9 ideas on what to gift a food lover

Festive season is upon us and it's that time of the year when everyone goes crazy thinking about what to gift their loved ones. Dryfruit dabbas filled with raisins, cashews and almonds are passé and probably the most unimaginative gifts around. Chocolates are done to death. Laddoos, erm... the less said about them, the better. Unless you want to send a gift to Chhota Bheem. 

“The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than in its value.” ― Charles Dudley Warner

While I don't have much of a clue on what everybody likes, I think I have a fair idea on what's a good gift for a food-lover. Most of my finds are online, for everyone's convenience of course. This post is not sponsored by any stores / brands, just a collection of things I've found beautiful and useful.

Gorgeous Cake Stand

Source: Zansaar.com

Whether you like baking or whether you like buying cute cupcakes, this two tiered Price Kensington vintage looking cake stand is the perfect way to display cupcakes, muffins or cake slices. It's fun to serve sandwiches or even dried fruits to visitors on this stand. Anyone who loves to bake is going to be super thrilled to get this as a gift. INR 1295. Check out some of the small kitchen appliances, such as milk frother, hand mixers etc. on this website, Severin brand from Germany, brilliant designs at reasonable prices, you're sure to find a gift in your budget.
Where: zansaar.com

Utilitarian- Chic Mason Jars

Source: Urbandazzle.com

If there's one thing in my kitchen that I guard fiercely from breakage, it's my set of 12 mason jars in which I store spices, lentils etc. It's the classiest kitchen storage ever. It's also turning very fashionable to serve drinks in these bottles with a straw tucked in. Whether it's for storing preserves, pickles or anything else you fancy, these are a much welcome addition to any kitchen. A perfect gift for a kitchen proud person. At INR1480 for six 500 ml bottles, it's pretty reasonable too! 
Where: urbandazzle.com

Luxury Tea Hampers
I find a lot of people who are serious tea connoisseurs. They wouldn't take a sip of a tea whose origins / flush / estate they don't have knowledge of. If you have friends like these, there is a potential to wow/ woo them with specialty tea hampers. The online gourmet foods site, Gourmet Company has a tea crate containing 3 kinds of gourmet teas, honey, cookies and more. At INR 3500, I do find it a bit steep, but you can check the website and make your own hampers too. 
Godrej Nature's Basket also has a tea hamper that contains an assortment of gourmet teas, honey, biscuits and snacks at INR 2997. 
A lot of other gourmet foodstores like Foodhall, Nature's Basket have put together interesting hampers. You could choose from them depending on the cuisine your friends like. 
Where: Gourmetco.in | Godrej Nature's Basket

Oil Mister for the healthy cook

Source: Fabfurnish.com

If you are looking for a gift for a health food freak, take a look at this oil dispenser. You can fill in any oil of your choice and spray on the pan before cooking / baking for greasing the pan with minimal oil. At INR 417, it is a healthy deal.
Where: Fabfurnish.com

Curvy Whiskey Decanter

Source: urbandazzle.com

Have a friend who loves her/his scotch? This elegant looking decanter is just what you are looking for. The Italian brand Luigi Bormioli Spirits Decander with a capacity of 700ml (INR 990) is sure to make that expensive single malt look even better. My personal favourite on this site which I intend to gift myself are these very vintage oilers.

Where: Urbandazzle.com

Wine Gift Box

Image source: IWL

The good fellows at Indian Wine List have put together an exclusive box of 3 wines - an Italian bubbly from Veneto, a small production of Rose from Piedmont (Italy) specially made for the Indian market and a rich, smooth Syrah from Languedoc-Roussilion, France. All this for just INR 4199 for delivery in Mumbai & INR 4700 for delivery in Bangalore & Delhi, I must say it is an irresistible offer. There are only 20 boxes up for grabs, so needless to say, you gotta hurry!

