Serviettenapkin Basket Recipes

SERVIETTE/NAPKIN FOLDING, ELEGANT SAIL

Steps:

• Lay your serviette square out flat before you in a square shape.
• Fold the bottom left and right corners to meet the top left and right corners. You will now have a rectangle with the crease along the bottom edge.
• Place your finger at the center of the top edge, with your other hand fold the bottom right hand corner to meet your finger.
• Now take the very top right hand corner, and fold it to the very top left hand corner. You should now have a square shape with a diagonal line running from top left to bottom right.
• Take the bottom left hand corner and fold it up to the top right and corner.You will now have a right-angle triangle (the right-angle being in the top right hand corner).
• Pick up the serviette so that the right-angle is facing away from you in the North position. Carefully open the inside folds so that you have something that resembles an ice cream cone (but with one side of the top higher than the other)The side closest to you will have all 4 loose corners visible.
• The side with the right-angle triangle will be the lowest point of the cone shape. Grasp this place ( it's also where the join is) firmly and carefully turn it it a little inside out, so that a small cuff is made all the way around. The bottom of your ice cream cone is now an elegant cone shaped sail and the cuff rises at one end like a little boat.

SERVIETTE/NAPKIN FOLDING, ANOTHER RESTAURANT FAVOURITE.

Steps:

• Lay your serviette square out flat before you in the shape of the square.
• Fold the bottom left and right corners up to meet the top left and right corners so that you now have a rectangle shape with the crease at the bottom.
• Place your finger in the center of the top of the rectangle. With your other hand take the bottom left corner of the rectangle and bring that point up to your finger. You will have before you a triangle shape on the left hand side and a square on the right hand side.
• Place your finger on the bottom center point where the triangle meets the square, and with your other hand, take the top right corner and bring it to meet your finger. You will now have before you a shape that is somewhere between that of a diamond and a rectangle with a gap that runs diagonally from top left to bottom right.
• Carefully turn the serviette over.
• Take the bottom left and right edge and fold it upwards to meet the top edge. There will be a triangular flap hanging down on the left hand side. If you pick the serviette up, the other loose triangle will fall down from the back of the right hand side, so now you have a long narrow strip at the top that has pointed east and west edges and two triangles hanging down at the bottom.
• Put your finger on the topmost left point of the bigger triangle that is hanging down, (your finger should be about 1/3 of the way along, from the very top left edge)Then fold the most top left point to the right so that the finger would be at the center of the new fold that you make. Lift up the flap of the bigger triangle that is hanging down and tuck the point that you folded over underneath.
• Turn the serviette over so that the straight edge is still at the top and place your finger at the peak of the triangle that is pointing upward. (your finger should be roughly half way along the top edge of the serviette).
• Bring the most left point completely towards the point in the top right hand corner, where your finger was, is where the new fold line is.
• Pick up the napkin and carefully tuck this flap into the opposite fold.
• Carefully pick up the serviette so that the two points are in the North/South position, slip your fingers underneath and pull very gently in both east/west direction to open the serviette enough so that it stands up.
• Neaten the centre a little if necessary.

PARMESAN BASKETS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place about 2 teaspoons of Parmesan cheese onto a silicone sheet or baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and gently spread the cheese out into a circle about 2 inches in diameter. Spread more circles of cheese onto the baking sheet, keeping them at least 1 inch apart.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid burning. Remove from the oven, and let cool on the sheets until warm; while still warm, drape the wafers over a small bowl or other container. Let cool. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

SERVIETTE/NAPKIN FOLDING, DUCK FEET

Steps:

• Lay your serviette square out flat before you.
• Take the bottom left and bottom right corners and bring them up to meet the top left and top right corners. You will have before you a long rectangle with the crease at the bottom.
• Again take the bottom left and bottom right corners and bring them up to meet the top left and top right corners, your rectangle is now only half as deep as before.
• Place your finger at the top center of the rectangle and with your other hand take the top right corner and fold it downwards and past the base of the rectangle so that you have a triangular shape at the top and a flap at the bottom. Repeat with the left top corner, you will now have a shape before you that it square at the bottom and pointed at the top.
• Carefully turn the serviette over, keeping the point of the triangle at the top.
• Taking hold of the point of the triangle, raise it upward and toward you so that it will stand up and at the same time gently push the "feet" at the bottom slightly apart just enough so that the serviette stands up on it's own. Arrange carefully on a plate.

SERVIETTE/NAPKIN, DRAMATIC FAN

Steps:

• Place your serviette flat before you in a square shape.
• Carefully make accordion pleats from the very bottom of the serviette to the very top. You will have before you a long thin rectangular strip of pleated material.
• Starting at one end of the strip, carefully roll it up until you reach the 2/3 mark of the strip.
• Lay the spiral shape down so that it sits upright and gently fan out the last section that isn't rolled up.
• Holding the rolled up spiral section firmly, reach into the centre of the spiral and pull it the beginning edge and form it into a a small peak in the center.
• Arrange the serviette on a plate for dramatic effect.

