Hello everyone !
At a time when we can buy the smallest object in a click on the Internet, where our homes are cluttered with the superfluous and where we are always pushed to consume more (as shown by the growing success of Black Friday in our country), isn’t it time to rediscover the common sense of our ancestors to give our lives a more human and authentic dimension?
So, this year instead of embarking on a frantic hunt for gifts to try to satisfy young and old, why not start making gourmet baskets? So, I imagine the worried looks of some and the reply “I don’t have time! others at the mere mention of making homemade gifts. I hear some exclaim that it is completely “has been” or that it is out of stinginess that we choose this solution.
But beware, I’m not talking about a few poor cookies tossed into a freezer bag in a hurry. No, I’m talking about sweets made with love and beautifully presented and packaged. You will see that with a minimal financial investment and a little creativity, you can obtain results worthy of certain compositions that you can buy ready-made.
I have been making gourmet gifts for several years and I am progressing a little each time. In addition, it is an idea that you can recycle at different times of the year: Easter, meals with friends or family, birthdays…
So I’m going to give you some tips for success!
Of course, you will spend a little time in the kitchen, but isn’t that better than going to face the rush of shops to buy a gift that will sometimes only be liked for a fee?
Well, are you convinced? So let’s move on to more practical aspects!
The secret to success is organization. You know it now if you have read my article on baking: getting organized is important! But, you have to add a little more that will allow you to make unique, personal and pretty gourmet baskets: this is the inspiration.
You have to look for it and make your brain work. Catalogs, Pinterest, magazines, books, blogs…, you have to bring water to your mill. Take notes, make drafts, tables, in short, put ideas on paper, this will help structure your thinking. Defining a theme can be a good common thread.
It is an exercise that becomes easier and easier over time and almost automatic in the long run. “Here, I like this recipe for cookies or fruit jellies, I’ll save the idea for Christmas or some other occasion”. Don’t trust your memory, use Pinterest or jot down the idea so you can find it quickly when you need it.
Get organized
Let’s move on to the composition of your baskets! There are two important things to consider. First, these are tasting baskets and not stuffing, a few pieces of each recipe are enough. No need to put 10 fruit jellies, 20 biscuits and 15 caramels for a single person. Adapt the quantities according to the number and the recipes according to the public. No need to do things that are too sophisticated for a family with 4 children. We will talk about children a little later.
Second, don’t be too ambitious in your choices and the number of recipes. Another four-five recipes per basket are more than enough. They must be chosen wisely to offer a range of delicacies so that everyone will find what they are looking for. As they say, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Two kinds of biscuits, a kind of fruit paste or jam and two kinds of sweets, Cheese Hampers seems to me a good compromise for Christmas. Make a summary table to clarify all this before moving on to the shopping list.
Two pieces of information to take into account when thinking about it, make sure that the people for whom the baskets are intended are not allergic to certain foods and adapt as necessary. Choose creations that keep well at room temperature and that travel without too much breakage. Forget truffles, for example, or cookies that are too crumbly.
