Friday, July 28, 2017

Thomas Jefferson’s vanilla ice cream recipe


No, Thomas Jefferson did not invent ice cream. That myth is easily debunked. According to food historian Michael Twitty, the recipe commonly attributed to Jefferson was most probably written by his French butler, Adrien Petit.*
It is no secret that Thomas Jefferson learned to love ice cream when he was the Minister Plenipotentiary in Paris from 1784 to 1789. Upon returning to the United States, the presidential foodie introduced ice cream to the Americans when he served it at the President’s House in Washington on at least six occasions, according to historical records. 

You can taste a bit of history when you make Jefferson’s Vanilla Ice Cream at home. Naturally, we recommend using Vanilla From Tahiti. If you don’t have a Tahitian vanilla bean handy, you can substitute one tablespoon of Tahitian vanilla extract.


See the recipe in Thomas Jefferson’s hand. Transcript follows:

2. bottles of good cream. (2 quarts)
6. yolks of eggs.
1/2 lb. sugar

mix the yolks & sugar
put the cream on a fire in a casserole, first putting in a stick of Vanilla.
when near boiling take it off & pour it gently into the mixture of eggs & sugar.
stir it well.
put it on the fire again stirring it thoroughly with a spoon to prevent it's sticking to the casserole.
when near boiling take it off and strain it thro' a towel.
put it in the Sabottiere (similar to the canister of a modern ice cream maker)
then set it in ice an hour before it is to be served. put into the ice a handful of salt.
put salt on the coverlid of the Sabotiere & cover the whole with ice.
leave it still half a quarter of an hour.
then turn the Sabottiere in the ice 10 minutes
open it to loosen with a spatula the ice from the inner sides of the Sabotiere.
shut it & replace it in the ice
open it from time to time to detach the ice from the sides
when well taken (prise) stir it well with the Spatula.
put it in moulds, justling it well down on the knee.
then put the mould into the same bucket of ice.
leave it there to the moment of serving it.
to withdraw it, immerse the mould in warm water, turning it well till it will come out & turn it into a plate


Click here for a modern version of Jefferson’s recipe that you can make at home. 

Bake with Love. Vanilla From Tahiti.

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* Munchies article Stop thanking Thomas Jefferson for inventing ice cream 

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Malted Milkshake with Tahitian Vanilla Bean




Make a dreamy Tahitian vanilla bean milkshake in just minutes with Vanilla From Tahiti.

Tahitian Vanilla Bean Malted Milkshake Recipe
Recipe by Vanilla From Tahiti

Servings: 2 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes (plus 1 hour to chill glasses)
Special equipment: blender

Ingredients:
3/4-1 cup cold whole milk, less for thicker milkshakes
1 teaspoon Tahitian vanilla extract
Seeds from 1 Tahitian vanilla bean*
2 cups Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream, preferably homemade
2-3 tablespoons malted milk powder, to taste (found in grocery aisle near dry milk powder or near coffee, tea, and cocoa)
1/4 cup malted milk balls, crushed

Preparation:
Chill 2 tall glasses in the freezer for 1 hour.
Add milk, vanilla extract, and seeds from vanilla bean* to blender. Reserve vanilla bean pod for another use. Here are some ideas on what to do with spent vanilla bean pods.
Cover and blend a just few seconds to evenly distribute seeds in liquid.
Add ice cream, and malted milk powder to blender.
Cover and blend until thick and creamy, pushing ice cream into blades as needed.
Divide milk shake between chilled glasses.
Top each milk shake with crushed malted milk balls and serve with a straw and long spoon.
Optional garnish: vanilla bean pod

There you have it! Our take on a great shake, perfect for cooling down on a hot day and enjoying the sweeter side of life.

*How to remove vanilla bean seeds: Cut the bean in half lengthwise. Lay the bean flat on a cutting board and scrape the seed out with a knife. Reserve the bean pod for another use. More detailed instructions with photos can be found here.

Save on the Tahitian Vanilla
Vanilla Extract + FREE Vanilla Bean – Purchase at least one 8oz Vanilla Extract from us, we'll automatically include a FREE Vanilla Bean sample!

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Friday, April 28, 2017

Fresh, Tahitian vanilla-infused picnic snacks


Spring is in the air! Every year, just as the grass starts to green and the afternoon sun beckons us to head to the park, we are reminded of the joy of a day outdoors. And in our opinion there is no better way to spend a warm spring day than lounging on a picnic blanket with a bounty of spring food before us. Here are three easy pack-along snacks that feature our favorite ingredient—you guessed it—Tahitian vanilla!

Fresh strawberries dipped in Tahitian vanilla sugar – Market-fresh strawberries are delicious all by themselves, but why stop there? Dust the succulent berries with homemade Tahitian vanilla sugar and you’ve turned the delicious into decadent. Making your own vanilla sugar is easy!


