Present Perfect

In junior high school, I took a series of after-school classes at the local museum of natural history that, along with a thorough grounding in local birds and wildflowers (making me, to some friends, either a tedious hiking companion or a sort of Gerald Durrell in running shoes), had a fair share of crafts-making. I remember a good many bad ashtrays in the shapes of leaves, forgettable jewelry fashioned from rocks we had tumbled ourselves and some really nice paperweights of seeds and feathers suspended in clear plastic that I have to this day.

If you can ignore childhood flashbacks and their attendant poverty, there is something alluring about presents so personal they bear no taint of the exasperated shopper experience. Instead, they are created at home (No parking stress! No credit card mess!) and they can be of such widespread appeal that they avert one of the true pitfalls of holiday shopping--ignorance. Does Lisa already have the new John Irving? Is this the sort of necklace Julia would wear? Is Katie too old for ‘N Sync? are questions that won’t fry your synaptic processes anymore.

In the years since she turned from chef to writer, Sally Schneider has touched often on how sharing food can be a gift. From her articles for Saveur magazine to her columns in Food & Wine to her latest book, “A New Way to Cook,” she has marveled at how even though we are now several degrees removed from growing our own food, there’s still honest work in its preparation. In “A New Way to Cook,” out this month from Artisan, she walks readers through the fundamentals of cooking while altering processes or ingredients in ways that can make dishes less girth enhancing.

And at a time when people are trying to reconnect with lost innocence, making cookies and flavored oils and cheese crisps as gifts is almost as good as being a child again. There are just a few grown-up things you need to know, as Schneider explains in these recipes from “A New Way to Cook.”

Earl Grey tea wafers

(makes about 6 dozen cookies)

These paper-thin, buttery wafers have a delicate fragrance of bergamot from the Earl Grey tea. Around Christmastime, I make big batches of them to give as gifts.

5 teaspoons Earl Grey tea (or the tea from 4 teabags)

3/4 cup boiling water

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

5 1/3 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

In a measuring cup, steep 1 1/4 teaspoons of the tea in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Strain and discard the tea leaves. Place the tea in the refrigerator to cool. In a blender, combine the remaining 3 3/4 teaspoons tea and the brown sugar and blend to a fine powder. In a medium bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat together 5 1/3 tablespoons of the butter, the granulated sugar and the tea at high speed until the mixture is pale yellow and fluffy. Beat in the egg, 3 tablespoons of the brewed tea (use the remainder for iced tea), the vanilla extract, salt and flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes to let the tea flavor develop.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two large nonstick or heavy regular cookie sheets with a little of the remaining butter. Drop scant teaspoonfuls of the batter onto one of the prepared sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Using the back of a spoon or your finger, spread the cookies out to make 2-inch circles. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until the edges are just beginning to brown. While the cookies are baking, drop the batter onto a second lightly buttered baking sheet. Place in the oven when you remove the first pan. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 1 minute to firm them up. Using a thin metal spatula, carefully transfer the cookies to wire racks. Wipe the sheet clean and repeat using the remaining butter and batter. Store the cookies for up to 3 weeks in an airtight tin.

Ginger and “Yuzu” wafers

The combination of lemon and tangerine closely approximates the lovely complex flavor of yuzu, a Japanese citrus fruit that is difficult to come by in this country. These cookies are wonderful with jasmine tea. Follow the recipe for the tea wafers, omitting the tea and boiling water. Omit the brown sugar and use 2/3 cup white sugar. Beat the butter and sugar with 1 1/4 teaspoons grated lemon zest, 1 1/4 teaspoons grated tangerine, tangelo or clementine zest, and 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger. When you beat in the egg, add 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh tangerine, tangelo or clementine juice and 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, along with the remaining ingredients.

Prunes in Armagnac

(makes 3 cups)

These boozy prunes are a classic of southwest France, land of confit, pate and foie gras. They are steeped in a syrup spiked with Armagnac, the region’s delicious brandy. Since the prunes are pitted, they release some of their sweet juices to make a syrup, making little sugar necessary. The prunes are sublime served over vanilla and coffee ice cream and as an ingredient in pear, apple or quince tarts. Prepare at least 1 week before serving to allow the prunes to mellow. Packed in a pretty jar, they make a welcome gift.