Where: Indian Wine List

Breakfast in Bed

Source: Urbanladder.com

This elegant mahogany breakfast tray is the perfect way to start a lazy morning. It's a long lasting gift and the receiver will remember you fondly each time he has his morning tea and newspaper served on this tray. That it's someone else's responsibility to fill up that tray each morning, is a concern, but that shouldn't worry you. This is one gift that will be truly appreciated. At INR 2499, it's real VFM. 
Where: Urbanladder.com

Cooking Lessons

For those who love to cook, check out the websites of cooking classes, cooking studios in your city, and see if you can gift them a cooking class or an experience. Or you could allow your friend to choose a class of their choice, which is prepaid for. Classes are usually priced INR 1500 upwards.
Where: Studio Fifteen, Mumbai  | APB Cook Studio, Mumbai | Something's Cooking, Bangalore

Homemade Gourmet Gifts
What do you give someone who has everything? Put together a handmade hamper. Your special spice mix, a selection of dried herbs from your garden, a bottle of homemade pesto, 
home baked biscottis, homemade vanilla extract, liquors or preserves, a little bottle of each makes a pretty package and shows the time and effort you have gone through to put together something special. Something that comes close to homemade are these FoodTribe Binge Boxes. Put together your own Food Tribe box for INR 299/399/499.

So, what's your favourite kind of gift to receive? Spotted any interesting food related gift online? Do share!

9 ideas on what to gift a food lover

Posted by admin

Festive season is upon us and it's that time of the year when everyone goes crazy thinking about what to gift their loved ones. Dryfruit dabbas filled with raisins, cashews and almonds are passé and probably the most unimaginative gifts around. Chocolates are done to death. Laddoos, erm... the less said about them, the better. Unless you want to send a gift to Chhota Bheem. 

“The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than in its value.” ― Charles Dudley Warner

While I don't have much of a clue on what everybody likes, I think I have a fair idea on what's a good gift for a food-lover. Most of my finds are online, for everyone's convenience of course. This post is not sponsored by any stores / brands, just a collection of things I've found beautiful and useful.

Gorgeous Cake Stand

Source: Zansaar.com

Whether you like baking or whether you like buying cute cupcakes, this two tiered Price Kensington vintage looking cake stand is the perfect way to display cupcakes, muffins or cake slices. It's fun to serve sandwiches or even dried fruits to visitors on this stand. Anyone who loves to bake is going to be super thrilled to get this as a gift. INR 1295. Check out some of the small kitchen appliances, such as milk frother, hand mixers etc. on this website, Severin brand from Germany, brilliant designs at reasonable prices, you're sure to find a gift in your budget.
Where: zansaar.com

Utilitarian- Chic Mason Jars

Source: Urbandazzle.com

If there's one thing in my kitchen that I guard fiercely from breakage, it's my set of 12 mason jars in which I store spices, lentils etc. It's the classiest kitchen storage ever. It's also turning very fashionable to serve drinks in these bottles with a straw tucked in. Whether it's for storing preserves, pickles or anything else you fancy, these are a much welcome addition to any kitchen. A perfect gift for a kitchen proud person. At INR1480 for six 500 ml bottles, it's pretty reasonable too! 
Where: urbandazzle.com

Luxury Tea Hampers
I find a lot of people who are serious tea connoisseurs. They wouldn't take a sip of a tea whose origins / flush / estate they don't have knowledge of. If you have friends like these, there is a potential to wow/ woo them with specialty tea hampers. The online gourmet foods site, Gourmet Company has a tea crate containing 3 kinds of gourmet teas, honey, cookies and more. At INR 3500, I do find it a bit steep, but you can check the website and make your own hampers too. 
Godrej Nature's Basket also has a tea hamper that contains an assortment of gourmet teas, honey, biscuits and snacks at INR 2997. 
A lot of other gourmet foodstores like Foodhall, Nature's Basket have put together interesting hampers. You could choose from them depending on the cuisine your friends like. 
Where: Gourmetco.in | Godrej Nature's Basket

Oil Mister for the healthy cook

Source: Fabfurnish.com

If you are looking for a gift for a health food freak, take a look at this oil dispenser. You can fill in any oil of your choice and spray on the pan before cooking / baking for greasing the pan with minimal oil. At INR 417, it is a healthy deal.
Where: Fabfurnish.com

Curvy Whiskey Decanter

Source: urbandazzle.com

Have a friend who loves her/his scotch? This elegant looking decanter is just what you are looking for. The Italian brand Luigi Bormioli Spirits Decander with a capacity of 700ml (INR 990) is sure to make that expensive single malt look even better. My personal favourite on this site which I intend to gift myself are these very vintage oilers.

