Every year, someone on our team asks the same question: what would we want to unwrap?
This year we answered it with two gift baskets!
We picked every item, packed each basket by hand here in Asheville, and tied the bows ourselves. Here’s what’s inside, why it made the cut, and what to do with it all once the cellophane comes off!
The NC Snack Gift Basket: A Party Board in 15 Minutes
Inside: Poppy AVL Mix, Hickory Nut Gap Classic Salami, Spring & Mulberry Mango Chili Chocolate Bar, Queen City Crunch Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels, Gourmet Chip Co. Italian Modena Herb Chips, Old School Brand Traditional Cheese Straws, Big Spoon Cherry Chocolate Bar, French Fry Seasoning Salt, Sichuan Hot Chicken Spice, and two recipe cards.
Every snack in this basket comes from a North Carolina maker we love.
Some are our neighbors here in Asheville, and others are cooking and baking from Charlotte to Durham to Raleigh. They're friends, and we're fans of every one of them. We filled this basket with the snacks we reach for on our own afternoons, the ones we'd happily pick out for someone we love (or keep for ourselves).
Here's how to turn the whole basket into a spread.
The night before.
Make the Firecrackers. Mini saltines get coated in oil and French Fry Seasoning Salt, with no oven involved. The catch is time: they need to sit overnight to soak up the seasoning, so they can't be a last-minute job.
The day of.
Mix a batch of Sichuan Hot Cheese Crackers. You need one box of cheese crackers, a quarter cup of oil, and two tablespoons of Shuai's blend. Make more than you think you need.
Building the board.
Start with the salami, sliced thin, since it's the only thing that needs a knife. Put the cheese straws and chips next to it for the salty corner. Popcorn and pretzels go in the middle, where people reach for a little of both. Break the chocolate bar and peanut butter bar into pieces and set them at the far end, so dessert has its own spot. Give the two cracker recipes their own bowls and label the Sichuan ones. That tingle catches people off guard.
After the party.
The tins keep going. French Fry Seasoning Salt works on any potato, plus popcorn and roasted vegetables. For the Sichuan blend, take a tip straight from Chef Shuai Wang. In an interview with CHS Today, he recommended stirring it into Duke's mayo as a sauce for fries, chicken fingers, or burgers. Our Spice Advice on Sichuan Hot Chicken Spice has more of his ideas, and his rule of thumb is hard to argue with: anything you'd put salt on can get this blend.
The Chai & Golden Gift Basket: A Day of Mugs
Inside: Mumbai Street Chai, Golden Milk, Signature Sugars 3-Pack, Doosra Peanut & White Chocolate Mix, and a metal tea strainer.
Chai has been a signature across all of our businesses for years! It’s the drink some guests order before they've even looked at the menu at Chai Pani and Botiwalla. And golden milk is its gentler evening counterpart, the cup you make when the day is winding down.
We paired them as one gift for the person in your life who measures a good day in mugs, because a warm drink made by hand is one of the oldest ways we know to take care of someone.
This basket covers a whole day, from first cup to last.
Morning chai.
Mumbai Street Chai is built on Wagh Bakri CTC black tea. CTC stands for cut, tear, curl, a process that rolls the leaves into small, tight pellets that brew dark and strong. That strength is why street chai can take so much milk and still taste like tea. Ginger adds heat, and cardamom adds the aroma you smell from across the room.
Bring equal parts water and milk to a boil, add the chai, and simmer for three to four minutes. Pour it through the strainer and sweeten it. Plain white sugar is the traditional choice, though a spoonful of Vanilla Bean Sugar is hard to pass up. Our Spice Advice on Mumbai Street Chai tells the full chaiwalla story.
Afternoon iced golden milk.
Make a double batch at night, and you'll already be set. Let golden milk cool for about 30 minutes, then pour it over ice. It keeps in the fridge for up to two days (recipe linked below).
Evening warm golden milk.
Turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, roasted coriander, and black pepper, with no caffeine, so a late cup won't keep anyone up. Warm one teaspoon in a cup of milk over low heat, and keep it below a boil, because milk scorches fast. Salted Honey is the sugar for this mug. Here's our full Golden Milk method.
Anytime you want a sweet treat.
Save the Maple French Toast Sugar for buttered toast, and keep the Doosra mix within reach of the mug.
One Last Thing
We made a limited number of each basket this season. The only thing missing is your handwritten note, and maybe a printout of this post tucked inside!
