EAT

Kitchen treasures

WITH GOURMET FOOD AVAILABLE TO BUY AROUND EVERY corner and on thousands of Web sites these days, you have to admire the folks who still go to the trouble to make gifts from their own kitchens.

When we asked readers for their best recipes for gifts, we learned that despite the popularity of celebrity chefs and specialty ingredients, when it comes to the holidays, tradition still has a powerful hold. We picked seven reader recipes to share with you.

Barbara Weitzel of Ocean Pines has been making the Black Walnut Cake recipe she sent us for more than a quarter-century. She got it from her mother, who got it from Weitzel's grandmother.

When the adults in her family decided one year not to buy gifts for each other, Weitzel started making the cake as a gift instead. She has since extended the gift to her neighbors. She packs the cakes in baskets with coffee mugs, gourmet coffee, Christmas napkins and chocolates.

"The black walnuts really come through," Weitzel said.

Donna Macek of Towson shared her recipe for subtly scented Pear-Cardamom Bread, which can be made either in regular or mini-loaf pans. The recipe came from a Gold Medal Flour holiday recipe book that she picked up about five years ago at the grocery store.

"The beauty of this bread is that you can whip it up at the last minute and have a gift to give in no time flat, as long as you keep some pears on hand," Macek said. She often wraps the bread in a holiday cellophane bag with ribbon, and suggests attaching a butter spreader.

Barbara Melosh of Baltimore sent her recipe for Cranberry Vinegar, which has a festive color. Melosh wrote that she sometimes adds ginger to this recipe to give it a little extra kick. She uses it in vinaigrettes and drizzled over fruit or ice cream.

We received several recipes for spiced nuts, and we liked the version sent by Paige Evers of Bel Air, who got the recipe from Food for Friends by Sally Pasley Vargas. When Evers takes them to a party, she packs them in two levels of a Japanese bento box, ties a piece of Japanese fabric around the stacked boxes and uses the fabric knot as a handle. "They are always gone by the end of the night," she wrote.

If you're looking for a fun, easy gift for teachers or friends to make with your children, try the Pretzel Snowmen that Lauren Mischke of Towson found in a magazine (they've appeared in Family Fun). Mischke has been making them for children's parties for the last five years.

kate.shatzkin@baltsun.com

BLACK WALNUT CAKE / / SERVES 12 TO 14

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

3 cups flour

1 / 8 teaspoon salt

21 / 2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup floured black walnuts

confectioners' sugar for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a tube pan.

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. In a separate bowl, sift flour, salt and baking powder together. Alternating with the milk, add flour mixture to the butter mixture a bit at a time, ending with the flour. Mix in vanilla and fold in floured nuts.

Pour batter into prepared tube pan. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar before serving.

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Barbara Weitzel, Ocean Pines

Per serving (based on 14 servings): 410 calories, 7 grams protein, 20 grams fat, 9 grams saturated fat, 51 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 97 milligrams cholesterol, 115 milligrams sodium

CARAMEL POPCORN

MAKES 14 TO 16 CUPS

cooking spray

12 cups popcorn (popped without salt or fat)

11 / 2 cups unsalted mixed nuts, toasted

1 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1 / 2 cup light corn syrup

1 / 3 cup unsalted butter

1 tablespoon molasses

11 / 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 / 2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Coat a large jellyroll pan with cooking spray. Place popcorn and nuts in a large bowl; set aside. Combine sugar, corn syrup, butter and molasses in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes, stirring once.

Remove from heat; stir in vanilla, baking soda and salt. Pour sugar mixture over popcorn and nuts in a steady stream, stirring to coat.

Spread popcorn mixture into prepared jellyroll pan. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and stir to break up any large clumps. Cool at least 15 minutes to serve warm after preparing.

Cool completely if transferring to tins.

Note: One-fourth cup unpopped popcorn makes about 8 cups popped.

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Ann-Laurie Hyman, Reisterstown

Per cup (based on 16 cups): 218 calories, 3 grams protein, 11 grams fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 30 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber, 10 milligrams cholesterol, 199 milligrams sodium

DATE-PECAN MUFFINS

MAKES 2 DOZEN MINI-MUFFINS

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup sugar

1 large egg, beaten with a fork

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup pitted dates, cut into pieces

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup dry sherry, heated to just below a boil

1 stick salted butter, cut into small pieces (or 1 stick unsalted butter plus 1 / 4 teaspoon salt)

confectioners' sugar for rolling

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Generously butter a 24-cup miniature muffin tin.

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, egg, pecans, dates and vanilla in a bowl and mix by hand. Add sherry, then add butter immediately and beat with a spoon or whisk to melt. Batter will be thin.

Fill muffin cups nearly to the top with batter. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove muffins from tins and roll in powdered sugar.

