Making Holiday Gifts Aboard

MAKING HOLIDAY GIFTS ABOARD
By Lori Ross

            A little creativity can go a long way. As long as you have the simple ingredients and tools, making gifts aboard is a fun, and rewarding, activity. If you’re looking for more ideas on tasty gifts you can make yourself, read on!

Flavored Nuts
Everyone loves spiced or candied nuts, and they are a cinch to make on the boat. Place them in a decorative tin with a tight-fitting top or a screw-top jar to keep them fresh. If you attach the recipe, your gift recipient will be able to make them, too.

Spicy Nuts
1 T. peanut oil
2-1/2 c. dry roasted peanuts or mixed salted nuts
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add peanuts and all other ingredients to the pan and cook 3-4 minutes, stirring all the time. Remove from heat, let cool, and place in attractive tins or jars with recipe and a pretty bow. Makes 2-1/2 cups.
Variation:
Chili Nuts: Replace garlic powder and ginger with 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce.

Candied Nuts
1 T. butter
2 c. walnut halves or mixed unsalted nuts
2 T. honey
2 T. maple syrup
2 t. salt
Melt butter in a small nonstick skillet over high heat. Add nuts, tossing to coat for 1 minute, then add honey, maple syrup, and salt, cooking and stirring until the nuts are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and break apart any walnuts that are sticking together. Let nuts cool. Package in clean, dry tins or jars with tight lids and, if you wish, include recipe. Makes 2 cups.
Variation:
Sweet and Spicy Nuts: Add 1 teaspoon black or cayenne pepper to the recipe.

Breadcrumb Mixes
Breadcrumbs are great for baking, roasting, or sautéing chicken, fish, veal, or pork, stuffing vegetables, and deep frying. While we often have plain or commercially seasoned Italian breadcrumbs aboard our boats, we don’t usually have these exciting flavors. Each of these recipes yields about 2 cups of breadcrumbs. Place crumbs in a pretty jar or metal or glass container, tie a ribbon around the neck of the jar or around the container, and attach  a recipe like the one below.

Lemon-Sage Breadcrumbs
2 c. dried plain breadcrumbs or panko (Japanese breadcrumbs that make a very crispy crust)
3 T. dried lemon zest
2 T. dried sage
1-1/2 T. coarse salt
Cracked pepper
Stir together breadcrumbs, zest, sage, and salt, and then season breadcrumbs with pepper.
            Variations:
Delhi Breadcrumbs: Replace lemon zest and sage with 1/2 cup chopped, toasted sliced almonds and 2 teaspoons garam masala (an Indian mixture sold in the spice section).
Coconut-Lime Breadcrumbs: Replace lemon zest, sage, and pepper with 1/2 cup toasted, unsweetened shredded coconut, 2-1/2 tablespoons finely grated lime zest (peels from two or three limes), and 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
Parmesan-Oregano Breadcrumbs: Replace lemon zest and sage with 1 teaspoon dried oregano and 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese. Decrease salt to 1 teaspoon (because cheese is salty).
Recipe to include with breadcrumb mix:
Chicken, Veal, Or Fish Cutlets
Four 1/4-inch-thick chicken or veal cutlets or fish fillets
1/2 c. flour
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 eggs
1 c. breadcrumb mix
4-6 T. oil
2-1/2 T. butter
2 T. capers (optional)
2 T. chopped parsley
Lemon wedges
Gently pound cutlets between two sheets of plastic wrap to 1/8-inch thickness by using a rolling pin or meat pounder (do not pound fish fillets). Stir together flour, salt, and pepper; place on plate or in shallow bowl. Whisk eggs in shallow bowl, and place breadcrumb mix in a third bowl. Pat cutlets or fillets dry and dredge in seasoned flour, shaking off excess. Dip in eggs, letting excess drip off, and then dredge in breadcrumbs, coating completely. Transfer to a plate lined with plastic wrap or wax paper and chill 10 minutes.
When ready to cook, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Sauté cutlets in several batches (without crowding), turning them over only once, until golden brown and just cooked through, about 1-2 minutes on each side. Add 2 more tablespoons oil to skillet between batches. Drain cutlets on paper towels and then transfer to platter. Add butter and capers to skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring until butter is melted. Stir in parsley. Pour sauce over cutlets and garnish with lemon. Serves four.
Fruit Crumble Mix
So many times I’ve wanted to use leftover fruit to make fruit crumble but haven’t felt like digging out all the ingredients to make it. This mix is a terrific time saver for boating cooks because they simply need to add butter to the mixture, place it atop 3-4 cups of cut-up fresh fruit, and pop it in the oven for 30 minutes. Make sure the boating friend you are giving the mix to has an oven that browns (not just a microwave) or has a land-based home with an oven. The following mixture makes a crumble that serves six people (increase the recipe proportionally for several gifts).