1 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons sugar

1 vanilla bean

12 ounces large pitted prunes

1/2 cup armagnac or bas armagnac, or more to taste

In a small nonreactive saucepan, combine the water and sugar. With a thin, sharp knife, split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and bean to the pan and bring to a boil over moderately high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Place the prunes in a clean, dry jar and pour the syrup over them. Allow to cool completely, then stir in the Armagnac. Refrigerate for at least 1 week before serving. Refrigerated, the prunes will keep indefinitely.

Apple, pear, banana and mango chips

(yield will vary)

Paper-thin slices of fruit, oven-dried at a very low temperature, make delicate, chewy, intensely flavored fruit wafers, very different from the usual thickly cut commercial dried fruits. I like to slice whole uncored pears and apples to get cross sections of the fruits that remind one of a botanical print. Although they are not technically cookies, you can serve them as if they were, at the end of a meal, to accompany sorbets or ice cream or garnish desserts. These chips have a tart, concentrated flavor that intensifies as you chew them. Because they are sliced so thin, you can eat many more than the usual dried fruit halves, which are very caloric. They make lovely snacks as well. The fruit should be fragrant and ripe, but still firm enough to slice.

The quantities below fill 1 18-by-13 baking sheet (or 2 smaller baking sheets) for each fruit. You can multiply the recipe for as many racks as you have in your oven. For best results, slice the fruit on a mandoline or vegetable slicer.

1 medium pear or apple

1 medium mango (about 12 ounces)

4 medium bananas or 2 very ripe (black) plantains

To prepare pears or apples: Slice lengthwise 1/8-inch thick (20 to 25 slices). To prepare mangoes: Peel with a vegetable peeler. Using a thin sharp knife, slice parallel to the flat pit to cut the flesh off in two large ovals. Then slice along the edges of the pit to remove the thin strips of flesh. Slice the flesh lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick crescents (about 50 slices). To prepare bananas or plantains: Peel and slice crosswise on a diagonal into slices a little more than 1/8 inch thick (about 60 slices). Or you can also prepare with the peel. Slice lengthwise through the skin into long thin slices, then remove the skin. For chewy fruit chips: Preheat the oven to 150 to 165 degrees. (If the pilot light keeps your oven quite warm, there is no real need to light the oven.) Place a large wire cooling rack, a silicone liner or a sheet of parchment on a large baking sheet. Arrange the fruit on the pan so the slices are barely touching, fitting them like a puzzle to get on as much fruit as possible. Place in the oven and leave overnight. If using more than one pan, switch them several times from upper to lower oven racks (the oven is hotter at the top). After 8 hours or so, the fruit will be dry and leathery. Transfer the wafers to an airtight container.

For crisp fruit chips: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Proceed as directed above, but bake until the fruit is crisp and dry, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. If using more than one pan, after 1 hour switch the position of the pans so the fruit dries evenly. You can store the chips for up to 1 month in an airtight tin.

Note: If the fruit you’re using isn’t very fragrant or sweet, brushing it with a light sugar syrup before drying will intensify the flavor.

In a small saucepan, heat 1/4 cup sugar in 1/2 cup water until dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice. Dip each fruit slice in the syrup, shaking off the excess before arranging them on the baking sheet.

Warm olivada (warm crushed olives)

(makes 1 1/2 cups)

I first made this coarse olive paste as a way of using some olives that had been languishing in my refrigerator and were a little past their prime. Warmed and spooned onto peasant bread as an hors d’oeuvre, it was a revelation: The flavor of olives changes when they are heated, somehow becoming wilder. Make the paste in a mortar or on the work surface rather than in a food processor, to produce a coarser texture that leaves the flavors of the mixed black and green olives distinct. In addition to the garlic, thyme and orange zest, you could include other flavoring elements, such as chopped herbs, lemon zest or toasted coriander seeds. Put the skillet of warm olivada right on the table, along with sliced bread, for guests to serve themselves. You can also use it to sauce pasta and polenta.

