The shops are full of tempting edible gifts at this time of year. Patsey Murphy selects the pick of the crop, and suggests some stylish homemade alternatives
Hand ups, anyone with a jar of something or other (probably pickled), that was presented to them last year, festively wrapped? In my cupboard there are several jars of pickled pears, and an out-of-date jar of pickled walnuts (eew). A colleague admits to having a handsome jar stuffed with dried figs in Pernod (double eew).
Edible gifts are among the best you can bring to the party. You can't mistake the size, for one thing. But you really do have to be careful and honest about what constitutes a covetable, edible delight. Chocolate covered figs? Yes, please. Smoked eel? No, thanks.
We're spoiled for choice these days, of course. Our supermarket shelves - discount and otherwise - are stacked to the ceilings with stollens and continental chocolates and Viennese swirls, never mind all the splendidly packaged sweets and savouries in specialist shops and delis around the country. Here are just a few suggestions that tickled our tastebuds - entirely for your benefit, of course.
The most impressive gift we received last year was a homemade, square-shaped chocolate biscuit cake (Jamie Oliver recipe). It appeared on a square white china plate from Habitat, wrapped in clear cellophane and tied with a squiggly red ribbon. The dark-chocolate-on-white-with-red was pure class. Oh, and we loved the cake, too.
Homemade preserved lemons or oranges are another favourite, and they look great presented in a Kilner jar tied with red ribbon. They have about a three-week lifespan, so advise friends to use them up quickly as an accompaniment to cheese, or terrine, or in a tagine. Clementines in syrup - with or without alcohol - look equally festive. Darina Allen has a great recipe for Frosted Tangerines in her new book, Easy Entertaining.
If you have a good local source for candied fruit - the Gourmet Shop in Rathgar, Dublin 6, or Country Choice in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, are two that spring to mind - you can dip them in melted chocolate and present them in a box lined with coloured tissue paper, or in a pottery, glass or china bowl that becomes a lasting part of the present. A bar of Green & Blacks melted in a double boiler will do the job.
Truffles are another seasonal indulgence, and a friend recommends Robert Carrier's recipe, or the method from Chez Panisse Desserts. Darina Allen uses a recipe by Mary Risley for chocolate and raspberry truffles in her new book.
Christmas butter cookies are part of many a family's repertoire, along with mince pies. Flour, flour everywhere. Decorate them lavishly (sprinkles, hundreds and thousands, blobs of icing) and poke a hole in the top of them before they go into the oven. One or two might survive to hang on the tree with ribbon. We are also partial to making cranberry muffins or berry Bundt cakes at Christmas and delivering them on a platter or tiered cake plate.
Toasted almonds or roasted pecans can also make a great gift, and are made all the more special by the effort put into the packaging.
Among store-bought edibles, one of this year's favourites is a bottle of Vino Santo dessert wine accompanied by Cantucci biscuits, which you dip into the wine. This is a great combo, and you can package them together. Anna Coleman continues to bring the most gorgeous Italian specialities - including Vino Santo - into this country under the label Delizia Italiane, but also look out for her chocolate covered figs, nougat, amaretti biscuits and gold medal-winning Amedei chocolate. You'll find these in Avoca shops, fine delis and in Superquinn (call 01-2871278 or www.delgusto.ie for suppliers).
We love all the silly stocking fillers that are eaten instantly, and Marks & Spencer and Avoca win hands down in this category. We also love the chocolate golf balls, champagne corks, fish, stylish little handbags and so on, stocked by the inspired Françoise Gilley at Terroirs in Donnybrook, Dublin 4. No chocolate Havana cigars this year, however, alas.
A bottle of truffle oil still rates highly as a gift, says Tom Doorley, along with serious chocolate such as Valrhona, Amedei, Skellig and those gorgeous chocolate discs made in Limerick by Cocoa Bean (www.cocoabeanchocolates.com).
He also suggests packing up good-quality arborio rice and dried porcini in a gift box, for anyone fond of risotto but without a deli nearby. Real maple syrup is a winner, too (as against maple-flavoured syrup). It is great for pancakes and French toast at this time of year. Throw in a jar of manuka honey while you're at it, he adds.
We were curious to discover that fondue sets are coming back into vogue (again), and the one pictured here is designed for chocolate. Time to raid the attic and dig out the old fondue pot - or maybe we'll just stick a box of Mont d'Or cheese from Sheridan's in the oven and eat it with crunchy bread. That's badness.