Foodie Christmas Gift Ideas 2013 - Part Three

Stylish and easy to clean cafetiere

Oxo Good Grips French Press with GroundsKeeper
A very stylish, clever, easy to clean cafetiere, from the trusted brand Oxo Good Grips - it's just what we have been waiting for. There is a ladle which sits at the base of the glass carafe and catches the ground coffee when it has brewed, after serving the coffee all you need to do is remove the ladle which is full of coffee grounds and dispose in the bin.  Cleaning is easy and I found you don't have to wrestle with the glass carafe to remove it for cleaning. The body of the cafetiere is stainless steel with a silicone non-slip handle, plunger and 'GroundsKeeper'.
Coffee is made in the usual way, add coarsely ground coffee then hot water, using the handy measurement markings.  Stir, leave for four minutes and plunge for a fabulous grounds free cup of coffee. Serves 8 cups (2L).
Price £35. Available from Lakeland

Strawberry Truffle - a very grownup milkshake

Tequila Rose - presented in a beautiful bottle.
Looking for an alternative to your usual festive creme liqueur?  Look no further - Tequila Rose is a unique blend of strawberry-flavoured, cream liqueur and premium Tequila using fresh dairy cream.

                                 Strawberry Split             Mudslide                  Evolution                      

Impress your guests with cocktails, popsicles and desserts, delicious served with fresh strawberries. Fabulous served neat, over ice or in coffee. A great Christmas Gift - Tequila Rose is available from TheDrinkShop.com priced £17.09

Mini Cone

Christmas wouldn't be the same without Ferrero Rocher.
A whole hazelnut is surrounded by crispy wafer, a creamy filling, then coated in smooth milk chocolate and chopped hazelnuts. The Mini Cone makes a special present or will look fabulous as a centrepiece on the Christmas table for sharing after the main event!
Exclusive to Asda with a RRP of £5.99.

Ferrero Collection

Ferrero Collection - for giving and sharing.
This delicious assortment includes Raffaello by Ferrero - a blend of almond and coconut.  Classic Ferrero Rocher, as well as Ferrero Rond Noir which has a new hazelnut centre encased in a dark chocolate pearl - giving a rich and rounded flavour.  A Christmas favourite for giving and sharing.
RRP £4.69 from all major retailers

New! Raffaello by Ferrero - presented in a beautiful mini gift box.
Snowballs of light layers of wafer, with a creamy coconut centre and a toasted almond, finished with a sprinkling of coconut. For something special this Christmas, Raffaello by Ferrero will make a stunning and affordable gift. A fabulous stocking filler.
RRP £2.99 - Available Tesco, Debenhams and Asda.
www.ferrero-range.co.uk

Jelly Belly Beans Gift Set - Be a Jelly Belly Foodie this Christmas!
These original Gourmet Jelly Beans are full of flavour, delicious, cool and very cute.  They are a taste sensation and full of true to life flavour.  Developed for the sophisticated palate, the beans are packed with an intensely juicy taste.  Love their bright coloured shells which go right through to the centre.  An interesting fact is a single jelly bean can take up to 21 days to create.  There are 90 authentic flavours mostly using natural ingredients.  Traditional flavours are Green Apple and Very Cherry which have been popular for over 35 years.

Lots of Jelly Bean fun

Christmas Jelly Belly fun - create tastes such as lemon meringue pie by choosing two lemon and two coconut beans. Try a refreshing fruit salad by taking one jelly bean of kiwi, strawberry jam, blueberry and cantaloupe - you'll be amazed!
All Jelly Belly beans are free from fat, wheat, gluten, dairy and gelatine-free. Each bean contains just 4 calories each, they are suitable for vegetarians and certified OU Kosher. Jelly Belly jelly beans can be purchased at Waitrose, Sainsbury, Tesco’s, Selfridges, John Lewis, Harvey Nichols, House of Fraser, Fenwicks and all the best independent sweet shops. Also available from www.jellybelly-uk.com  -  40 flavour gift box £16.18

ALL BEER Experience - fantastic beer gift
The ALL BEER Experience is a unique, interactive guide to the top 25 styles of beer and their key flavour features, the perfect gift for the beer-loving people in your life.
This must-have guide has won 4 International Awards and is truly innovative, containing taste samples of different malts and the World's first 'scratch 'n' sniff' Hop aroma card to really experience where all those beer flavours come from - and which ones are for you.
It's simple, straightforward, packed with interactive challenges to entertain from Boxing Day into the New Year and is packed with original images.
www.allbeer.co.uk  Available from Amazon price £9.95

Thank you everyone for the wonderful samples.

TOBLERONE SWEET

This recipe is adored by my family and friends and is the most talked about dessert that I have ever made. I haven't made it since my children were small, and I also used to make it for good friends of mine when they brought their daughter with them for dinner. Their daughter even mentioned it to me on her wedding day and said can we meet up some time to eat Toblerone Sweet!

I wasn't sure if we would still enjoy this dessert, as you move on through life your tastes change, and I didn't want to spoil fond memories. I'm delighted to say though this dessert is still wonderful.

Please note this recipe contains raw eggs.

You will need: Lots of bowls!

1 x 200g Toblerone, ½ pint double or whipping cream, 3 eggs, 8-10 teaspoons hot water.

1. Grate 2 teaspoons Toblerone for decoration.
2. Melt the rest of the Toblerone gently in a basin over hot (not boiling water).
3. Whip the cream lightly.
4. Separate the eggs. Whip the egg whites until stiff, but not dry.
5. Whip the cream lightly in a large bowl.
6. Add the egg yolks gradually to the cooled chocolate, then mix in 8-10 teaspoons warm water, so that the chocolate is runny.
7. Fold the egg whites into the cream. Add the chocolate mix. Fold in from the bottom of the bowl, be careful mixture does not curdle.
8. Pour mixture into either a 1 pint serving dish or individual glasses. Decorate with the grated Toblerone. Leave to set covered in the fridge.

Toblerone have just launched a new website where you can enter The Toblerone Challenge until 31/04/11. You never know you might just be chosen to be part of Toblerone's advertising campaign.

Thank you Jen.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE - NATIONAL CHOCOLATE WEEK 2010

It's not very often that I make sweets, other than chocolate truffles for Christmas.

National Chocolate Week is from the 11 October to 17 October 2010, so this is the perfect excuse to make something indulgent. You can see a list of events in your area by clicking here.

My chocolate fudge was easy to make because last year my husband bought me a Kenwood Cooking Chef. Basically, instead of having to use a sugar thermometer, the Kenwood is thermostatically controlled and will make wonderful things like fudge!

The recipe for the fudge is from the Kenwood Cooking Chef Recipe Book. I have given the method for the Kenwood Cooking Chef so you can see exactly what is involved when using this machine.

250g chocolate (64% cocoa solids), 200g sugar, 75g glucose, 100ml water, 35ml sweet evaporated milk, 200g fondant icing, 10ml vanilla extract, 40g unsalted butter.

1. Grate the chocolate in the Food Processor Attachment with the thin shredding disc. Attach the Flexi Beater. Place the sugar, glucose and water into the mixing bowl. Set the temperature to 115°C and the speed to stirring 2. Allow to cook for 1 minute.
2. Add the evaporated milk and bring the temperature back to 115°C. Add the fondant icing, and bring the temperature back to 115°C. Cook for another 2 minutes. When the temperature is at 80°C add the chocolate, the vanilla extract and the butter. Continue to stir until the mixture is amalgamated.
3. Pour into a 25 x 15 x 1.5cm tray lined with greaseproof paper. Allow to cool before slicing.