Where: Urbandazzle.com

Wine Gift Box

Image source: IWL

The good fellows at Indian Wine List have put together an exclusive box of 3 wines - an Italian bubbly from Veneto, a small production of Rose from Piedmont (Italy) specially made for the Indian market and a rich, smooth Syrah from Languedoc-Roussilion, France. All this for just INR 4199 for delivery in Mumbai & INR 4700 for delivery in Bangalore & Delhi, I must say it is an irresistible offer. There are only 20 boxes up for grabs, so needless to say, you gotta hurry!

Where: Indian Wine List

Breakfast in Bed

Source: Urbanladder.com

This elegant mahogany breakfast tray is the perfect way to start a lazy morning. It's a long lasting gift and the receiver will remember you fondly each time he has his morning tea and newspaper served on this tray. That it's someone else's responsibility to fill up that tray each morning, is a concern, but that shouldn't worry you. This is one gift that will be truly appreciated. At INR 2499, it's real VFM. 
Where: Urbanladder.com

Cooking Lessons

For those who love to cook, check out the websites of cooking classes, cooking studios in your city, and see if you can gift them a cooking class or an experience. Or you could allow your friend to choose a class of their choice, which is prepaid for. Classes are usually priced INR 1500 upwards.
Where: Studio Fifteen, Mumbai  | APB Cook Studio, Mumbai | Something's Cooking, Bangalore

Homemade Gourmet Gifts
What do you give someone who has everything? Put together a handmade hamper. Your special spice mix, a selection of dried herbs from your garden, a bottle of homemade pesto, 
home baked biscottis, homemade vanilla extract, liquors or preserves, a little bottle of each makes a pretty package and shows the time and effort you have gone through to put together something special. Something that comes close to homemade are these FoodTribe Binge Boxes. Put together your own Food Tribe box for INR 299/399/499.

So, what's your favourite kind of gift to receive? Spotted any interesting food related gift online? Do share!

A Jammy Weekend: Recipes for Strawberry-Balsamic & Fig-Vanilla-Black Pepper Jam

A little cafe surrounded by a kitchen garden - windows with fluttering lace curtains - a big oven on one side - cinnamon, yeast, vanilla scents in the air - sounds of happy chatter - the aroma of fresh coffee brewing - people waiting in anticipation of a simple good time - a cup of good coffee or choice of tea with a scone or a muffin topped with some homemade jam - A girl can day dream right?

On Thursday, I ordered more fruit than I usually do for a week, especially strawberry and figs, with the intention of making jam. I'm not much of a jam sandwich person. Give me a Mumbai style coriander-mint chutney and cucumber sandwich any day. But when you have a little boy at home who'll say 'I'm hungry' at the most unpredictable times of the day, it is good to have a loaf of bread and some spreads handy to make a snack in 2 minutes. He likes my 'Chocolate coconut Peanut Butter' - well, I like it a lot myself and each batch gets over in a matter of 2-3 days. So I decided to make some jams anyway. What better way to preserve the goodness of seasonal fresh fruit for a couple more months?

There's a lot more I'd like to write about on 'jamming' but the weekend chores beckon and I promised a few people that I'll be sharing the recipe on my blog before the end of the weekend, so here are the recipes for the two jams.

 If you always wondered what the difference was between jelly, jam and preserve, read this. 

