It can be quite a challenge to think of something cheap enough to be economically viable, whilst also being a worthwhile reminder for our guests.
After a lot of racking our brains and searching the internet, we decided to make something ourselves, rather than ordering something online and risking disappointment.
I was inspired by the wedding of two of my brother's good friends, Kelly and Nic. Their wedding was beautiful, complex, and very memorable - and one of the things I liked the most was their little wedding favours - tiny seedlings, or jars of pre-assembled baking ingredients.
After a lot of racking our brains and searching the internet, we decided to make something ourselves, rather than ordering something online and risking disappointment.
I was inspired by the wedding of two of my brother's good friends, Kelly and Nic. Their wedding was beautiful, complex, and very memorable - and one of the things I liked the most was their little wedding favours - tiny seedlings, or jars of pre-assembled baking ingredients.
We decided that we would provide something edible and special for our guests, but that wouldn't be cripplingly expensive for us to make. After some research, we eventually settled on: Moroccan preserved lemons; Japanese chili carrots (like Kimchi); (French) Onion jam; Dried Chipotle crumbing mix (for our overseas friends). First, I popped around to Arthur Holmes in Newtown to choose our jars (you can also shop online, but I like to see the jars in person). |
Once they were all packaged up, we added the labels we designed. They looked really lovely. I still feel a bit of a glow when I see them :)
Moroccan Preserved Lemons
I absolutely love Moroccan food, and lemons are an intrinsic part of many cuisines. I hadn't realised how important they were to the Moroccan flavour until I actually made some, though! They can also add zest, pun intended, to many other dishes, as they are simply preserved in salt and water, with minimal other flavouring involved.
The worst part was getting the salt into the jars - I recommend a paper cone, and a lot of patience.
We used this recipe and this recipe as inspiration.
Once we had packed all of our ingredients into their jars, we topped our lemons off with either star anise, or a bay leaf.
The worst part was getting the salt into the jars - I recommend a paper cone, and a lot of patience.
We used this recipe and this recipe as inspiration.
Once we had packed all of our ingredients into their jars, we topped our lemons off with either star anise, or a bay leaf.
Confit D'Oignons (Onion Jam)
Onion jam is one of the greatest luxuries known to mankind. If a menu features a dish that includes caramelised onions of any sort, it's really hard for me to go past it.
George, in a great fit of heroism, chopped onions for FIVE HOURS to make this dish.
Again, we searched our cookbooks and the internet, and used the recipes we found there, like this one, as inspiration. It took a very, very long time to cook the onions down, but they were worth it. Absolutely delicious!
George, in a great fit of heroism, chopped onions for FIVE HOURS to make this dish.
Again, we searched our cookbooks and the internet, and used the recipes we found there, like this one, as inspiration. It took a very, very long time to cook the onions down, but they were worth it. Absolutely delicious!
Firecrackers (Japanese-style chili carrots)
George had already made these once, so he had the advantage of experience when he made his second batch of Firecracker carrots.
The first batch caused great entertainment when one of our guests was unable to distinguish between carrots and chilies, and ended up munching a Scotch Bonnet. Hilarity ensued.
The first batch caused great entertainment when one of our guests was unable to distinguish between carrots and chilies, and ended up munching a Scotch Bonnet. Hilarity ensued.
Chipotle Crumbing Mix
This was something I have planned to make for a while - I invented the recipe, based on my experience making different crumbing mixes off the cuff. We used panko crumbs and a variety of herbs and spices, and our friends tell us that it worked really well.