One of the year's biggest food trends is the emphasis on and importance of fine ingredients.

From a local shop devoted to artisanal cheeses to the ever-blossoming number of farmers' markets around the state, high-quality, fresh ingredients are now readily available to both the casual home cook and the local chef.

Keeping that in mind, we have selected 12 of our favorite recipes from this past year that make use of this abundance of local resources and at the same time illustrate the great variety available to our readers from the contributions of our regular columnists, local celebrity chefs and home cooks themselves throughout the year. So whether you are searching for the hottest new cocktail sensation or an old-time Baltimore favorite, this list of winners is sure to have something for everyone.

Recipes on Page 4F