Ahhhh vanilla…I always loved the smell but can’t say I was a big fan of the flavor in my younger days. I always considered anything that was vanilla just “plain” and I always preferred the deeper flavor of chocolate. After travelling to Europe and tasting real vanilla bean ice cream, I was a changed woman.
Growing up at home, my family always insisted on the best ingredients when we cooked and baked, and that meant sourcing real vanilla extract. In those days, it was hard to find vanilla beans, and it was not until the late 1980’s when I attended culinary school that I actually saw what a vanilla bean looked like. At first glance, the fragrant seed pods offer no easy clue about how to use them – but never fear, they are actually very easy to incorporate into any recipe.
Vanilla is actually the fruit pod of an orchid plant called Vanilla Planifolia, and of the over 150 varieties of vanilla orchids, only a few species are used commercially to flavor and fragrance foods and beverages…and there are many differences between them.
Vanilla orchids grow in tropical climates and are found in Madagascar, Tahiti, Mexico, Indonesia, Tonga and Hawaii. The soil and curing processes vary in each area, and the beans will reflect these changes in their flavor and complexity. Discriminating cooks insist on real vanilla however imitation flavoring is available but not preferred, due to the chemically processed nature of the product.
Amazingly, the flower of the orchid opens only once per year for a few hours, and has only one natural pollinator…the melipone bee. As a result, the flowers have to be hand pollinated to keep up with demand, which is why they are considered to be the most expensive agricultural product in the world next to saffron. The long, thin and pale green pods are allowed to mature for 6-9 months and are then handpicked. At this point, they are blanched in hot water, fermented and allowed to dry in the sun until they turn a deep, dark brown. This entire process can take up to an additional 9 months. You can tell the higher quality beans from their counterparts, because they will form a white crystalline powder on the outer flesh, called vanillin. Many people see the powder and fear that they have become moldy, but premium beans should have a rich, full aroma, be oily to the touch and sleek in appearance. …moldy beans will smell bad, and should be discarded.
The plant stock we know as Bourbon beans originally came from Mexico, but when they are grown in Mexico they’re called Mexican beans. Today, this same stock is grown in Madagascar, and is often referred to as Bourbon Madagascar vanilla. The beans from Tahiti are now considered its own species, and called Tahitian vanilla however the original plant stock also came from Mexico, as did the one grown in Indonesia. Vanilla grown only 20 miles apart can have subtle but distinct differences in flavor and appearance.
Bourbon beans are long and slender, with a very rich taste and smell, have thick, oily skin, contain an abundance of tiny seeds and have a strong vanilla aroma. Bourbon beans from Madagascar are described as creamy and sweet, with strong vanillin overtones, and are preferred over the others. Mexican beans are very similar to Bourbon beans though they are more mellow and smooth in flavor, and have a spicy, woody fragrance. Tahitian beans are usually shorter, plumper, and contain a higher oil and water content than Bourbon beans. The skin is thinner, they contain fewer seeds, and the aroma is fruity and floral. They are often described as smelling like licorice, cherry, prunes, or wine.
All three types of vanilla are equally good. Commercially available vanilla products will use a particular type or a combination of one or more to develop extracts, powders and pastes. The product you are cooking or baking will dictate which one you will use based on the intensity and the flavor you need.
To use vanilla beans, lay the bean on a flat surface, preferably a cutting board and run a sharp knife down the long body of the bean, without going all the way through. Cut off both ends of the bean and open the cut skin to reveal the bean paste inside. With the back of your knife, scrape the seeds out starting at one end and moving down to the other. Add this to custards along with the skin to impart the strongest flavor. When you are finished, you can rinse off the skin and let it dry again completely, then add it to a jar of sugar or cut it into small pieces and grind it in a food processor and then add it to your sugar or baked goods. Either way, none of the bean should be discarded or wasted.
Vanilla beans will keep indefinitely in a cool, dark place in an airtight container. Don’t refrigerate beans as this can cause them to harden and crystallize. The beans should be wrapped in wax paper and stored in an airtight container, like a glass jar.
I don’t know about you, but I will never again take this flavorful and aromatic spice for granted….
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