1 garlic clove, peeled

pinch of kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon finely chopped or grated orange zest

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

12 ounces (2 cups) mixed green and black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

In a mortar, pound the garlic clove and salt with the pestle until reduced to a puree. Add the orange zest and thyme and pound to a coarse paste. Add the olives and continue pounding until they are reduced to a very coarse mash. Add pepper to taste. Or make the olivada right on the work surface. Using a chef’s knife, mince the garlic with the salt. Placing the flat side of the knife almost parallel to the cutting board, mash the garlic a little at a time by crushing and smashing it against the work surface until it is reduced to a paste. Add the orange zest, thyme and olives and continue working the knife in this way until they are reduced to a coarse mash. To serve, spoon the olivada into a small skillet, add a tablespoon or two of water, and heat, stirring frequently, over moderate heat, until hot. Serve at once. The paste will keep, covered and refrigerated, for about 3 weeks.

Basil, rosemary and other herb oils

(makes about 1 cup)

Flavored oils are the ultimate convenience food. I include a tag for each one, hung with a ribbon, that gives suggestions for use and storage. Basil and rosemary are my two favorites. In addition to being a useful oil for seasoning lamb, poultry and vegetables, rosemary oil makes a delicious dip for country bread. You can also use it to dress Nioise olives to serve as an hors d’oeuvre. In the colder months, I use basil oil to impart a summery flavor to mashed potatoes, seared fish, roasted onions and tomatoes and pasta. It adds a special flavor to winter squashes and pumpkins. To make 1 cup of herb oil you will need 1/2 cup tough-leaf herbs (stripped off the stem) such as rosemary, thyme, savory, sage or oregano or 1 1/2 cups soft-leaf herbs such as basil, cilantro and tarragon, coarsely chopped. Combine 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil and the herbs in a small heavy pan. Over low heat, heat the oil slowly until tiny bubbles dance around the herbs. Reduce the heat to very low and cook ingredients accordingly: for the tender-leaf herbs, 1 minute longer; tough-leaf herbs, 3 minutes longer, until their color begins to fade. Remove from the heat and let steep at least 1/2 hour before using. Or steep overnight for a stronger flavor. Strain into a clean, dry jar. Store the oil in the refrigerator up to 3 months.

Chive oil

Chive oil’s delicate, oniony flavor complements many foods, especially fish and shellfish dishes, vegetables and baked potatoes, and can be used in lieu of butter. Thinly slice or snip 1/2 cup chives and mix with 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil in a small bowl; coarsely crush with a spoon. Set aside to infuse for one day in the refrigerator. Strain and bottle.

Lemon olive oil

This oil marries the perfumes of olives and lemons and is splendid on many foods--practically anything you would dress with olive oil--especially vegetables like roasted peppers, fennel and eggplant and fresh fish. It makes a superb salad dressing when mixed with a dry, fragrant vinegar such as Banyuls or Cava. Balsamic , however, overly accentuates the sweetness of the lemon.

With a vegetable peeler or a citrus zester, remove the peel from two lemons in thin strips. (Take care to avoid the bitter white pith). In a mortar or medium stainless steel or wooden bowl, combine the lemon peel and a pinch of salt. Pound and crush the peel with a pestle for several minutes to extract the oils. Use a circular motion to crush the peel against the bottom of the bowl as you dribble in 1 cup fruity extra-virgin olive oil a little at a time, and continue working the peel this way for about a minute. Set the oil aside to infuse at least 1 hour before serving and up to 8 hours until it is fragrant with lemon (If you let it steep too long, it will begin to taste like candy). Strain into a clean, dry jar.

