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Must-have gadgets that make the perfect Mother's Day gift

Looking for the perfect Mother’s Day gift? We’ve got you covered with these hot new products and must-have gadgets for the chef/Mom.

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Gift cards and flowers are always great for Mother's Day.

Sticky Fingers Bakeries scone mix. The mix ($6.95) comes in a variety of flavors, including strawberry and blueberry.

Salt cellars — a piece of tableware that stores salt — date to the Greco-Roman world. Provisions carries several designs ($7.99 to $80) and tiny stainless-steel spoons ($2) to go along with them.

If your mom enjoys a cocktail now and then, treat her to a bottle of Stonewall Kitchen watermelon mojito mixer ($6.95) just in time for summer.

Sold in various sizes, from 4-inch to 13-by-9-inch, these food-grade silicone lids ($8.95 to $16.95) instantly form a suction when placed on bowls, frying pans, casserole dishes and other containers.

Oprah put the Corkcicle ($24.99) on her list of favorite things. You can’t go wrong pairing this gift with a nice bottle of wine.

A jar of gourmet salt ($2.99 to $10.99) would make a savory gift.

Provisions carries a whole line of beautiful Polish pottery ($11 to $75), including egg cups, deviled egg trays, salt and pepper shakers, and honey keepers.

Chef'n Stem Gem — Easily remove strawberry stems with this cute little gadget ($8.95).

Le Creuset Flower Cocotte — One of the most recognizable names in quality cookware, Le Creuset, occasionally releases a limited-edition piece. Right now, that is the flower-shaped

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Cracker Jack Balls

Alex Eliades, owner of Bread Craft in Roanoke, inherited this recipe from his mother, who learned it from her mother.

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Karo syrup
1/4 cup molasses
Chunk of butter
2 pinches salt
About 6 cups popped corn

1. Combine sugar, Karo, molasses, butter and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until the mixture reaches the hard crack stage, or registers 250 degrees on a candy thermometer.

2. Butter your hands well. Pour hot mixture over popped corn and quickly form into balls.

Sandy’s Lemon Cake

Sandy Krebs, head chef of the Regency Room at Hotel Roanoke, got this recipe from her Nana Fanciullo, her maternal grandmother. “She was the most talented, natural chef I ever met,” Krebs said. Have the icing ready when the cake comes out of the oven.

Cake:
4 eggs, room temperature
1⁄3 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (sifted)
½ tsp. salt
1 cup milk

Icing:
Zest of 2 lemons
Juice of 2 lemons
1 1⁄2 cups powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch round baking pan so the parchment paper will stick, then line bottom and sides with parchment paper. Grease and flour the parchment paper.

2. Separate eggs. Beat whites into stiff peaks. Remove from mixing bowl and set aside.

3. Beat egg yolks, lemon juice, zest and butter until thick and lemony colored.

4. Sift together sugar, flour and salt. Stir half of the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Stir in the milk, then add the remaining flour mixture. Beat well. Fold egg whites into the batter.

5. Transfer to pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

6. Meanwhile, make the icing: Mix lemon zest, lemon juice and powdered sugar until smooth. Set aside.

7. When cake is done, remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Turn cake onto a plate, and, using a chop stick, poke “about a million holes in it all the way through.” Slowly pour icing over cake. Spread any runoff up the sides of the cake and onto the top.

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Lindsey Nair | 981-3343

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

We love our mothers, but sometimes it’s devilishly difficult to buy them the perfect gift.

“I don’t need anything,” she might say, or “Just buy me a card.”

But if a card doesn’t seem like enough and your favorite mother figure loves to cook, today’s column might help.

I’ve scouted four local kitchen shops, asking owners and employees to suggest hot new products and must-have gadgets for the chef/mom.

If your mom doesn’t like to cook, don’t worry. Some of these gifts are just right for a lady who wants to sit back and sip coffee or relax with breakfast in bed.

Warning: Some of these items are so neat you may find yourself shelling out for two of them — one for Mom, one for yourself. In that case, you’ll be well-equipped to prepare a special meal or dessert for the occasion, so check out the recipes on Page 3 that two local chefs learned from the women in their families.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Ladles & Linens

305 Market St. S.E., Roanoke; 769-8181

13 S. Main St., Lexington; 464-3838

Chef’n Stem Gem

Easily remove strawberry stems with this cute little gadget ($8.95). For a themed gift set, pair with a Jo!e strawberry slicer ($5.99) and Jo!e strawberry-shaped berry colander ($6.95).

Ganz measuring spoons

Whatever your mom’s interest, you can probably find a set of Ganz spoons to match. These zinc alloy spoons come in a set of four ($21.95) that are both decorative and useful. Themes include “Queen of the Kitchen,” “Mom’s Kitchen,” hummingbirds, crosses, cats, owls, butterflies and flowers. For $32.95, you also get a decorative wall rack from which to hang them.

