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Want to do gifts the old-fashioned way? We have some crafty ideas for you. Al Barry/Getty Images hide caption
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Want to do gifts the old-fashioned way? We have some crafty ideas for you.
Al Barry/Getty ImagesIt's the most wonderful time of the year, as they say. That is, unless you ordered the latest gadget too late, and now it's stuck in supply chain limbo.
Or if you are the kind of person who leaves their shopping until it's down to the wire, like Daniel Gritzer, the culinary director of Serious Eats.
"I am very much a last-minute gift giver, scouring the internet and thinking of all the things I'd probably have thought of four months ago to then not be able to remember them, and have to fake something else in desperation," Gritzer says.
Whatever your struggle, we have got you covered this holiday season.
We have asked Gritzer and other food makers and crafters to make the case for going the homemade route this season and have provided the following recipes and project instructions:
OVEN DRIED GRAPES, by Dan Gritzer from Serious Eats
WORLD PEACE COOKIES 2.0, by Dorie Greenspan
CHILE CRISP, by Genevieve Ko from The New York Times
SPA IN A JAR, by Aris Rossi from Sailing Into Second
DRAWSTRING BAGS, by Ursula Carmona from Homemade by Carmona
Oven-Dried Grapes (a.k.a. Raisins)
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Daniel Gritzer's Oven Dried Grapes, which he says are fruiter and brighter than the box of raisins on the grocery shelf. Vicky Wasik /Serious Eats hide caption
toggle caption Vicky Wasik /Serious Eats
Daniel Gritzer's Oven Dried Grapes, which he says are fruiter and brighter than the box of raisins on the grocery shelf.
Vicky Wasik /Serious EatsGritzer says when he first published his recipe for oven dried grapes, many readers asked: "Why in the world would you oven dry grapes when you could just buy raisins?"
He says it's a valid question, but the dried grapes are pretty special.
"You get caramelization that happens on the surface of the grapes as they dry in the oven. So it's fruitier and it's brighter and it's fresher than you would get from a box of raisins on a supermarket shelf," he says.
INGREDIENTS
3 large bunches seedless grapes, preferably mixed colors, stemmed
Vegetable or canola oil, for greasing
EQUIPMENT
Rimmed baking sheets
METHOD
Preheat oven to 225°F (110°C). Very lightly grease 2 rimmed baking sheets with oil, then scatter grapes all over.
Bake, checking periodically for doneness, until grapes are nicely shriveled and semi-dried but still slightly plump, about 4 hours (see note). The exact time will depend on your grapes, your oven, and your preferred degree of dryness.
Let cool. Use a thin metal spatula to free any grapes that are stuck to the baking sheet.
The dried grapes can be refrigerated in a sealed container for about 3 weeks. How long they keep will also depend on their degree of dryness; drier grapes will keep longer.
Gritzer's notes: The precise cooking time can vary quite a bit depending on the size of your grapes (larger ones will take longer to dry than smaller ones) and how your oven functions (some ovens are prone to big temperature swings, which can speed up and/or slow down total drying time). Make sure to check in on the progress of your grapes periodically to avoid any mishaps.
This recipe was originally published by Serious Eats.
World Peace Cookies 2.0
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