CREATIVE ENTERTAINING
D
on’t get me wrong. I love to host, cook army-sized amounts and generally have people around, preferably those who are willing to be fed a lot. But sometimes it’s nice to be on the receiving end and be able to sit down, have a glass of something chilled and a good natter whilst someone else does the cooking (and washing up).
That said, I’m a traditional type of girl who still believes in handwritten thank you cards and always, always taking along a gift for the hostess to show my appreciation (plus it’s always an excuse to make something lovely!) Whilst the usual options of a good bottle of wine, some chocolates or flowers are fine and will always be well received, you can have much more fun making something or adapting something shop bought. As someone who loves to receive as much as to give, it’s always nice to be given an item with a little more thought put in to it. Next time you’re invited to a dinner party or a weekend away, how about trying something different? A homemade tipple is always a great way to get the party started. Sloe gin is a British staple, but for something a little different try making a vibrant yellow limoncello, the wonderful, sweet, tangy Italian liqueur which – having sampled several shop-bought bottles – is always better homemade. The fantastic-looking Amalfi lemons traditionally used to make it aren’t the easiest to find in the UK, so use large unwaxed ones instead.
VIBRANT YELLOW LIMONCELLO 6 lemons
100ml of water 250g of caster sugar 70cl of vodka
1 Remove the zest from the lemons, add to the water and caster sugar in a saucepan. Bring to the boil until the sugar is dissolved, then slowly simmer for 15 minutes.
2 Add the juice of all the lemons and heat for a further 5 minutes.
3 Pour the vodka into a sterilised jar, add the lemon syrup, and with the lid on give it a good shake. Store in a dark place and shake every other day for a week.
4 Strain the liquid, removing the zest, store in a pretty sterilised bottle and your limoncello is ready to be given away.
It should last for a few months, although from experience it doesn’t tend to get past the end of the evening.
Homemade sweets or chocolates are always well received. Macaroons make a very special treat and a box of brightly coloured sweet, delicious petit-four sized treats looks fantastic. They may take a while to make but they freeze well so you can make a few batches of varying colours and take out a couple of each to make an assorted box. There are plenty of recipes available online or in recipe books, so find one that suits you and get creative. A quicker but equally yummy treat are homemade chocolates. Get a good quality chocolate bar, melt and drop onto greaseproof paper in small rounds. Sprinkle with a variety of toppings and leave to cool. You can use anything you like for the topping such as crushed pieces of freeze-dried raspberries, strawberries or currents, chopped nuts, flaked almonds, chopped candied peel or ginger. Or try a sprinkling of spice such as cinnamon or chilli – or for something slightly different, popping candy! Other edible gifts you could try making include spiced nuts, gently warmed in a frying pan with some mixed spices and a little oil and honey, which you present in a pretty jar; or some cheese straws made from strips of bread dough or puff pastry sprinkled with cheese and cayenne pepper before baking. For an overnight stay, a jar of homemade jam wrapped in a napkin with some fresh bread will be very well received and should ensure that, as long as you’re well behaved, you get an invite to stay again! F
FOODLOVERMAGAZINE.COM | 53
And the best guest is...
THANK YOUR DINNER HOSTS WITH THESE PERSONALISED HOMEMADE GIFT IDEAS FROM RESIDENT FOODIE KATY HOFSTEDE-SMITH
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60