However, I'm pleased to say that other more creative Christmas projects have also been squeezed into the weekend. The first project was triggered by the fact that I had managed to source suitable Christmas cracker gifts for everyone and I was itching to get them assembled. This was a fairly swift task thanks to the discovery of Christmas cracker kits a few years ago. In fact, a year following an attempt to make some from scratch, which was very fiddly with less than aesthetically pleasing results.
I feel the best bit about home made crackers is the option of putting a higher quality and recipient-appropriate gift inside. Therefore, I swallowed my hand made, purist pride the second I spotted that first cracker kit and haven't looked back since. This year's kits are courtesy of Oxfam so I can also feel that a tiny contribution to charity has also been made (although I'm sure it was very tiny since the kits only cost £3 for 6 crackers).
I'm obviously not going to reveal the contents of the crackers here - some element of surprise must be able to remain even if I do know what's in mine! However, the result of my efforts was a pleasing festive pile of cardboard tubes complete with gunpowder, hats, jokes and (hopefully appreciated) mystery gifts.
Surveying my list of Christmas projects I quickly realised that the Limoncello needed 10-15 days to 'mature' and so I'd better get on with it. However, first I needed to free up the container in which I was going to make it and this meant doing something with the contents - Spiced Cranberry Vodka.
This was made in September and had been quietly doing its stuff, with a helpful shake of the jar every week since. This is a complete experiment as I'd lost the original recipe (typically now found!). It was time to strain and bottle the resulting dark amber liquid but not before a quick taste, revealing that it's pretty potent in a warming and spicy way. I'm sure it will slip down nicely if it ever decides to get cold this winter. Alternatively, I quite fancy trying a little tot in a champagne flute, topped up with Cava or Prosecco.
With the jar washed-up I could finally turn my attention to making the Limoncello. This was a recipe left on my desk by a colleague back in the spring. She knows I like to make things but I think this particular recipe was inspired by our office Christmas lunch last year. Our party was (un)lucky enough to be eligible for free Limoncello shots for the whole table. I thought it was a great way to finish the meal, being quite partial to an occasional nip of this lemon liqueur, but what arrived looked and smelled just like lemon floor cleaner. I can't possibly comment on the taste comparison since I've never tried floor cleaner and soon wished I'd not tried the free offering either!
I'm hoping my home made effort will be better. The restaurant in question has set a pretty low bar so, let's just say I'm quietly confident.
This has to be one of the simplest things I've made: peel the zest off 10 unwaxed lemons (yellow peel only - leave the white pith behind) and pop in a 1.5 litre jar; add 1 litre of vodka and 1kg of white sugar; seal the jar and store in a dark place, shaking daily until the sugar has completely dissolved. After 10-15 days filter through muslin and top up with 1.5 litres of spring water.
If the results are good enough, some of mine will be bottled as gifts, the rest being reserved for the Christmas trifle - a layered bowl full of tangy lemon, cream, yoghurt, blueberries and soft amaretti biscuits. I can't wait!
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