Gift-giving at Christmas can be a minefield. How much do you spend? Is it something they really want, and are they going to think they have to give you something in return? In an era when love and friendship are too readily ascribed a dollar value, the commercialisation of this season can make even those of us brimming with Christmas spirit feel that there must be a better way.
Well, here it is – a home-made gift that is affordable, meaningful, quick and easy. An afternoon of cooking and baking is something the whole family can get involved in and, I guarantee, is much less stressful than braving the teeming shops. A batch of cookies or a bottle of homemade barbecue sauce is a universal gift, too, appropriate for anyone from a co-worker to a distant aunt or a dearly loved grandparent.
Salt and brown sugar cookiesCredit:William Meppem
It's a gift that cuts straight to the real meaning of giving, in a practical and heartfelt way.
SALT AND BROWN SUGAR COOKIES
Makes 50-100, depending on your cookie-cutters
Peach and plum barbecue sauce.Credit:William Meppem
My neighbour made a big batch of cookies last year and dropped them around the neighbourhood. I don't think my son has ever enjoyed a present more. He was wolfing them down for weeks!
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups rice flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups (500g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1 cup soft brown sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• icing sugar, for dusting
• ¼ cup sea salt
Sift the flours and baking powder together. You may need to make the dough in two batches, depending on the size of your mixer. In a stand mixer with a dough hook, cream the butter and sugars together, then add the eggs and a couple of tablespoons of cold water.
Reduce the speed to slow and scatter in the flour mixture, a little at a time, until a dough forms. Divide the dough into four portions and wrap each with cling film. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Dust your benchtop and a rolling pin with icing sugar. Roll out one portion of dough until it's about ½ cm thick. Cut into your preferred shapes with cookie-cutters (or a Stanley knife and stencil) and transfer to a non-stick baking sheet.
Scatter the top of each cookie with a little sea salt and lightly press the salt down into the surface of the dough. Refrigerate for a further 10 minutes before baking. Heat your oven to 180°C. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes until they start to brown at the edges. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Repeat for the remaining dough.
Adam's tip Stamp individual messages into your cookies to give them an even more personal touch. Cookie stamps are available from baking suppliers.
PEACH & PLUM BARBECUE SAUCE
Makes about 2 litres
With Christmas smack-bang in the middle of barbie season, there are few more perfect gifts than a home-made barbecue sauce made from summer stone fruits.
• 100g butter
• 2 large brown onions, peeled and roughly chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1kg yellow peaches, peeled and seeded
• 750g plums, peeled and seeded
• 500g tomatoes, peeled and seeded
• 4 birds-eye chillies, seeds and stems removed
• ½ cup malt vinegar
• ½ cup white vinegar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup dark rum
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• ½ cup Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp sea salt
Heat the butter in a large saucepan and fry onion and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes until the fruit has softened. Purée the sauce in batches to a smooth consistency.
This can be bottled as is, but if you want a more concentrated flavour, return the puréed sauce to a saucepan and simmer, stirring regularly, for another 30 minutes, until thickened. Transfer to clean, sterilised jars or bottles. Label them and they're ready to give away as gifts.
2010 MasterChef winner and TV presenter
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