Festive Holiday Baking

Are you a hybrid worker being forced to attend an office potluck? 

Do you need a dessert for your child's Christmas bake sale? 

Feel like baking something new this holiday season? 

If you answered any of those questions in the affirmative, the recipe below is just what you're looking for. Sure, there's no actual eggnog in these, but nothing is stopping you from pouring yourself a mug when you want to have one.

Ingredients

454 g white baking chocolate
115 g cream cheese, softened
60 g confectioners' sugar
1.5 g ground nutmeg, plus additional for sprinkling
1.5 g imitation rum extract

1. Melt 230 grams of the chocolate as directed on the package. Beat the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, nutmeg, and extract in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until it's well blended and smooth. Add the melted chocolate; beat until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until it's firm.
2. Shape into 24 balls. Place on a wax paper-lined tray. Refrigerate again while you make the chocolate dip.
3. Melt half of the remaining chocolate in a small microwavable bowl at 50% power for 1.5 minutes, stirring after 1 minute. Using a fork, dip 1 truffle at a time into the melted chocolate. Tap the back of the fork 2 or 3 times against the edge of the dish to allow any excess chocolate to drip off. Place the truffles on a wax paper-lined tray.
   
   (If there are any "bald" spots on the truffle, cover it with the melted chocolate that remains on the fork).
   
   
4. Coat only 12 truffles at a time. Sprinkle truffles with nutmeg. Repeat with the remaining chocolate and the remaining truffles.
5. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until the chocolate is set. Store the truffles between layers of wax paper in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Infographic: Holiday Drinks From Around the World

Infographic via visual.ly

2014 Gift Guide

It's that time of the season again to give thanks and presents to the food lovers in our lives. If you're looking for some gift suggestions,  here are some that have caught my eye that may tickle your fancy.

For more gift ideas, check out last year's Gift Guide.

• Auto-measuring Spice Rack
  Stylish and suitable for use under a cabinet or on a shelf, the removable spice compartments each feature an auto-measure for a perfect 1/ 4-teaspoon measurement, as well as the standard shaking and pouring methods.
  

• Baking Bad: Great Recipes. No Meth-in Around
  What could be better for a "Breaking Bad" fan than re-watching their favourite season with some Meth Muffins (complete with blue sugar crystals) and some Ricin Crispie Treats by their side? For fans of AMC's monster hit, the only gift that could be more perfect than this cookbook is a RV for another type of cooking.
  
• Beer Making Kit
  Whether it's a craft beer aficionado, or someone who just likes drinking beer, at some point, that person has considered brewing their own brew. With this gift, you can help them achieve that goal. Many local brewers started out doing this as a hobby, so who knows where this gift can go. Available for different styles of beer, the kit includes a set of 10 beer bottles, a bottle capper and caps.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Flameless Cooker
  No fire, no gas, no electricity? No problem. With this Japanese import, a meal can be cooked just about anywhere. Perfect for the camper or survivalist on your shopping list.
  
• Hand Free Wine Glass Holder
  Ideal for the attendee to the annual Wine and Food show or for people who like to talk with their hands when they drink.
  
• Mini Stovetop Smoker
  This will allow someone to have the flavour of smoked food from their stove-top without filling the house with actual smoke. It can also be used as a steamer, and who doesn't like cooking equipment that's multi.
  
• Muffin Tops Muffin Mold
  Even the health conscious can use a reminder to go to the gym. For those occasions, there are these muffin pans.
  
• Palm Peeler
  It makes peeling potatoes like child's play, and it's a safe way to allow children to help out preparing the vegetables for the day's meal.
  
• Smartphone-controlled Sous-Vide Machine
  Everything else seems to be controlled by your cellphone, why not a sous-vide machine? Tap the Mellow app on a cellphone, tell the cooker what temperature, how long, and when to begin making dinner, and by the time they get off the bus, their food has been cooked, using less electricity than their stove. Makes up to 6 adult servings of food.
  
• Spiral Vegetable Slicer
  Vegetarian cooking fans will love this tool for making things like garnishes for salads and vegetable noodles, a great pasta substitute.
  
• Star Wars Lightsaber BBQ Fork
  Whether a Jedi or a Sith, any fan of barbecue and the Star Wars movies would want a BBQ fork that looks just like a lightsaber. That should tide them over until Episode 7 arrives in theaters.
  
• Ultimate Wine Bottle Glass
  This is the glass for those days when the only things keeping a person from putting the bottle to their lips the second it's uncorked is dignity, self respect, and society.
  
• Umami: Unlocking the Secrets of the Fifth Taste
  For the food lover who wants to know more about the fifth taste, this book will give them both technical data and cultural history while allowing them to deploy umami like a pro.
  

Foodie gift list - 2013

The holiday shopping season has already began, and whether you plan to do your Christmas shopping on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or on Christmas Eve like a normal person, here are some gift suggestions for the cook or foodie on your list.

• Adjustable Rolling Pin
  Take all the guesswork out of baking with a rolling pin that ensures the dough is rolled to an even thickness throughout.
  
• Bacon Grill Press
  For the obsessive-compulsive carnivore in your life, give them the gift of no more curly bacon. This cast iron press will allow the bacon to keep its shape for even cooking in the pan, and can be used to flatten burgers and sandwiches as well.
  
  
  
  Got an obsessive-compulsive vegetarian to buy for? The Obsessive Chef Cutting Board is just the thing for them. Made from naturally antibacterial beechwood, this cutting board breaks down measurements into perfect squares and angles, even units as small as a julienne.
  
• Cheat Sheet Kitchen Apron
  Know of any cooks who are constantly running to their smartphone every time they need to convert a weight or measurement when cooking? This stylish apron will help them out and keep them clean all at the same time.
  
•  iPad Cutting Board
  Of course some people can't bear to be away from their tablets. Made with four rubberized anti-slip feet, and a juice groove to keep the iPad and the counter top dry, this cutting board was designed with those people in mind.
  
  
  You also may consider the gift of apps to the constantly connected. Two good ones are Mark Bittman’s essential cookbook “How to Cook Everything” and the digital rendition of Modernist Cuisine At Home. These are exclusively for Apple users, Android users like myself would have to rely on the BigOven or the Food Network In the Kitchen apps available at Google Play.
  
• DSV Sous Vide Controller
  With this device, you can turn a slow cooker into a sous-vide machine with ease - how you vacuum-seal your food though, is up to you.
  
• Infrared IR Non-Contact Digital Thermometer
  Instantly check the surface temperature of food or anything else in the house in seconds with an accuracy of +/- 2.5%. It won't replace the probe thermometer for internal temperatures but it's still a cool device.
  
  But if you know of someone who needs a cool probe thermometer, consider giving them the Thermapen. Accurate to within less than a degree (±0.7°F , or ±0.4°C), this is a favourite of noted kitchen-gadget authority Alton Brown.
  
• Mobile Foodie Survival Kit 
  A foodie will never have to rough it on a camping trip ever again with this mobile spice rack. This kit starts them out with a good variety of herbs and spices, and the containers are reusable so people can add their own favourites.
  
• Molecular Cocktails Starter Kit
  This is the perfect gift for anyone who hosts viewing parties for "Top Chef". Pair it with one of the Modernist Cuisine Cooking Kits to create the ultimate foodie dinner party.
  
• One Stop Chop Cutting Board
  With its raised bamboo surface, this cutting board has three storage drawers underneath, making prep work that much easier.
  
• Sauced Measuring Wine Glass
  For the oenophile on your list, what could be better than a lead-free-crystal all-purpose wine glass, marked in 1/4 cups and 2-ounce sips? If you said "wine", include a gift card from the LCBO.