I'd say my recipes are in between a jam and preserve, because while they do have a chunky texture, it is not 'that' chunky because the fruit was fairly finely chopped to begin with. Contrary to popular belief that jam making is the job of old matronly housewives who wish to slave in the kitchen all day and night, these jams don't take more than 30-45 minutes each, including fruit chopping time, especially because we're making only a small quantity at a time. Also, in both these jams, we don't need any added pectin because both fruits are full of seeds inside them which are a natural source of pectin. As for fig jam, most recipes from international websites don't ask for the fruit to be peeled, but Indian figs are very thick skinned, therefore better off peeled.

Strawberry Balsamic Preserve
Recipe adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients
750 grams strawberries (washed, patted dry and tops removed- I bought 1 kg and this was what I got after eating a few and removing the tops)
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp water
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp butter

Directions

1. Finely chop the strawberries-you'll get roughly 2 1/2 cups of chopped fruit
2. In a heavy bottomed steel or anodised pan, put all the ingredients together, on a medium flame, bring this to a simmer.
3. The butter prevents the mixture from foaming and splattering too much. In fact, mine didn't splatter at all. 
4. Simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the mixture is thick and translucent. Keep stirring off and on. Don't worry if it's still a bit flowy and it will thicken further on cooling. So, switch off before the jam turns thick.
5. Remove pan from heat and cool thoroughly.
6. Meanwhile place two empty clean and dry glass jam jars  bottles without their lids in the microwave for one minute. This is to quick sterilise the bottles.
7. Once cooled to room temperature, spoon the jams into the two jars. I'd say I got roughly two jars of 300-350 grams each.
8. Close them tight and keep in fridge. Use within a month.

Recipe for Fig-Vanilla-Black Pepper Preserve
Adapted from Taste

Ingredients
Roughly 1 kg fresh figs
1 cup sugar
half a vanilla pod (or use a cinnamon stick + 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice or balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp butter

Directions

1. Wash, dry and remove stems of figs. Peel and chop finely.
2. Slice the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds with the end of the knife, add this to the chopped figs. 
3. In a large bowl, add all the ingredients, including the scraped vanilla pod, cover and keep overnight. [at this stage you could either keep the bowl of ingredients covered in the refrigerator overnight and proceed with jam making in the morning or proceed with the process immediately. I left it in the fridge overnight] 
4. After the mixture has sat in the fridge overnight, transfer them to a heavy bottomed steel pan or anodized pan, bring to a simmer on medium flame.
5. Keep stirring off and on so that the sugar does not stick to the bottom and burn.
6. In around 20 minutes, the mixture will start to thicken. Remove from flame. Cool thoroughly. 
7. Meanwhile place two empty clean and dry glass jam jars  bottles without their lids in the microwave for one minute. This is to quick sterilise the bottles.
8. Once cooled to room temperature, spoon the jams into the two jars. I'd say I got roughly two jars of 300-350 grams each.
9. Close them tight and keep in fridge. Use within a month.

P.S. Sorry for the longish title. I didn't want you to think that my jammy weekend had anything to do with Rahul Dravid.

A Jammy Weekend: Recipes for Strawberry-Balsamic & Fig-Vanilla-Black Pepper Jam

Posted by admin

A little cafe surrounded by a kitchen garden - windows with fluttering lace curtains - a big oven on one side - cinnamon, yeast, vanilla scents in the air - sounds of happy chatter - the aroma of fresh coffee brewing - people waiting in anticipation of a simple good time - a cup of good coffee or choice of tea with a scone or a muffin topped with some homemade jam - A girl can day dream right?

On Thursday, I ordered more fruit than I usually do for a week, especially strawberry and figs, with the intention of making jam. I'm not much of a jam sandwich person. Give me a Mumbai style coriander-mint chutney and cucumber sandwich any day. But when you have a little boy at home who'll say 'I'm hungry' at the most unpredictable times of the day, it is good to have a loaf of bread and some spreads handy to make a snack in 2 minutes. He likes my 'Chocolate coconut Peanut Butter' - well, I like it a lot myself and each batch gets over in a matter of 2-3 days. So I decided to make some jams anyway. What better way to preserve the goodness of seasonal fresh fruit for a couple more months?

