Makes 1 cup

Give these away in small jars with tags as labels.

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1 cup coarse or fine sea salt

1. Using the back of a knife, strip the seeds from each side of the vanilla bean.

2. In a mortar, combine the seeds and salt. Using a pestle, grind the seeds into the salt until the salt takes on the vanilla perfume and the seeds are dispersed. Slice the vanilla bean halves in half again and place the pieces in the sea salt to add extra vanilla flavor. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Sprinkle lightly on cookies before baking or in homemade chocolates. Adapted from “Food Gift Love’’