Dining
Dining
Blossom to Bean by Rosanna Mignacca
Exotic, exciting, expensive and rare. Vanilla? Who knew that the ubiquitous amber-colored bottle found in every kitchen cupboard evolved from a stormy past and equally fascinating journey.
It starts out innocently enough, with a lovely celadon-colored, tropical climbing orchid. But Vanilla planifolia is no ordinary orchid. Among over 20,000 different species of or chids, only the vanilla orchid bears an edible fruit, prized for its sensual flavor and suave fragrance. Vanilla’s journey began in Mexico with the Totonaco Indians, first guar dians of this secret spice. They believed vanilla to be a gift from the gods, a product of the souls of starcrossed lovers, god and mortal, whose sacred blood marked the spot where the climbing vine and beautiful flow e r first grew. Later
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defeated by the Aztecs, the Totonaco appeased them by relinquishing their exotic vanilla pods. When Cortez arrived in the early 1500s, he observed the Aztec Em peror Montezuma drinking chocolatl, made of vanilla beans, cocoa, corn and honey, from a golden goblet. After conquering the Aztecs, Cortez returned to Spain with his plunder, introducing both cocoa and vanilla in the form of chocolatl. For almost a century, only the rich or royalty enjoyed this sweet drink. In the ear ly 1600s, an apothecary to Queen Elizabeth I suggested using vanilla on its own as a flavoring. E
Background photo Sergei Didok. Inset photo by Kschrei / Shutterstock
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Dining
Dining
Bury the rest of the bean in the sugar and seal. Let it sit for a few weeks and use as regular sugar in baking or in coffee. It also makes a cute gift when tied with a ribbon and adorned with a vanilla bean. In today’s jargon, vanilla often refers to common or bland. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Vanilla’s sensual smoothness is used in everything from liqueur to top fragrances. But the sweet truth is, nothing beats pure vanilla in a luscious dessert! K
Adding to vanilla’s mysterious allure was its unique means of pol lination. The flowers open for just one day and are naturally pollinated by a tiny bee found only in Mexico. The Spaniards, with their colonies in Mexico, monopolized the vanilla trade throughout Europe, where vanilla’s popularity grew. Tired of paying premium prices, the French took plants to their settle ment in Madagascar. While the tropical plants thrived, they would not bear fruit, and efforts to import the bee from Mexico were also unsuc cessful. Then, in 1841, a 12-year-old slave boy discovered a way to handpollinate vanilla using a small bamboo splinter. To this day, vanilla is still pollinated in this way, making it one of the most labor-intensive spices and, along with saffron and cardamom, one of the most expensive. Mindful of the value of their precious crop, growers often “tattoo” their beans with pinpricks to create a botanical trademark that remains on the beans as they grow. Once har vested, beans must be fermented and dried to bring out their lush flavor and aroma, prior to storage and sale. 74 Nights
Premium beans have a full-bodied aroma and are sleek in appearance and slightly oily to the touch. Madagascar’s bourbon beans are long and slim with an abundance of tiny seeds and a rich, voluptuous taste. Quality Mexican beans have a mellow flavor and spicy woody scent. Tahitian beans are shorter and plumper, with a higher oil content and fruity-floral scent, sometimes described as evocative of cherry, licorice or wine. Soil and climate conditions affect vanilla. In fact, vanilla grown 25 miles apart can have distinct differences in appear ance, flavor and aroma!
Most of us are familiar with vanilla extract. Avoid synthetic vanilla, which can go by such deceiving names as “Natural Vanilla Flavor” or “Dark Vanilla” but don’t be daunted. You can tell whether vanilla is pure or synthetic by just looking at it. Genuine, pure vanilla extract, made by finely chopping beans and dripping alcohol on them, is amber in color; while the synthetic version, often containing caramel coloring, ethyl, coal tar or propylene glycol, has a darker, murkier tint. As a whole bean, vanilla is a rare, rich and complex treat. Use beans in frostings or flans, which are not cooked long enough to evapo rate the alcohol in the extract. The visual appeal of the tiny flecks of seed in cakes, cookies and other desserts is irresistible. Garnish with whole vanilla beans for a stunning impact. Vanilla paste is an easy-to-use product with the flavor and finesse of the whole bean, but also keeps well. If you have vanilla beans and are worrying about them spoiling, make vanilla sugar. Take a whole bean, slice it down the side and scrape the seeds into an airtight jar containing two cups of sugar. E
Top left photo by Liv Friis-Larsen. Top right photo by Olaf Loose. Bottom photo by Maceofoto
VANILLA MILK SHAKE
A very quick and easy way to enjoy vanilla, is by making a good old-fashion vanilla milk shake. For an especially refreshing and smooth shake, make sure to chill the milk and that the ice cream is frozen hard. INGREDIENTS
3 scoops vanilla ice cream 1½ cups ice cold milk 1 tbsp vanilla extract
In a blender, combine ice cream, milk and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth. Pour into tall glasses, top with whipped cream, add a ma raschino cherry and serve. Serves 3. For a thinner milkshake, add more milk. For a thicker milkshake, use less milk.
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Top left photo by Wolfgang Amri. Top right photo by Sandra O’Claire