There's a lot more I'd like to write about on 'jamming' but the weekend chores beckon and I promised a few people that I'll be sharing the recipe on my blog before the end of the weekend, so here are the recipes for the two jams.

 If you always wondered what the difference was between jelly, jam and preserve, read this. 

I'd say my recipes are in between a jam and preserve, because while they do have a chunky texture, it is not 'that' chunky because the fruit was fairly finely chopped to begin with. Contrary to popular belief that jam making is the job of old matronly housewives who wish to slave in the kitchen all day and night, these jams don't take more than 30-45 minutes each, including fruit chopping time, especially because we're making only a small quantity at a time. Also, in both these jams, we don't need any added pectin because both fruits are full of seeds inside them which are a natural source of pectin. As for fig jam, most recipes from international websites don't ask for the fruit to be peeled, but Indian figs are very thick skinned, therefore better off peeled.

Strawberry Balsamic Preserve
Recipe adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients
750 grams strawberries (washed, patted dry and tops removed- I bought 1 kg and this was what I got after eating a few and removing the tops)
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp water
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp butter

Directions

1. Finely chop the strawberries-you'll get roughly 2 1/2 cups of chopped fruit
2. In a heavy bottomed steel or anodised pan, put all the ingredients together, on a medium flame, bring this to a simmer.
3. The butter prevents the mixture from foaming and splattering too much. In fact, mine didn't splatter at all. 
4. Simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the mixture is thick and translucent. Keep stirring off and on. Don't worry if it's still a bit flowy and it will thicken further on cooling. So, switch off before the jam turns thick.
5. Remove pan from heat and cool thoroughly.
6. Meanwhile place two empty clean and dry glass jam jars  bottles without their lids in the microwave for one minute. This is to quick sterilise the bottles.
7. Once cooled to room temperature, spoon the jams into the two jars. I'd say I got roughly two jars of 300-350 grams each.
8. Close them tight and keep in fridge. Use within a month.

Recipe for Fig-Vanilla-Black Pepper Preserve
Adapted from Taste

Ingredients
Roughly 1 kg fresh figs
1 cup sugar
half a vanilla pod (or use a cinnamon stick + 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice or balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp butter

Directions

1. Wash, dry and remove stems of figs. Peel and chop finely.
2. Slice the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds with the end of the knife, add this to the chopped figs. 
3. In a large bowl, add all the ingredients, including the scraped vanilla pod, cover and keep overnight. [at this stage you could either keep the bowl of ingredients covered in the refrigerator overnight and proceed with jam making in the morning or proceed with the process immediately. I left it in the fridge overnight] 
4. After the mixture has sat in the fridge overnight, transfer them to a heavy bottomed steel pan or anodized pan, bring to a simmer on medium flame.
5. Keep stirring off and on so that the sugar does not stick to the bottom and burn.
6. In around 20 minutes, the mixture will start to thicken. Remove from flame. Cool thoroughly. 
7. Meanwhile place two empty clean and dry glass jam jars  bottles without their lids in the microwave for one minute. This is to quick sterilise the bottles.
8. Once cooled to room temperature, spoon the jams into the two jars. I'd say I got roughly two jars of 300-350 grams each.
9. Close them tight and keep in fridge. Use within a month.

P.S. Sorry for the longish title. I didn't want you to think that my jammy weekend had anything to do with Rahul Dravid.

Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter

There's this joke about Pinterest on how everything is only good to see, and nothing ever gets translated into real life. That's not entirely true. I've come across some brilliant fitness ideas, recipes, fashion ideas on the multiple boards. This recipe is another beautiful discovery from one of the food boards. Very few ingredients and minimal time taken means it's simple enough to make each time a bottle gets empty, elegant enough to be a part of a gourmet gift basket or a simple gift for family and friends. You do need a mixer or a food processor though. It will make many nutritious yet yummy sandwiches for kids (and adults). The evening I made this, I was afraid I will lick this clean straight from the mixer. Scary! 

