 December 4, 2005 |
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 How to Choose and Use Vanilla Beans 101
Choosing Beans
Vanilla beans - those pricey, fragrant, dried seed-pods that offer no easy clue about how to use them - are native to tropical America. There are over 150 varieties of vanilla orchids (there are 27 varieties in South Florida alone), but only two species are used commercially to flavor and fragrance foods and beverages-- Bourbon and Tahitian. Bourbon beans are botanically known as Vanilla planifolia or Vanilla fragrans and originally came from the Gulf Coast of Mexico. When grown in Mexico they're called Mexican beans. On the other hand, beans from the same plant stock are called Bourbon beans if they grow in Madagascar, Indonesia, and many other regions. The big exception is the beans from Tahiti. Even though Tahitian vanilla is now considered its own species, the original plant stock also came from Mexico.
Beans vary in flavor and fragrance when they are grown in different parts of the world. Soil and climate differences as well as methods of curing the beans imbue unique qualities in beans. Vanilla grown only 20 miles apart can have subtle but distinct differences in flavor and appearance.
Click through for Tips on Selecting, Storing and Using Vanilla Beans.
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This Week's Recipe Club: Holidays with The Vanilla Queen
Date: December 5, 2005 - December 9, 2005
Guest Host: Patricia Rain
Theme: Holidays with the Vanilla Queen - Monday: Brandied Chicken Breasts in Marsala Vanilla Cream Sauce; Basmati Rice Pilaf; Steamed Carrots with Candied Ginger and Vanilla.
- Tuesday: Maple Sugar Cornmeal Muffins; Fresh Pineapple Compote; Lightweight Tangerine-Vanilla Scones.
- Wednesday: Salmon Steaks in Red Wine; Vanilla Scented Savory Polenta; Wine Poached Pears.
- Thursday: Vanilla Butter Cookies; Lemon-Lime Butter Wafers; Hussar’s Kisses; Vanilla Banana Mac-Nut Cookies.
- Friday: Roast Leg of Lamb with Cranberry Vanilla Wine Sauce; Spiced Sweet Potatoes with Tangerine and Bourbon; Extremely Delicious Apple Crisp.
Not a Member Yet? Click here Recipe Club to sign up today and start receiving these recipes on Monday!
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 Chef Cathy Leslie Releases Second Recipe CD. Supports the Chef2Chef Culinary Grant Program
Happy Holidays Everyone:
Chef Cathy Leslie in conjunction with Chef2Chef.net proudly announces the release of her second award winning CD. The history of these recipes is amazing. Cathy has written several thousand of the recipes in her collection. She also inherited several hundred thousand recipes that date back to the 1800's and to top it all off, she purchased several hundred individual recipe collections from estate sales for the past 25 years. Her collection now consists of 4,088,088 recipes, everything from appetizers to chutneys to entrees and desserts with everything in between. Her second CD has just been released and is being offered to you in time for this holiday season. It makes great stocking stuffers. A portion of the proceeds go to the culinary scholarship fund offered by and through Chef2Chef.net.
The categories in this CD include: Appetizer, Barbeque, Bean, Beef, Beverage, Biscotti, Biscuit, Bread, Breakfast, Brownies, Cake, Candy, Canning, Casserole, Cheesecake, Chefs Choice, Chili, Chowder, Cobbler, Condiment, Cookie, Dessert, Dip, Eggs, Game, Lamb, Omelet, Pancake, Pasta, Pie, Pizza, Pork, Potatoes, Poultry, Preserves, Pudding, Quiche, Rice, Salad, Salsa, Sandwich, Sauce, Scone, Seafood, Smoothie, Soup, Steak, Stew, Veal, Vegetables, Waffles.
To get yours in time for the holidays (Think Stocking Stuffer of 20,000 recipes...Good Idea) Click Here for all the information.
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Today's Recipe: Mexican Vanilla Ice Cream Ingredients: 1 Mexican vanilla bean, split
1 cup half and half
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
6 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon Pure Mexican vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly ground canela (Ceylon cinnamon) (optional)
Instructions:
Scrape the seeds from the split vanilla bean. Place the vanilla bean and seeds, half and half, heavy cream, and 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan and gently warm over a low flame until the sugar has dissolved.
Place the egg yolks and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar in a bowl and beat (electric mixer or by hand with a whisk) until the mixture thickens and turns pale yellow.
Add about 1/2 cup of the warm cream mixture to the egg yolk mixture and beat until blended. Gradually add the rest of the warm cream mixture to the egg yolks, beating as you do so.
Return the custard to the saucepan and gently cook until it thickens to the coats-the-spoon stage. Don't hurry this step. Stir constantly over a low flame, taking care not to curdle the custard.
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Remove the vanilla bean, scrape out the pods and add to the strained custard and stir until well blended. Add additional extract to taste.
Continue the final process of making the ice cream according to the directions of your ice cream maker.
Makes 1 quart.
Recipe from Vanilla.com Sponsored by  |
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