PRALINE BASKETS

Steps:

• Put the almonds into the container of a food processor and blend until coarse-fine. The ideal consistency would be like that of whole peppercorns. There should be about three cups.
• Put the ground nuts in a saucepan, preferably with a round bottom, and add the sugar and butter. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the butter is melted and the ingredients are evenly blended. Take care that the mixture does not burn.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the milk. Stir in the flour. Let stand until cool. Chill thoroughly. When chilled, the mixture should be easy to shape into round balls.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Divide the mixture into 14 or 16 portions, one portion at a time. Shape each portion into a round ball. It is important that you work with only two or three portions at a time. As the balls are shaped, arrange them, spaced neatly and well apart, on rectangles of parchment paper. Cover with a second sheet of parchment paper and roll each portion into circles measuring about five inches. Remove the upper sheet of parchment. (If parchment paper is not available, arrange the balls, two or three at a time, on a buttered baking sheet and flatten them into five-inch circles with the fingers.) Place in the oven on the center shelf and bake eight to 10 minutes or until golden or caramel brown. Do not burn.
• At this point, you must act quickly but cautiously. Remove the rounds from the oven and let stand briefly. The important thing is to allow the rounds to cool for a few seconds or to the precise moment when a metal spatula can be slid beneath each one. If they are allowed to stand too long, they will become brittle and cannot be shaped or molded. Quickly transfer one round at a time into a round-bottom glass or metal container with a capacity of approximately one and one-half cups. Press down to mold the round into a ''basket.'' Quickly proceed to the second and third round, pressing them into shape. The rounds must remain warm as you shape them. If they break slightly, they may be repaired with the fingers, provided they are still warm enough to be malleable. The baskets will become firm as they cool. As they become firm, remove them and set them aside to be filled as a dessert. They may be filled with a chilled pudding or custard mixture, with scoops of ice cream, with fresh fruit or berries and so on. If desired, the inside of each basket may be brushed with melted chocolate before filling.

SERVIETTE/NAPKIN FOLDING, THE SIMPLE POCKET

Steps:

• Lay your serviette square out flat before you.
• Fold the top and bottom left hand edges to meet the top and bottom right hand edges. You will have a long rectangle with the fold on the left hand edge.
• Fold the bottom short edge up about 1/3 of the way up the rectangle. Then repeat another 1/3 of the way up.
• Carefully turn the serviette over and fold the top and bottom East edge to the centre.
• Repeat with the West edge.
• Carefully turn this over again and you will have a neat package that has a pocket at the bottom into which a nametag, cutlery, flowers or a small gift can be inserted.

SERVIETTE/NAPKIN, BASKET

Steps:

• Lay your serviette out flat before you in a square.
• Take the top left and top right corner and bring them 1/3rd of the way down the square.
• Now take the bottom left and bottom right corners and bring them up to meet the new corners at the top. You will have before you a long rectangle that is 1/3rd the width of your original servietter square.
• Take the top let and bottom let corners and fold them 2/3rd of the way towards the right.
• Place your finger about half way down the line that now runs vertically down the serviette at the 2/rd mark, and with your other hand, bring the bottom right corner of the flap folded in the previous step, up to meet your finger in the center. This should produce a horizontal band in the center if the left 2/3rd of the serviette, and the bottom left corner should turn into a triangle.
• Now repeat by bringing the top right corner of the flap at 2/3rds down to meet the bottom crease fold of the band you just made. Once it's flattened out it there will second band directly above the first and another triangle will appear in the top left corner of the serviette.
• Take the free end of the band in the center of the serviette and fold it back over to the left so that it sticks out to the left, past the left edge of the serviette.
• Now take the top right and bottom right of the serviette and bring it over to the left so that what *were* the right edges of the serviette not are level with the outer edge of the band that's sticking out on the left. You will have before you a square shape.
• Place your finger in the center of the left edge and with your other hand, bring the bottom left corner up to meet your finger. This should make a flat horizontal band in the middle again and a triangle will form in the bottom right corner.
• Finish this band by bringing the top left corner of the serviette down to meet the bottom crease mark of the band you have just made, and as before a second band will form directly above the first and the last triangle should form in the top right corner.
• As with the previous side, take the long loose end of the band on the left and fold it back on itself so that it sticks out on the right side. Your serviette will now look something like a rowboat with very fat oars in the middle that stick out on each side.
• Place your fingers inside the triangles in the center of the serviette and holding the left and right ends very firmly, turn the serviette inside out. It will look a tad messy at first but the square box form should be there, and I neatened mine up considerably by easing everything into place.
• To make this serviette really impressive, carefully hold the little serviette basket open on each side in turn, while ironing the inside of the four sides.
• Fill your basket with a bread roll, a cookie, a few crackers, a small gift, party favours and confetti -- in fact, whatever takes your fancy.