I usually make my own peanut butter, but the two additional ingredients definitely add a gourmet twist to good ol' peanut butter. Coconut oil, used in South India for centuries, got a bad rap over the last few years for being a saturated fat (solidifies at room temp) but it's back in the ranks of healthy food. Organic cold pressed coconut is being consumed raw by the tablespoon by many a Hollywood star. Make sure you use a good quality coconut oil for this. It is of course optional, but it adds LOADS of flavour to the butter. 

Homemade Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter 
Makes 1 medium jar
Time taken: 5-10 mins
Adapted from NeverHomemaker

Ingredients
1 cup of roasted skinned peanuts (use ready roasted variety to save time)
1/2 tsp salt (avoid if using salted roasted peanuts)
50-100 grams of dark chocolate, chopped or use 1/4 cup chocolate chips
1 tbsp cold pressed coconut oil (or any edible coconut oil)

Equipment required
A food processor or mixer

Directions

1. In a food processor or mixer, blend all of the above until it turns into a fine paste. Scrape down the sides of the jar 2-3 times and run the mixer for a total of 2-3 minutes until everything comes together to a buttery consistency.
2. With a silicone spatula, scrape everything into a clean dry glass bottle.
3. The butter solidifies in the fridge. When left out it is a nice spreadable consistency and I prefer to leave it out. Prepare a small quantity at a time so that there's no chance of spoilage.

Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter on Homemade No Knead Sandwich Bread

Use this to make sandwiches or eat with sliced apples or pears. Fruit with peanut butter is one of the healthiest snacks for adults and kids alike.

Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter

Posted by admin

There's this joke about Pinterest on how everything is only good to see, and nothing ever gets translated into real life. That's not entirely true. I've come across some brilliant fitness ideas, recipes, fashion ideas on the multiple boards. This recipe is another beautiful discovery from one of the food boards. Very few ingredients and minimal time taken means it's simple enough to make each time a bottle gets empty, elegant enough to be a part of a gourmet gift basket or a simple gift for family and friends. You do need a mixer or a food processor though. It will make many nutritious yet yummy sandwiches for kids (and adults). The evening I made this, I was afraid I will lick this clean straight from the mixer. Scary! 

I usually make my own peanut butter, but the two additional ingredients definitely add a gourmet twist to good ol' peanut butter. Coconut oil, used in South India for centuries, got a bad rap over the last few years for being a saturated fat (solidifies at room temp) but it's back in the ranks of healthy food. Organic cold pressed coconut is being consumed raw by the tablespoon by many a Hollywood star. Make sure you use a good quality coconut oil for this. It is of course optional, but it adds LOADS of flavour to the butter. 

Homemade Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter 
Makes 1 medium jar
Time taken: 5-10 mins
Adapted from NeverHomemaker

Ingredients
1 cup of roasted skinned peanuts (use ready roasted variety to save time)
1/2 tsp salt (avoid if using salted roasted peanuts)
50-100 grams of dark chocolate, chopped or use 1/4 cup chocolate chips
1 tbsp cold pressed coconut oil (or any edible coconut oil)

Equipment required
A food processor or mixer

Directions

1. In a food processor or mixer, blend all of the above until it turns into a fine paste. Scrape down the sides of the jar 2-3 times and run the mixer for a total of 2-3 minutes until everything comes together to a buttery consistency.
2. With a silicone spatula, scrape everything into a clean dry glass bottle.
3. The butter solidifies in the fridge. When left out it is a nice spreadable consistency and I prefer to leave it out. Prepare a small quantity at a time so that there's no chance of spoilage.

Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter on Homemade No Knead Sandwich Bread

Use this to make sandwiches or eat with sliced apples or pears. Fruit with peanut butter is one of the healthiest snacks for adults and kids alike.