I was recently contacted by Pellatt Gift Baskets here in Montreal to see if I wanted to partake in a cooking challenge. I would be provided with a beautiful gift basket from Pellatt, and provided another to give away to a lucky reader. But… I would have to create a meal using ALL the ingredients in the gift basket. Now, I don’t know about you but if I’m watching Chopped, when they open their baskets I always try to think about what I would make if that was me and… I always freeze. BUT I knew I would have more than 20 minutes to come up with my idea so of course I agreed!
I checked out the Pellatt website, and was delighted to see the high quality of the gifts they offered. I received my basket in person and was not disappointed.
My basket included Clockwise: Sprucewood Handmade Cookie Co. Cocktail Cheddar Shortbread, Sahale Snacks Sing Buri Cashews (with pineapple, peanuts, lemongrass & mild Chinese chili), Moskonisi Olive Oil, Coco Mira Hazelnut Crunch (buttery toffee, Belgian Milk Chocolate and hazelnuts), Wildly Delicious Dried Tomato Tapenade, Tishbi Fig Cabernet Confiture, Petite Maison by Wildly Delicious Finishing Salt, and Margarets Artisan Goji Berry & Pistachio Crisps.
Now, what would you make?
I started off with a salad. I melted down the Fig Cabernet confiture and combined it with the olive oil to make a fantastic dressing. I crumbled the Goji Berry & Pistachio Crisps over top to add some crunch, and finished it off with a sprinkle of salt. It was very good, and the fig cabernet confiture in particular really shined. I used spinach and rocket as my greens to match the strong dressing.
Next I took those beautiful cheddar shortbread cookies and pulsed them into crumbs. I stuffed some chicken breasts with a combination of the tomato tapenade and cream cheese. After they were stuffed, it was off to a quick dip in some egg and a generous coating of the cheddar crumbs.
Lastly, I cooked up some carrots and combined them with the gingery, spicy cashew nuts. The ginger and chilli played off perfectly with the carrots.
Last up? Dessert!
Those hazelnut crunch cookies were delicious enough on their own, but crumbled on top of some mocha ice cream? Wow! They cookies crunched up even more, and the combination was delicious.
So – would you have done the same? I was pleased at how it all came together. Of course, it’s easy when you have great ingredients. For me, that’s what I loved most about the gift basket. Sometimes you buy gift baskets, and when you actually look at the individual ingredients you are disappointed that they aren’t higher quality. In the Pellatt basket I received everything was of really high quality, and I would not hesitate to send this as a gift. The food really was great!
GIVEAWAY:
Readers, if you are a resident of Quebec or Ontario only, you have the chance to win your own Pellatt Gift Basket! Simply follow Pellatt on Twitter and like their Facebook page. In addition, please leave a comment stating your favourite basket from the Pellatt website. I will post the winner in two weeks, and ask them to contact me in order to receive their gift basket! Stay tuned!
Twitter: @PellattMtl
Facebook: Gift Baskets by Pellatt
Website: http://pellatt.ca/gift-baskets/page_home.php
Good Luck!
Michelle Little
Writer & Photographer
Some of the combinations on Chopped are crazy.
I checked the website and was tempted by the chocolate and the wine baskets, but I think the Taste of Quebec sounded like the best one.
(and I followed on twitter and linked on FB)
I absolutely love the creativity you showed with these products. Yummy!!
Hey Michelle,
I am absolutely awed by your blog! I realized that most food blogs I follow are from when I was living in the US, and I haven’t found any new ones since moving to Montreal, so randomly did a google search and landed here. Am I glad!
I love what you have done with your gift basket.. I’d probably have done most of the same things, other than use the cheddar cookies for a veggie casserole since I am a vegetarian.
And of all the baskets Pellatt has on their side, the No Worries one hand-down wins my vote. Belgian chocolate cookies, dark chocolate leaves and green and purple olives! Whoa!
I’m actually going to follow Pellatt now because they seem to have some amazing products.. solves my problems of what to gift my girl friends!
I loved what you did with the basket, the salad looks amazing! my favorite basket on the website was the All Things Rich, it had so much Belgian Chocolate in it!
I also followed the twitter and liked the facebook page.
my favourite basket is the surprise picnic.
I also followed the twitter and liked the facebook page.
thanks for all the nice comments guys! I am so happy you enjoy the blog! It’s a lot of hard work so your comments are so appreciated!
nice contest! I am in ontario.
I now like them on fb (Summer Plewes ) – i had to google them though, link to fb didn’t work for me.
and I follow them on twitter. @fokxxy is my name there.
I love the “No Worries ” basket on their site.
Love your blog! I like the Holiday Glitter basket the best, so festive!
The Surprise Picnic really caught my attention! I love the basket for one, it is so cute – and then the items inside!
I love smoked salmon pate, it is such a treat, and it will go so well with the multi grain crackers. Chocolate covered caramel corn? YUM! The antipasto, the fruit – all I can think is that I have a few bottles of wine that are just begging to be matched up with the yummy items in that basket!
And so what that it is the winter time? Who says my hubby and I can’t spread a blanket and enjoy a picnic on the living room floor with this bundle of goodies! I’m chilling the Ice Wine right now.
Colleen Cole is following on Facebook and @30Minutes4me is following on Twitter!
Mon panier favori est le “Douce maman” pour l’avoir déjà reçu en cadeau… c’était délicieux!
My favorite basket would be A Piece of Quebec! I look so luscious and delicious! It’s so hard to choose…honorable mention to “suprise picnic” and “Organically Grown”…I love your blog! GL everyone!