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Mexico is the original birthplace of gourmet vanilla, and it remains the source of some of the finest gourmet vanilla produced anywhere in the world. But Mexican vanilla has gotten an undeserved bad rap for the practices of some imitation vanilla manufacturers.

The vanilla planifolia orchid is indigenous to Mexico, which was the principal source of vanilla worldwide for many centuries. Only a small amount of real vanilla is produced in Mexico now, but it continues to be prized by connoisseurs for its smoothness, creamy richness, and bright, spicy flavor and aroma.

Mexico lost its dominance of the vanilla market in the early 1900s, after the Mexican revolution wreaked havoc on the vanilla producing operations on the Gulf Coast. Unable to produce enough to compete with new growing operations in Madagascar and Indonesia, some Mexican producers began substituting natural vanilla with cheap manufactured imitation vanilla, to which a potentially toxic compound called coumarin was added.

Not only did coumarin disguise the artificial taste, it greatly intensified the aroma and flavor of the imitation vanilla and made it seem more like the real thing. This made it possible for Mexican producers to continue to capitalize on the nation's association with top-quality natural vanilla long after long after they had actually become manufacturers of a synthetic imitation product.

However, the toxic properties of coumarin became a cause of concern when it was proven to cause liver damage in lab animals, and in the 1950s the US officially banned the use of coumarin in any foods or food additives sold in the country. Many other nations have done the same. Further research on coumarin has shown it to also be a carcinogen.

How to be sure you're buying real, natural Mexican vanilla

Though it is illegal to import imitation vanilla with coumarin into the US and other countries, it still manages to make its way to consumers. Often tourists visiting Mexico are tempted by low prices and an overwhelming aroma (which is actually typical of coumarin-laced imitation vanilla) and are convinced that they're getting a steal on the "real thing".

Here are some tips for making sure you don't get duped:

1. Pay attention to price. Real, natural Mexican vanilla is relatively rare and is definitely not cheap. In fact, it's expensive - and there are no "special bargain sales". If you're offered a low price for a large bottle, you can be certain its an imitation.

2. Pay attention to color. Real Mexican vanilla is translucent and amber colored. Most synthetics are dark and murky or perfectly clear.

3. Pay attention to alcohol content. Real gourmet vanilla is extracted by using alcohol, and according to FDA standards real vanilla extract must have an alcohol content of at least 35%. Synthetics typically contain either no alcohol at all, or have an extremely low alcohol content, no higher than 2% - 3%.

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Like most people this year, I'm operating on a bit of a restricted holiday budget. In light of this, I remembered that in my poor student years one of the most popular inexpensive gifts I came up with was that of compound butters, also called flavored or finishing butters. These are simply butters that have had different flavoring agents added, such as lemon or herbs or fruit.

These butters have been a staple of French cooking, with maitre d'hotel butter being one of the best known. This is simply a combination of butter, lemon, parsley, and white pepper, blended, formed, and chilled. A slice or two is then served over fish or meat or vegetables for an elegant presentation and taste. The butters are meant to be the finish to a dish, adding flavor and sauce for a simply prepared item.

The variations on this butter are limited only by imagination. Escoffier is said to have included 35 variations on his 1903 publication, Le Guide Culinaire, and my Larousse Gastronomique has more than 20 listings. These include such wonders as caviar butter and lobster butter.

The preparation of these butters can be as easy as beating some chopped garlic into butter to as complicated as the lobster butter, which requires cooking the lobster meat, roe, and shells in a court bouillon, straining the mixture, cooling, then mixing the resulting essence with softened butter.

Some of the more popular butters I've prepared have included the above-mentioned maitre d'hotel butter, dijon mustard butter, garlic-parmesan butter, basil butter, and sun dried tomator butter. Garlic butter, either with finely chopped fresh garlic or with creamy baked garlic are also high on the popularity list. And don't overlook sweet butters: whipped honey, cinnamon and sugar, maple syrup, or finely chopped dried fruit mixed with butter give extraordinary flavor to breads and other baked goods.

You can use either salted or unsalted butter. If you use unsalted, be sure to check the taste of your finished product; you'll probably need to add some salt. I generally just start with salted butter. Perhaps if you're making anchovy butter or using another ingredient high in salt, you would want to start with unsalted. In any case, you definitely want to taste your butter to be sure of the seasoning and flavor before you give it away.

Here's something else to try: make your own butter. You don't need a churn, but a good mixer is very helpful. Pour well-chilled heavy cream into your mixing bowl, add a bit of salt if you like, and set your beating speed to high. (Chilling the butter, as well as the bowl and mixer attachments speeds up the beating process.) Even with a small hand mixer, you should have butter in just a few minutes. Simply press your butter to the side of your bowl and drain off the liquid part.

The ratio of butter to flavoring is subject to taste, but here are a few suggestions, all starting with 1 pound of butter: for garlic butter, you'll want 2 to 3 tablespoons of minced, fresh garlic; use 2 whole heads of baked garlic. Maitre d'hotel butter has 1 1/2 ounces of lemon juice, 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley, and a pinch of white pepper. Citrus butter will have 3 tablespoons zest and 2 tablespoons juice. To make gorgonzola or blue cheese butter, use 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the cheese. For basil or other herb butters, I use about 1/2 cup chopped fresh herb; dried would be about half. Here it's best to start low, let the butter rest a bit to incorporate the flavor, then taste to see if it's what you think is good. Start with 1 cup of chopped dried fruit and a tablespoon or so of sugar if the fruit is tart. This is another one to let rest and then taste for best result.

Another preparation using herbs is to mix them, either fresh (minced) or dried (crushed), into olive oil. Let the oil sit for awhile to infuse the flavor, then mix the oil and herbs into the butter. Besides flavor, you're mixing in a bit of health with the olive oil.

In all cases the preparation is the same: the butter is softened at room temperature, the ingredients, if not liquid, are chopped very finely, then the ingredients are mixed thoroughly, either by hand or mixer. The mixture is then put onto waxed or parchment paper and rolled into a log. The log is then refrigerated, where it can stay for several weeks, as long as it's properly wrapped. It can also be frozen, wrapped in foil, and it will be delicious for a few months. Be sure to label them well.

For gift giving, I tie a decorative ribbon around the roll and attach a card with a description of what's in the butter and suggested uses for it. A quarter pound each of 4 or 5 different butters makes an impressive and welcome gift.

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