EDIBLE GIFTS

GOSIA ŁANIAK

Christmas is time of giving and sharing with those you love. There is something really special

about planning gifts for family and friends. This is when you can show not only how much

you care, but also how well you know your loved ones.

What is the most precious thing you can give to someone? Yourself. Your time, your atten-

tion, your thoughts. Making gifts for somebody is the simplest way of showing it. So instead of buying another unnecessary thing, surprise so-

meone dear to you with homemade gift. And even better, with edible homemade gift.

It’s a well known fact that cooking is one of the best ways of expressing and celebrating love.

Food is something that you can really bond over. Today I have for you three simple yet stunning

Christmas gifts ideas. So get inspired and express your love in the kitchen.

Gosia

Homemade vanilla extract

about 10 vanilla beans (or more)500 ml vodka (or other alcohol like rum)

Cut vanilla beans lengthwise. Place into glass bottle and pour in the alcohol.

Leave somewhere dark to infuse, and shake once in a while. Extract is ready when it has dark brown color. It takes over a dozen days, but the longer, the better your

extract will be. When you’ll use bigger part of it, just fill the bottle with

more alcohol and leave. You don’t have to replace vanilla beans for the new ones, just add a few more.

Gingerbread chocolate truffles

200 g milk chocolate250 ml heavy cream80 g ground almonds

3 cardamom pods1 star anise

1 cinnamon stick2 cloves

chopped pistachios and coconut flakes

Pour heavy cream into a small pot. Remove cardamom seeds from pods and crush. Add to the cream along with star

anise, cloves and lightly crushed cinnamon stick. Heat up slowly almost to the boiling point, but do not let it boil. Brake chocolate into small pieces and place into a bowl.

Pour in hot heavy cream through a fine sieve to remove spi-ces. Let it sit for 3-4 minutes, and then mix well until choco-

late and cream are fully combined. Stir in almonds and set aside to cool completely. Place in the

fridge for 3-4 hours until mixture sets nicely and become workable. Using a spoon take small portions of the truffle

mixture and form walnuts size balls with your hands. Coat each truffle with chopped pistachios or coconut flakes.

Keep it in the fridge no longer than a week.

Homemade gingerbread cookiescookies

370 g all purpose flour1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder3 tsp gingerbread spice

pinch of salt100 g butter

1 egg200 g honey

All of the ingredients have to be at room temperature.Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Line baking tray with parchment

paper. Mix flour with baking soda, salt, cocoa powder and spice. Add

egg, butter and honey. Knead the dough and roll it out to be about 3 mm thick. Cut out cookies and place on baking tray.

Bake for 10 minutes. Cool down onto cooling rack and decora-te with royal icing.

royal icing

1 small egg whitepowdered sugar (amount depends on desired consistency)few drops of water or lemon juice (to control consistency)

Mix together egg white and sugar until you have smooth icing. I know recipe is not very precise here, but I was adding as

much sugar as I needed at the moment. To do frames and little pearls you need very thick, paste like icing, and to fill spaces

between frames more runny icing will do.

Photography, styling and recipes by Gosia Łaniak

for more visit:

www.gosialaniak.comwww.moderntasteblog.com

© Gosia Łaniak