Plain vanilla, please. This may be the answer to the often asked
question as to which flavor ice cream cone one desires. Although
there is nothing very plain about real vanilla.
Plain vanilla, please. This may be the answer to the often asked question as to which flavor ice cream cone one desires. Although there is nothing very plain about real vanilla. And there was nothing very plain about the Mexican Independence Day parade held Sunday on San Benito Street in Hollister. The colorful regional dress and dancing gear reminded me of so many flavorful foods we associate with Mexican cooking.
Aside from the chilies and sauces, it is vanilla that merits our respect today. Vanilla is a native orchid of Mexico, from the Gulf Coast area and the Totonac Indians in particular. They considered it a sacred gift and used it as perfume for altars and homes. Much later it became medicinal and eventually it was a flavoring for ritual drinks, maybe something like a modern day vanilla milk shake. Some of us still honor that ritual.
The Mexican parade and festivities this week honor the freedom from Spanish rule. However, it was the Spaniards, especially Cortez, who took the vanilla bean back to Spain in the early days of exploration. And then it was just a quick hop, skip and jump before vanilla was used in France more than in any other European country as a flavoring for chocolate, candies, ice creams and for scenting perfumes and even tobacco.
Thomas Jefferson fell in love with vanilla while in Paris, and brought some vanilla pods back to Philadelphia where he introduced the flavor to ice cream. He must have thought France was growing vanilla as he had it shipped to him from Paris, calling them magical pods. Soon his ice cream was named French vanilla and still today many companies use the name. A more fitting name would be Mexican vanilla, or Totonac vanilla, or even American vanilla since it is indigenous to the Americas.
As the world grew and as these exotic flavors became more in demand, the cultivation of vanilla orchids also spread to other areas. I shall spare you the political strife. You know the story, it is much the same as any other commodity, just another time and place. Just remember that vanilla is a part of Mexico’s magnificent history, an important part of the rich heritage the Americans have given to the world, and enjoy that extra lick of pure vanilla ice cream.
You can purchase vanilla in several forms for cooking and baking. I always recommend that you choose pure vanilla and not imitation vanilla. It takes the same amount of time to pour out of the bottle, and the real stuff is so much better tasting. For many recipes vanilla beans are used for a more intense flavor. Simply slit a vanilla bean open lengthwise and with the tip of a paring knife scrape out the millions of little seeds. These vanilla seeds go into puddings, ice creams, sauces and beverages. Generally this technique ends up being named French vanilla, such as French vanilla ice cream where you can visibly see the little black seeds.
You can also purchase vanilla powder, which is a dry version of vanilla seeds suspended in a little sugar. This is wonderful sprinkled over pancakes, waffles, cookies and stirred into drinks. Vanilla paste has recently become very popular as it is a thick viscous rich vanilla mixture and can be used in baking as well as stirred into sauces and beverages.
And now a few other interesting tidbits regarding the use of vanilla, much like the gift of the gods that the Totonac Indians honored. Did you know… Add pure vanilla extract to apple juice to settle your stomach, smell a vanilla bean to sooth your nerves, put a few drops of vanilla on your tongue if you burned it eating hot foods, add some vanilla to a batch of salsa to tone it down and to bring out the sweetness in the peppers, put a few vanilla beans in your cabinets or under the furniture to ward off spiders, neutralize pet smells in your house or car with vanilla, splash a little vanilla behind your ears to attract someone special, rub vanilla on your hands before handling your fishing line to disguise your scent to catch more fish. These ideas compliments of “The Vanilla Chef”, a cooking book by Patricia Rain.
BARBECUE IN BUNS
1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 cup catsup
1/2 cup steak sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon vanilla paste
2 tablespoons hot mustard
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
6 hamburger buns
Brown the meat in a heavy bottomed sauté pan with a little olive oil. Add
remaining ingredients, except for the buns. Cook about 15 minutes to blend
flavors and to reduce the liquids. Serve over the buns, for open face
barbecue.
HOT PEANUTS
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon chile powder or cayenne
3 cups dry roasted or raw peanuts
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder
coarse or fine sea salt, as desired
In batter bowl, combine all ingredients. Microwave on high 1
minute. Stir. Microwave another 1 minute. Stir. Continue another 1-2
minutes, or until peanuts are just beginning to toast. Allow to cool.
BANANAS FLAMBE
2-4 bananas
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
pinch of sea salt
pinch of nutmeg
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1/3 cup brandy
vanilla ice cream
In sauté pan, melt butter with brown sugar. Add salt, nutmeg and
vanilla. Peel and slice bananas and stir into butter mixture, cooking and
gently stirring until bananas are cooked but not falling apart. Pour on
the brandy and ignite. When flames die down, scoop over vanilla ice cream.
SLEEP TONIC
1 cup milk
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract, or 1 teaspoon powdered vanilla
Warm milk in a microwave safe cup 1 minute on high. Whisk in
vanilla. Drink and go back to bed. Putting vanilla behind your ears is
optional with this recipe.
Dorothy McNett is the owner of Dorothy McNett’s Place, 800 San Benito St., Hollister. Phone: 831-637-6444 or fax 831-637-5274. Her column runs Fridays in The Times. Visit the store’s Web site at happycookers.com
