It’s Christmas Day and you will all be busy eating and having a good time so Café Cat is taking a day off.

This year we decided to buy Christmas presents for our six grandchildren, but not for the eight adults. Instead the four couples (us, our three kids and their partners) each made a couple of gourmet foods to go into four food hampers, one for each family. Our contribution was fermented black garlic and dukkah.

We have a black garlic maker which is about the size of a rice cooker, so we keep it in the garage. It takes several days for the garlic heads to ferment. Basically they just cook at a very low temperature. Meanwhile the heady smell wafts up from our garage and permeates the house. We inherited this machine from a friend of our eldest son whose wife didn’t appreciate the smell. We don’t mind it. So now we’re chief black garlic makers for the family.

Black garlic is sold in some farmer’s markets and specialist shops. I think it tastes like a cross between black truffle and balsamic glaze. Blended with butter it makes a fantastic topping for steak. Blended with mayonnaise it produces a pungent black garlic aioli. Sliced thinly it’s a tasty and unusual topping for canapés, carpaccio, scrambled eggs or pasta.

I look forward to sharing my recipes in 2025 and to getting your feedback.

Linda Peek
Café Cat