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Holiday Food Gifts Workshop Features Pear Liqueur And Other Artisanal Edible Techniques

Tanaya Ghosh |
December 5, 2011 | 2:34 p.m. PST

Staff Reporter

Students took home a gift bag full of the food gifts they learned to make in the workshop. (Tanaya Ghosh / Neon Tommy)
Students took home a gift bag full of the food gifts they learned to make in the workshop. (Tanaya Ghosh / Neon Tommy)
Crafty foodies learned how to make artisanal holiday gifts for their loved ones using various techniques including canning and liqueur-infusing. Sunday's "Gifts for the Holidays" class taught students how to make inexpensive gifts with a priceless personal touch.

The successful L.A. event, held at Homegirl Cafe and hosted by the L.A. County Master Food Preservers, was the first-ever public fundraiser that taught a group of 50 enthusiastic students how to channel their creativity into creating delicious presents for their friends and family.

Workshop flyer
Workshop flyer
The best part of the three-hour workshop was that all the creations were edible, and students not only received live demos with expert tips, but also got to taste samples at the end of each segment. The passionate and knowledgeable teachers were entertaining and helpful, answering questions along the way.

First, students learned to make candied orange peels dipped in chocolate from scratch. The multi-step process involved blanching then cooking the peels in syrup, drying them, then dusting them in fine sugar before dipping them in chocolate. The result was a pleasantly chewy citrus candy with a slight crunch of the sugar coating and a hint of decadent chocolate that paired perfectly with the bitterness of the orange peel.

 

 

Marmalade class
Marmalade class
The next lesson taught how to make and jar orange-chili marmalade. Five dried habanero peppers were added to a boiling pot of thinly sliced oranges, lemon juice, zest, and sugar. The skilled teachers explained how to test the jam's gel point, and the steps to a safe jarring process to ensure that the marmalade lasts for up to a year. Even with all those chilies, the sweet jam had a very subtle spicy undertone.

The spicy Guinness mustard demonstration used spices such as nutmeg and cloves as well as a bottle of Guinness Extra Stout beer. Whole brown mustard seeds were soaked in red wine vinegar before being blended with the other ingredients to create a fresh, aromatic batch of mustard with a zing that beats the processed stuff any day.

Pear liqueur
Pear liqueur
The pear liqueur segment of the workshop was a crowd pleaser due to the simplicity behind such an impressive holiday gift. In just a few simple steps, a few Bartlett pears, some sugar, a vanilla bean, and a good amount of vodka were transformed into a smooth and fruity infused liqueur that not only goes great in a glass, but also on top of ice cream.

For the last lesson, Master Food Preservers program founder Chef Ernest Miller demonstrated how to make applesauce and cinnamon keepsake ornaments that resembled gingerbread cookies. The aroma of apple pie, perfect for the holidays, wafted through the air. Due to the dehydration process, these unique gifts can last for decades. The ornaments can be further personalized through decorating to make them even more special for the recipient.

Applesauce cinnamon ornaments
Applesauce cinnamon ornaments
The host of the event, Homegirl Cafe, provided delicious baked goods and warm holiday punch made from tequila, whiskey and fruits. Each guest left the workshop with a gift bag containing all the tasty and beautifully packaged samples, as well as recipe cards and an arsenal of skillful knowledge to apply towards making hand-crafted gifts that their loved ones will be sure to enjoy.

The mission of the Los Angeles County Master Food Preservers, a volunteer arm of the University of California Cooperative Extension, is to teach safe home food preserving methods to the public through research-based educational programs taught by trained and certified volunteers. Food preservation safety is critical to preventing illness. Therefore, the workshop instructors taught with an emphasis on food safety methods.

The first public fundraiser workshop was a great success, and plans for the next one are already in the works. For information on upcoming events, visit the Master Food Preservers' blog.

You can reach reporter Tanaya Ghosh here or follow her on Twitter.

 

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