- Transfer one log to a cutting board and with a serrated knife saw into ½-inch diagonal slices. Return to the baking sheet with each slice placed on their side in a single layer. Repeat with the other log and place on the second baking sheet. Bake 9 minutes, flip each slice and bake another 9 minutes until dried out and golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before packaging and gifting.
Late Season Green Tomato Pickles
Author: Tammy Algood
Serves: 6 quarts
Ingredients
- Small green firm tomatoes
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- 6 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch lengths
- 6 green bell peppers, seeded and quartered
- 2 quarts water
- 1 quart distilled white vinegar
- 1 cup canning salt
- 6 sprigs fresh dill
Instructions
- Pack the tomatoes in hot quart jars. To each jar add 1 garlic clove, 1 celery stalk and the equivalent of 1 bell pepper. Combine the water, vinegar and salt and bring to a boil. Add the dill and boil 5 minutes. Pour over the tomatoes, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove the air bubbles, wipe the jar rims and adjust the lids. Process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. Cool on a wire rack away from drafts. Do not use for 6 weeks. Store at room temperature before gifting.
Perfect Peanut Brittle
Author: Tammy Algood
Serves: 2 pounds
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 cups raw peanuts
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine the sugar, syrup and water in large saucepan over medium heat. Attach a candy thermometer. Stir constantly until the sugar dissolves. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches 250 degrees on the candy thermometer. Add the peanuts and salt. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until the mixture reaches 295 degrees on the candy thermometer.
- Meanwhile, place a piece of parchment paper on a large rimmed baking sheet; set aside.
- Remove peanut mixture from the heat and stir in the butter, baking soda and extract. Working quickly, spread the peanut mixture into the prepared pan. Place on a wire rack to cool. Break into pieces and store between pieces of waxed paper in an airtight container.
Tammy Algood develops recipes for The Tennessee Magazine that feature farm-fresh Tennessee food. Those fresh, local ingredients will always add cleaner, more flavorful foods to your table. We recommend visiting local farms and farmers markets to find the freshest seasonal produce.
Lemon Herb Butter Logs
Ask Chef Tammy
Ray asks, “Is there a nonalcoholic substitute that can be used for cassis?”
Ray, yes there is, and it is labeled black currant syrup. It is an excellent substitution and can be found online or in supermarkets. Monin and Ribena are both brands I have used that are very good.
Tara writes, “I have a hard time finding whole chicken that is labeled for roasting. Can I use those labeled for frying instead?”
Tara, you most certainly can, but remember the size difference. Roasting chickens are bigger. In fact, they can be up to twice as large as a broiler or fryer. Keep that in mind with your recipe because you’ll need to adjust the roasting time.
Email your cooking questions to Tammy Algood: [email protected].
