Volume 11, Issue 111 - December 4, 2006

Good Day %name%,

I hope you all had a tasty weekend.

I am really happy to introduce my friend Patricia Rain to you this week. Chef2Chef "old timers" know that she has been a loyal friend to the site since the very beginning. We have a tradition of sharing her words and recipes each year around the holidays, and it's one I look forward to. Most people around the world know her as the Vanilla Queen. This week, you will find out why. Let's begin...

Vanilla: Golden Orchid of the Americas

Vanilla—that divine ingredient we use to flavor cookies, cakes and homemade ice cream, but rarely anything else, despite our adoration. We bring it out of the pantry more often in November and December than the other ten months of the year combined! Why is it, if we love it so much, that we don't use it more often? Probably because very few recipes call for vanilla, apart from baked goods and desserts. Our goal this week is to give you lots of tips for enjoying vanilla in ways you may never have considered before, and to bring plain old vanilla out of the cupboard and onto the table for nearly daily use. First, a bit about vanilla.

Vanilla is a climbing orchid native to Mexico, the Caribbean, and the moist, tropical coasts of much of Central and South America. It is the only edible fruit of the orchid family, the largest family of flower plants in the world. Orchids are also one of the oldest families of plants; vanilla is believed to be about 90 million years old!

Vanilla planifolia from Mexico provided the mother plant for the vanilla now grown in such diverse places as Madagascar, Uganda, Kenya, Indonesia, India, Papua New Guinea and many South Pacific islands. It is often referred to as Bourbon vanilla, which causes a great deal of confusion. The name has nothing to do with Bourbon whiskey. The island of Reunion, the first Indian Ocean country where vanilla was grown, was originally named Ile de Bourbon for the French Bourbon kings. The term Bourbon now refers to any vanilla grown in the Indian Ocean region, though even that has been stretched in use to refer to vanilla from most growing regions. The exception is Mexico and Central America, where it is still called Mexican vanilla.

Although the Olmecan and Mayan people used vanilla as a perfume and to flavor beverages as early as 2500 years ago, the Totonaca in the Veracruz region of Mexico were the first to domesticate it. Until the late 1800s, Mexico had a world monopoly on vanilla production. The vanilla industry is now relatively small in Mexico, but its people are still dedicated to producing exquisite vanilla beans.

Source: Patricia Rain, Vanilla.com

Vanilla.com Wholesale and retail boutique selling premium vanilla products. Your Source For All Things Vanilla!

Rompope

This is the Mexican version of Eggnog, served during the holidays.

Ingredients:

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 cans (28 ounces) water
1 Mexican vanilla bean, sliced open
5 egg yolks
1/4 cup grain alcohol (or vodka, rum or brandy), or to taste

Preparation:

Using a wooden spoon, mix the milk and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it boils. Reduce heat and add the vanilla bean. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let it cool completely.

When cool, stir the egg yolks and strain them into the milk mixture. Return the saucepan to low heat, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to boil. (Some of the mixture will stick to the wooden spoon at this point, which is another indication that it is done.) Remove from heat and let it cool.

When the mixture is completely cool, gradually add the alcohol, stirring constantly. Strain the mixture into clean bottles and refrigerate. Rompope can be kept in the refrigerator for about six months.

Recipe Courtesy of Yolanda Arzani

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A Word About Vanilla "Extract" from Mexico and the Caribbean

Because vanilla originally came from Mexico, and as Mexico once had a monopoly on the world's vanilla market, it's only natural that vanilla extract coming from Mexico is the best there is. In fact, nearly all of the so-called vanilla extract coming from these countries is synthetic (imitation)!

In the early 1900s, Madagascar began exporting tons of vanilla beans. At the same time, the Mexican Revolution shut down the industry in Veracruz for several years. Then the Gulf oil companies cut down the rain forest, making vanilla harder to grow in Mexico. The Mexican industry could not produce enough vanilla to meet the world demand, and Madagascar became the primary producer of vanilla beans.

Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean countries started selling cheap synthetic vanillas hoping to cash in on the association of Mexico and vanilla. It worked. By adding coumarin to synthetic vanillin, the flavor smelled a little more like pure vanilla. Coumarin can be toxic to the liver. Today Mexico rarely puts coumarin in the imitation vanillas they produce.

Although there are label laws in Mexico, they aren't enforced; in some of the other countries there are no restrictions. So, don't count on the label for an accurate account of the ingredients. Needless to say, synthetic vanillas are a big industry, and most tourists have no idea they are being duped. It's an easy product to sell.

How do you know if you're buying pure vanilla in Mexico? If it's in a big bottle and you paid less than $25.00, it's absolutely not pure vanilla extract. Pure vanilla extract usually costs more in Mexico than the US. If you want safe, good quality pure Mexican vanilla extract, buy it in this country from a reputable dealer, not from the little Mexican stores, which usually carry the synthetics from Mexico.

This picture is of a Totonaca man pollinating the vanilla orchid.

Source: Patricia Rain, Vanilla.com

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Pollo con Chile Seco

Gloria and Victor have a vanilla plantation outside of Papantla, Veracruz. The native—and hot—chilitepin chiles grow wild on their property. This is a picture of Victor Vallejo with his granddaughter Melanie.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 large chicken cut into serving size pieces
1 cup water or chicken broth
1/4 cup or to taste, large dried chilitepin chiles (or substitute other dried chile) (see note)
1/4 cup mild cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lard or butter
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
juice of two oranges
2 Mexican vanilla beans, split open
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Place the chicken and water into a large heavy pot. Bring to a boil, then cook, uncovered until the water has evaporated and the chicken is cooking in its fat (about 20 minutes for a supermarket chicken). Continue cooking until the skin is lightly browned on all sides.

Once the chicken is cooking, place chiles in a heavy skillet over low heat. Toast, stirring constantly, for about 10 to 15 minutes. They should be slightly darkened, but not burned. Let cool slightly, then grind to a fine powder.

After chicken is browned, remove excess fat, then return to heat. Sprinkle chiles, salt and pepper over the chicken, turning to coat evenly. Add vinegar, lard or butter, garlic, orange juice and vanilla bean, and cook until the vinegar has mellowed and chicken is well cooked.

Serve with rice, beans, tomatoes and tortillas.

Note: You can substitute pre-ground Mexican chile or cayenne for the chilitepin chiles.

Recipe Courtesy of Dona Gloria Casarin de Vallejo

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Cuban Flan

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
8 ounces cream cheese
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 large can evaporated milk
1 tablespoon pure Mexican vanilla extract

Preparation:

Melt 1-1/2 cups sugar over low heat. Pour into a shallow mold pan with center hole and tilt to cover bottom thoroughly.

Process the remaining ingredients in a food processor until well blended. Strain and pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees in hot water bath for 45 to 55 minutes. Cool.

Chill for 24 hours. This is a firm but creamy flan, almost like cheesecake in consistency. It's exceptional served with fresh tropical fruits or berries.

Recipe Courtesy of Chef Annaliese Keller
(www.malabartrading.com)