Winning Gift Baskets
Gift baskets are no longer as predictable as they once were. There was at time where a gift basket consisted mainly of fruits. These days anything goes into that celebratory woven holder and all ages love them, and why not? A gift basket will contain any number of goodies and no matter what age one is, opening several gifts in a basket will produce a nirvana of joy over opening a single parcel.
That being said, food still stands out as the dominant basket stuffer. Well, let’s face it, food is always a winner in the gift department. A fun way to introduce new foods is to tag a certain recipe to the food item. If you’ve given a chunky bar of dark chocolate to someone, find a recipe that will incorporate that chocolate bar into a dessert of Mousseline de Genepi with Chocolate Fondue that is unique to chocolate.
If apples are a part of the gift you’re giving, attach a recipe for Apples from the Normandy and be joyous as the eyes of the recipient of your gift grow wider and exhilarated at the thoughtful gesture of a new way to enhance the fruit.
If citrus fruits are the sparkle in the eye-of-the-beholder, fascinate them with the recipe of Citrus Fruit Soup and Orange Crisps as they roll a fresh, glowing orange in hand. Nothing looks more beautiful in a gift basket than a gorgeous pineapple, and to complement that pineapple, with a fancy bit of ribbon tie a recipe for Crispy Pineapple with Coconut Ice Cream.
If your friend loves cake, tie a recipe for Soft Cake with Walnuts to a gift size sack of organic flour and a bag of walnuts. A recipe for Beer Brioche would certainly impress anybody who received this recipe tied to a favorite dark European beer hidden deep within the basket. A bag of selected wild mushrooms would astound with a recipe for Escaoutoun Landais dangling from atop the bag with red and golden ribbons. Place some scrumptious food magazines in the basket or a subscription to a gourmet magazine such as Gourmandia and you’ve completed a perfect culinary gift.
Put all of these simple but pleasurable gifts together in a distinctive basket woven to perfection, and I promise you, your friend will adore you and your instinct to perfect gift giving.
Enjoy!