3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. sugar (white or brown)
1/2 c. sliced almonds or chopped walnuts
1/4 t. salt
Mix all ingredients and place in screw-top jar. Alternatively, you may want to layer ingredients in a clear glass jar (flour, salt, brown sugar, then nuts).
Recipe to include with mix:
Fruit Crumble
1 jar fruit crumble mix
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 c. berries, peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, peeled apples, pears, or cherries, pitted and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
Mix fruit crumble mixture with butter until mixture begins to clump. Spread fruit in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate or baking pan. Sprinkle topping over it and bake in the center of a preheated 425° oven for 25-30 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or heavy cream if you wish. Serves six.

Homemade Granola Or Muesli Mix
Homemade granola is so much tastier than commercial blends; your gift recipients will delight in its flavor and texture. A friend of mine made 6 quarts of this homemade granola for his vegetarian son, varying the nut and fruit combination in each quart. Muesli (a Swiss word meaning “mush”), a popular breakfast in Europe, is a mixture of oats soaked in fruit juice, spices, nuts, and dried fruit. When eaten, it is served with yogurt and chopped fresh fruit. Use whatever fruit and nuts you like. Let your imagination run wild!

Homemade Granola
3 c. rolled oats
1 c. each slivered almonds and cashews (or other nuts and seeds such as macadamia, walnuts, peanuts, pine nuts, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, etc.)
3/4 c. shredded sweet coconut (optional)
1/4 c. plus 2 T. dark brown sugar
1/4 c. plus 2 T. maple syrup
1/4 c. vegetable oil
3/4 t. salt
1 c. raisins or other dried fruit (cherries, cranberries, strawberries, pears, apples, mango, pineapple)
Preheat oven to 250°. In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar. In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto two sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even golden color. Remove from oven and transfer to a large bowl. Add raisins or other fruit and mix until evenly distributed. Place in clear glass quart canning jars with screw tops. Tie the granola recipe around the neck of the jar with a ribbon so that your recipient can make his or her own! Makes 4-5 cups.

Birchermuesli Mix
The origin of Birchermuesli is Swiss-German. This recipe, which makes 4 cups of mixture, is based on the most delicious muesli I ever had, at the Hotel Deidesheimer Hof in the Pfalz wine region of Germany. Be sure to include the recipe that follows so that your gift recipients will know how to make this wonderful breakfast cereal.

1 c. chopped almonds or other chopped nuts of your choice
1 c. raisins or other dried fruit of your choice (dried chopped prunes, apricots, peaches, cherries, berries)
4 T. brown sugar
4 c. uncooked rolled oats (not instant oats)
Layer ingredients in a clean, dry jar (nuts, then fruit, then sugar, then oats).
Recipe to include with Birchermuesli mix:
Muesli Recipe
8 oz. apple juice or other fruit juice
2 c. non-citrus fresh fruit, such as berries, pear, apple, banana, peach, nectarine, or plum, cut into bite-size pieces if necessary
3 c. plain yogurt (thick Greek yogurt like FAGE brand is best)
Pour jar of muesli mix into a bowl and mix well. Add fruit juice and yogurt, mixing well. Soak overnight or for a minimum of 2 hours in refrigerator. When ready to eat, add chopped fresh fruit and additional nuts if desired. Makes four servings.
Variations: Muesli is good when made with almost any fruit juice, dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, dates, figs), nuts, and fresh fruit (berries are yummy). The chopped apple and pear give it a nice crunch, so if you’re substituting, you may want to add a crunchy fruit and a soft fruit. Some people use flavored yogurt instead of plain and eliminate the sweetener from the recipe. In winter, grill, sauté, or broil a fresh banana with some butter and brown sugar, and top your muesli with this warm treat.