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Sally Barker, Phoenix

Per muffin: 144 calories, 1 gram protein, 8 grams fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 19 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 19 milligrams cholesterol, 45 milligrams sodium

SWEET AND SALTY TOASTED PECANS / / MAKES 4 CUPS

vegetable oil for baking sheets

4 cups pecan halves

11 / 2 cups water

3 cups sugar

2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 / 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 / 4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil and brush them lightly with vegetable oil. Combine the pecans, water and sugar in a saucepan and, stirring occasionally, bring to a boil over medium heat. Continue to boil, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Remove the nuts with a slotted spoon and spread them on the prepared baking sheets in a single layer. They should not be touching. Bake the nuts for 15 to 25 minutes, or until they turn a deep, toasty brown. (Watch carefully so they don't burn.)

Remove the pans from the oven and let the nuts cool slightly. Leave the oven turned to 325 degrees. Push the nuts into a mound in the center of each baking sheet, making sure the nuts are not stuck together.

Drizzle half of the oil and vanilla over each mound and toss to coat evenly. In a small bowl, stir together the salt, cinnamon and pepper until well mixed. Sprinkle the mixture over the nuts, again using half for each baking pan.

Toss until the nuts are evenly coated with the spiced mixture. Spread the nuts out into a single layer. Bake for 10 more minutes, or until browned and crisp. Let cool completely. Store the nuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days.

Note: This recipe is from Food for Friends by Sally Pasley Vargas.

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Paige Evers, Bel Air

Per serving (1 / 4 cup): 213 calories, 2 grams protein, 21 grams fat, 2 grams saturated fat, 6 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams fiber, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 120 milligrams sodium

PEAR-CARDAMOM BREAD / / MAKES 1 REGULAR LOAF; SERVES 12

CARDAMOM TOPPING:

1 tablespoon sugar

1 / 4 teaspoon ground cardamom

BREAD:

1 2 / 3 cups all-purpose flour

3 / 4 cup sugar

11 / 2 teaspoons baking powder

3 / 4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 / 2 cup vegetable oil

1 / 4 cup milk

2 eggs

11 / 2 cups chopped unpeeled pear (1 large)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom only of a standard 8- or 9-inch loaf pan with shortening.

For the topping: Mix the sugar and cardamom and set aside.

For the bread: In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cardamom. In a small bowl mix the vegetable oil, milk and eggs. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix by hand until just combined. Fold in chopped pear. Pour into pan and sprinkle topping over the batter.

Bake an 8-inch loaf 50 to 55 minutes and a 9-inch loaf 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely, about an hour.

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Donna Macek, Towson

Per serving: 223 calories, 3 grams protein, 10 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 30 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 36 milligrams cholesterol, 205 milligrams sodium

CRANBERRY VINEGAR

MAKES 1 1 / 2 CUPS

3 / 4 cup white vinegar

3 / 4 cup water

1 / 2 cup sugar

1 cinnamon stick

1 package (12 ounces) fresh cranberries

1 slice fresh gingerroot, peeled and about the size of a quarter (optional)

In a nonreactive saucepan, bring all ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until cranberries burst. Cool. Strain through fine sieve into large measuring cup, and then pour into bottles or jars. (Empty spice bottles are one good choice that you might have on hand.) Seal tightly. Discard cranberries, cinnamon stick and gingerroot. Chill until ready to use.

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Barbara Melosh, Baltimore

Per tablespoon: 16 calories, 0 grams protein, 0 grams fat, 0 grams saturated fat, 4 grams carbohydrate, 0 grams fiber, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 0 milligrams sodium

PRETZEL SNOWMEN / / MAKES 2 TO 21 / 2 DOZEN SNOWMEN

two 12-ounce bags white chocolate chips (divided use)

one 10-ounce bag pretzel rods (see note)

mini-chocolate chips for garnish

1 or 2 individual fruit rollups

one 7-ounce bag gummy lifesavers

one 7-ounce bag gumdrops

orange decorator gel

Melt 1 cup of the white chocolate in the microwave. Dip one end of each pretzel rod in the melted chocolate and spread about two-thirds down the rod. Lay the coated pretzel rods out on wax paper and press in mini- chocolate chips for eyes about , of an inch down. Press in chocolate chips for buttons about 1 inch below the eyes. (When white chocolate runs out, melt the next cup and repeat above until all the pretzel rods are coated. You will probably have some chocolate left over.)

When the chocolate has hardened, cut fruit rollups into strips 1 / 4 inch wide and tie one around each pretzel as a scarf.

For hats, stretch a gummy lifesaver just over the top of each pretzel and attach a gumdrop atop the lifesaver using a dab of melted white chocolate. Stand the pretzel snowmen up in a glass after this step.

Use orange gel to add a carrot nose just below the chocolate-chip eyes of each snowman.

Note: You may want to have an extra bag of pretzel rods handy in case some in your first bag are broken.

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Lauren Mischke, Towson

Per snowman (based on 30 snowmen): 133 calories, 2 grams protein, 5 grams fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 22 grams carbohydrate, trace fiber, 2 milligrams cholesterol, 139 milligrams sodium