Charles Viancin lids

Sold in various sizes, from 4-inch to 13-by-9-inch, these food-grade silicone lids ($8.95 to $16.95) instantly form a suction when placed on bowls, frying pans, casserole dishes and other containers. These heat-safe, dishwasher-safe, reusable lids eliminate the need for plastic wrap in many situations. They come in several patterns, including lily pad, hibiscus, sunflower and banana leaf.

RSVP International herb scissors

These stainless-steel scissors have five blades that easily snip herbs into tiny bits. Comes with a blade cover that doubles as a cleaner. Consider matching these scissors ($12.95) with a potted herb garden from the farmers market or a local greenhouse.

Willowpod Provisions & Gifts

90 Town Center St., Daleville (Daleville Town Center); 992-3200

Sticky Fingers Bakeries scone mix

Just add water to help Dad bake Mom some delicious scones for breakfast in bed. The mix ($6.95) comes in a variety of flavors, including strawberry and blueberry. Pair with Stonewall Kitchen Strawberry Champagne Jam ($6.95) or another flavor.

Initially Yours monogrammed mug

Mom can have her coffee or tea in style with this fancy mug ($16). To go along with the mug, pick up a tin of Harney & Sons tea sachets ($9) and a ceramic tea bagsummer. This product is all natural and only requires a little booze (or club soda) and ice to create a refreshing beverage.

Mangiacotti kitchen care

The kitchen soap ($14.95) comes with a built-in spout. The lotion ($18.95) contains shea butter to make skin soft and supple, and the cleaner ($12.95) will allow Mom to shine up the kitchen without the use of harsh chemicals. Comes in a variety of scents. Buy two and get a caddy for free.

Watermelon mojito mixer

If your mom enjoys a cocktail now and then, treat her to a bottle of Stonewall Kitchen watermelon mojito mixer ($6.95) just in time for summer. This product is all natural and only requires a little booze (or club soda) and ice to create a refreshing beverage.

Gourmet Pantry

401 S. Main St., Blacksburg; Nespresso Pixie

Corkcicle

This product consists of a wine cork attached to a freezable insert that looks like a thick icicle. Cools room-temperature red wines within 15 minutes and keeps chilled white wine cold for one hour. Oprah put the Corkcicle ($24.99) on her list of favorite things. You can’t go wrong pairing this gift with a nice bottle of wine.

Le Creuset Honeypot

This little darling ($28) stores 16 ounces of honey and comes with a silicone honey dipper. The pot includes a tightly fitting lid, and neither the pot nor the dipper absorbs flavors or odors, so your honey will stay fresh. Comes in yellow. Pair with some Eulenhof wildflower honey from Floyd ($7 to $12) and Republic of Tea ($10 to $15) for a complete gift set.

Nespresso Pixie

This small, compact coffee maker ($179 in red; $229 in other colors) is generating a lot of buzz - and it's not just the caffeine. With 19 bars of pressure, it heats to optimal temperature within 30 seconds and can make coffee, espresso and coffee drinks. Tells you when it's running low on water and automatically powers down after nine minutes.

Nespresso Aerocinno

A great gift to pair with the Pixie or to give on its own, this device ($99) will churn hot or cold milk into a perfect froth in just seconds. Features one-touch preparation and heats milk to 170 degrees. Buy this with the Pixie as a combo and save $50.

Provisions

4235 Electric Road, Roanoke; 857-5888

Polish pottery

Provisions carries a whole line of beautiful Polish pottery ($11 to $75), including egg cups, deviled egg trays, salt and pepper shakers, and honey keepers. Polish pottery, which is traditionally decorated in intricate blue patterns, is a collector’s item that can last a lifetime — or several!

Le Creuset Flower Cocotte

One of the most recognizable names in quality cookware, Le Creuset, occasionally releases a limited-edition piece. Right now, that is the flower-shaped yellow cocotte ($150), an enamel-coated, cast iron dish that is ideal for cooking and serving side dishes or one-pot meals. Supplies are limited.

“The Little Paris Kitchen” by Rachel Khoo

This French cookbook ($30) is flying off the shelf. It features Khoo’s own charming artwork, as well as more than 100 full-color photographs. It also includes 120 classic, easy recipes that are perfect for entertaining.

Salt cellars

Salt cellars — a piece of tableware that stores salt — date to the Greco-Roman world. They remained popular into the mid-19th century and are now making a comeback, perhaps because of intense interest in gourmet salts. Provisions carries several designs ($7.99 to $80) and tiny stainless-steel spoons ($2) to go along with them. Paired with a jar of gourmet salt ($2.99 to $10.99), would make a savory gift.

On the blog: Lindsey’s new favorite cake — apple fritter cake. Details at blogs.roanoke.com/fridgemagnet

Monday, August 12, 2013