Saffron oil

This golden oil is so intensely flavored you only need to use a few drops per serving. Drizzle over seafood or tomato dishes, into soups and stews, on pasta or potatoes and beans. In a small 1 cup jar, crush 2 large pinches saffron threads with the back of a spoon (you should have about 1 teaspoon if using ground saffron). Stir in 2 teaspoons hot tap water. Let sit 10 minutes. In a small saucepan, heat 1/2 cup each grapeseed and extra-virgin olive oil over low heat until hot. Pour over the saffron, cover and shake the jar. Set aside to infuse at least 24 hours before using.

Olive-infused olive oil

Fill a beautiful jar half full of olives and cover them with an average extra-virgin olive oil. The olives flavor the oil, and the oil in turn preserves the olives, which you can scoop out as you need them to serve as an hors d’oeuvre or to flavor pizza, pastas, stews and sauces. To flavor the oil and olives, you can also add a peeled garlic clove, 2 or 3 strips of lemon or orange zest, rosemary or thyme sprigs or fennel seeds.

White truffle oil

Drizzle this intensely flavored oil on just about anything to give it the heady aroma of truffles: on fresh fennel and country bread as an hors d’oeuvre, or on fresh pasta, carpaccio, risotto, polenta, mashed potatoes, wild mushrooms and grilled or poached salmon and lobster. Rub a mortar or heavy bowl with a cut clove of garlic. Pound a 1/4-ounce piece (about 1/4 inch in diameter) of a moderate size truffle with a pinch of salt to a paste. Work in 1/2 to 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil (the exact amount will depend on how potent the truffle is). Set aside to infuse several days, strain and bottle. Make an omelet with the truffle pieces.

Parmesan crisps

(makes eight 9-inch crisps)

These paper-thin wafers, based on the frico of Friuli, Italy, are spectacular appetizers. Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, stabilized with a minute amount of flour, is sprinkled into a hot nonstick pan to form a thin pancake of melted cheese that hardens into a lacy wafer with the clear, delicious flavor of the cheese. There is no added fat, and the cheese goes a long way: A single ounce yields a dramatic 9-inch disk that is wonderful with Champagne, wine or cocktails. Broken up, it can also garnish salads, soups and vegetables stews. As with pancakes or crepes, it is best to experiment with the first one or two crisps, until you get a feel for the correct heat of the pan. Once you get the hang of it, you can make a whole batch in ten minutes. Use only real Parmigiano-Reggiano or another hard aged grating cheese, such as Montasio.

8 ounces parmigiano-reggiano or aged montasio cheese, grated (about 3 cups)

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin or dried rosemary, or to taste

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients. Heat a heavy 10-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Reduce the heat slightly. Using a soup spoon, a measuring cup or a coffee cup, sprinkle 1 ounce (about 1/3 cup) of the cheese mixture evenly over the bottom of the skillet to make a thin, lacy pancake. You should not be able to see the bottom of the skillet. You may have to adjust the heat; the cheese should sizzle when it hits the pan, but it should not smoke. Cook the crisp until the fine grains of cheese have melted together and the edges are just beginning to brown. Remove the pan from the heat and let sit for 30 seconds to 1 minute to set. If the crisp hardens too much, return the pan to the burner for a few seconds to warm it. With a plastic spatula, gently lift the crisp up by one edge and slide it onto a wire rack to cool until hardened, about 3 minutes. Repeat with the remaining cheese mixture. When the crisps are completely cool, they can be carefully stacked and stored in a tin or box. Serve the crisps whole or broken into large irregular quarters and arranged standing in a basket.

Free-form Parmesan crisps (oven method): This method is a little easier than the stove-top method, though the crisps aren’t quite as charming looking. Success depends on using Silpat bakeware liners or other silicone baking mats to keep them from sticking to the baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a 16 1/2-by-11 1/2-inch Silpat liner on each of two 17-by-13-inch baking sheets. Sprinkle the cheese mixture evenly over the liners to form a large sheet of cheese on each. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until the crisps are bubbling and slightly puffy and the edges are golden. Let cool a minute or two, until the crisps are firm enough to slide off the liners onto a cutting board to cool. Cut into squares or rectangles with a chef’s knife, or you can break the crisps into free-form shapes. The crisps will keep for about 1 week in an airtight tin.