What was in your Christmas stocking?

[Harters]

Father Christmas did me proud this year with a sock packed with foody gifts:

Spicy Moroccan crackers, a very traditional gold coin, packet of Anglesey sea salt pork cracking, tin of scallops in seafood sauce, pane guttiatu, jar of Calabrese salami spread, jar of fig mustard, jar of rouille, some 72% Venezuelan chocolate, a salami of British free-range pork and a bottle of pomegranate & elderflower juice to wash it all down with.

I'm a very happy bunny.

So, what foody gifts have you received?

[cgarner]

not in the stocking... but I got a Molcajete it's got a piggy face sculpted into it
LOVE IT

[ttoommyy]

Well, it wasn't in my stocking, but I received 4 nights in Bologna, 4 nights in Firenze and 5 nights in London...commencing on January 1st. Let the eating begin! :)

[jmckee]

A Cuisinart Griddler, which I'd wanted for some time. A case of Guinness. A bottle of oak-aged Trappist Ale to hint at my final gift, which is a retreat weekend in February at the Trappist Abbey of Gethsemani near Bardstown, KY, which my wife arranged.

[kaleokahu]

Menehune in Santa suits lugged in a vintage Dehillerin saute pan, Julia Child's "MAFC", and James Beard's "American Cookery", along with a box of my favorite scone mix.

[Mattkn]

I was so fortunate this year. My stocking contained green pepper jelly, pumpkin honey butter by a purveyor in Nebraska, a set of ceramic knives, and some craft chocolate truffles.

However, my best gift came sans the sock! The gift is from my stepfather who faithfully visits the local thrift store after his 3 mile walk each morning. He gifted me two lovely blue Le Creuset enameled cast iron skillets. He admitted that he paid more for them than he usually would--five whole dollars for the smaller skillet, and a whopping eight dollars for the large skillet. I'm tickled pink! I love a good bargain. They are vintage and perhaps used once. I'll have to do some research on them.

[montrealeater]

Terry's chocolate orange and a bag of gold chocolate coins. As well as a mandarin. I get these every year from my parents.

Also:
- Shun Elite U2 knife (which I promptly used to almost chop off the tip of my left thumb with and now have 4 stitches to show off)
- huge box of Callebaut chocolates, which will take a shamefully short time to consume, alone, hunched over the box
- a contraption that promises to make perfectly solid/spherical balls of ice, a bit smaller than tennis balls. I am intrigued to try this.

[Boudleaux]

I received some See's candy, homemade pepper jelly, homemade sausage, and some country ham. I'm doing my best to talk my Dad out of the ham hock. My cookbook gifts to me should be here tomorrow!

[jlhinwa]

A La Chamba black clay pottery baking dish, along with some spices and other accessories in a gift passage. My husband and I were in Santa Fe earlier this year and attended a cooking class where we prepared a number of regional dishes. They used black clay pottery in some of the cooking. We had a really great time together so it was especially sweet that he remembered I was intrigued by the pottery and surprised me with it. Now I just need to figure out how to best put it to use.

I received a pasta attachment for my Kitchen Aid from my mom. I'm looking forward to trying it out soon.

[L.Nightshade]

Mr. NS and I decided to buy a Cuisinart ice cream maker as our joint Christmas gift to each other. So no surprise there (we've already used it with great success). I was, however, surprised and delighted to find "Essential Pepin" under the tree.

[sophiejj]

I received Cindy Pawlcyn's new cookbook and the Kokkari cookbook for the famed Greek restaurant in San Francisco I've only had the pleasure of eating at once. No provisions, but lots of prose and pretty photos.

[mattwarner]

A selection of Weck canning jars! I have been lusting for these for a couple years, but my practical nature has kept me in ball and Kerr jars. It was a great gift. I m testing a new citrus and pomegranate conserves recipe right now using them in celebration of our friends' Saturday delivery of a new baby.

Also, new cuisines food processor. My old one broke about a year ago, and we've been making due, claiming not to mind doing everything by hand. truth: have hated doing everything by hand!

[Transplant_DK]

I adore my Weck canning jars! The conserves sound wonderful--can you share the recipe?

[mattwarner]

Only one seal failed, and I saw that I placed the rubber gasket on wrong. Recipe is below. It made two half liters, three quarter liters, and one ~4 oz. jar.

Riley's Citrus Pomegranate Conserves
1  lime
3 naval oranges
~8 tangerines
Seeds from 2 pomegranates
1/2 t. Nutmeg
2 C. Granulated Sugar
dash salt
3 T Ball Fruit Pectin (Bulk)

-Remove and finely julienne outermost peel from citrus fruits, simmer 20 minutes, drain.
-Remove any remaining white pith from citrus fruit, then process in food processor until almost pureed.  Citrus Fruit should total three cups volume.
-Combine fruit, peel, nutmeg, pectin and bring to boil.  Add sugar all at once, return to boil and boil hard one minute.
-Process in water bath canner 15 minutes.

[Transplant_DK]

Looks great, will have to try if I can find some decent navel oranges (apparently a bad year for them). Thanks!

And enjoy your jars!

[Emme]

a new Silpat (which I may return because for the same money, I can get a larger one elsewhere...)
a set of ceramic knives

...and a hat which i feel may become the piping tips and veiner i need... through the power of return...

[linguafood]

My man and I (as well as my and his family) have given up gifting each other on xmas a few years ago. We don't celebrate xmas in our house (unless you count "a good reason for a party" and even better eats), so presents seem odd.

I did enjoy finding both my man and our cat alive and well next to me in bed this morning (sans stockings), which is better than any gift I could ask for.

>gush over<

[JMF]

Shun Ken Onion 8" chef's knife (absolutely gorgeous), several Bottarga de Muggine, silicone 2.5" cube and 4" spear ice molds, and a lobe of foie gras, four boneless duck breasts, and a 2 lb. bucket of rendered duck fat.

http://www.kershawknives.com/productd...

[jujuthomas]

pretzel m&ms, lol.

I *did* get a new Wustof 8" Santuko... yipee! I need a new knife block now. :)

fig mustard... intriguing! we just bought some fig chutney to go with our dubliner cheese... wondering what else to do with it.

[lemons]

Fig chutney on roast pork sandwiches or as a side w/ pork chops or chicken?

[jujuthomas]

you know... DH did a pork roast on the grill last night. I bet it would be terrific with the fig chutney. can't wait to try it! :)

[Isolda]

I got about half a pound of Gocce di Sole fruit jellies, some chocolate covered cherries, a doughnut cutter, and a new pastry blender. I would happily give you some of my Gocce di Sole (they are delicious) for a taste of your fig mustard. That sounds fantastic!

[TheHuntress]

Father Christmas brought me a lovely Middle Eastern cookbook written conjuctively between an Australian chef and his journalist wife. They have travelled extensively around Persia and such regions and the books they produce not only have fantastic recipes, but beautiful stories and pictures :)

[Harters]

Hi Huntress. Is that one of Greg Malouf's?

I bought one some months back in a second hand shop. Found it rather disappointing

[TheHuntress]

Aw, did you? I have Saraban, which I really enjoyed and have had much success with and the latest one, of which the title has currently slipped my mind (post Christmas fog). I find the recipes are simple to execute and turn out well and I enjoy the stories about the history and culture. But I am a bit nerdy like that :) I forgot that I also got a set of pots and pans in red...because 2 sets were just not enough? LOL