Strawberries and Tahitian vanilla cream – Scrape the seeds, a.k.a. caviar,  of a vanilla bean into heavy cream and whip it up! Or you could add a pinch of ground Tahitian vanilla bean powder, or a couple drops of vanilla extract or paste into the cream before whipping. Then stir in some strawberries, top with a bit of lemon zest, and grab a box of vanilla wafers. Be sure to keep your strawberry treat cold so your cream doesn’t get too runny!


Tahitian vanilla bean sun tea – Mix up a big batch of tasty Tahitian vanilla-infused sun tea before the last of the fresh lemons are gone. Transport in mason jars stashed in the cooler.


You don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen preparing an elaborate sweet treat to please your tastebuds, fresh fruit and easy fixin’s can take center stage, leaving more time to savor the sweet reward of spring. Bon appetít!

Bake With Love. Bake with Vanilla From Tahiti.

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Lobster loves vanilla


Savoriness isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of vanilla, unless maybe you’re French—or a professionally trained chef. In fact, French chefs have paired vanilla with pork, poultry and especially seafood for a long, long time. It really isn’t such a crazy idea when you think about it.

Just as salt brings out the umami in food, vanilla brings out sweetness in other ingredients. That’s why you see vanilla in chocolate confections, ice creams and all sorts of desserts. Vanilla also brings out the sweetness in meats like pork, poultry and venison, as well as seafood like lobster, shrimp, and scallops. Any meat dish served up with a sweet sauce could benefit from a little vanilla love. How about Hawaiian chicken, BBQ anything, duck with apricots, or venison in a cherry sauce? Is your imagination going crazy now?

Back in the nineteen-nineties, lobster in vanilla sauce was a popular dish. All the best restaurants had it on the menu. We think it is time to revive that pairing and improve on it by using Tahitian vanilla! Check out our Pinterest board for inspiration and recipes.

Bake With Love. Vanilla From Tahiti.



Thursday, January 26, 2017

Why the price of vanilla soars.


The cost of vanilla has always been volatile but now is positively soaring. Six years ago prices for vanilla beans were hovering at about $20 a kilogram, wholesale. Today, the price of Madagascar vanilla beans is close to $500/kg according to a recent market report. Tahitian beans prices approach $600/kg because they are more rare, comprising less than 5% of the vanilla market. Tahitian vanilla is usually 3-5 times the cost of Madagascar vanilla. 

Why has the price risen so dramatically? The vanilla supply tightened and prices are skyrocketing because of a poor harvest in Madagascar last year. After the Madagascar crop failure Tahitian farmers withheld their vanilla beans because they were concerned about quality. The trouble is that vanilla producers can’t determine the quality of their product until the vanilla beans are cured, which is many months after the harvest. This means they spend all that time curing beans that they can’t turn around and sell which drives the price up. So as you can imagine, when the supply goes down, prices go up.
  

To gain a little perspective on what it takes to produce the second most expensive spice in the world (after saffron), consider vanilla’s long and labor-intensive cultivation.

Is buying vanilla still worth it? Here’s what Rose Levy Beranbaum, author of The Baking Bible, The Bread Bible, The Pie and Pastry Bible, and many more says about the subject. “ALWAYS! I'd rather use nothing, as the taste of artificial vanilla varies from insipid to nasty. Pure vanilla not only has a delicious taste of its own; it also enhances other flavors.”

“Using imitation vanilla extract in your baked goods is like dousing yourself with the Chanel No. 5 knockoff you bought in Chinatown.” — Jessie Oleson Moore, CakeSpy blogger

More top baking experts say, yes, real vanilla is worth the expense.

But don’t give up hope. Vanilla harvests, and prices, are cyclical in nature and this year’s crop is promising. So the spike will be temporary.

“Vanilla from Tahiti is always going to have the best price, and we will be the first to cut the price as soon as we can.” — Peter Cohen, Vanilla From Tahiti

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Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Act now and get a book perfect for anyone who feels deeply and loves food and art.
















Chef Roberto Cortez believes there are no limits to how food can be experienced. 

His new book, Senses in Sucrose: The Art of Emotions in Sweet Form, uses breathtaking desserts and photography to express the depth of human emotions.


Chef Cortez says there are two common denominators that impact and connect every single one of us—emotions and food. “We feel at every given moment. And we all need to eat. My book is about how these denominators connect. This is not a cookbook, but a photographic journey of things we have all felt, and even some we hope to never feel.

“In the pursuit of excellence and exceeding limits, I always try and surround myself with the best products in the world. This book is no exception. I am honored to have Hering Berlin, Amedei and Vanilla From Tahiti exclusively throughout the book. Not only that, some of the world’s most innovative designers and craftsmen, like Estuari Designs, Jinhyun Jeon, Andreas Fabian, Lindsay Rogers, and Katja Bremkamp are collaborating with me as well.”
 

But don’t take our word for it. After seeing his first menu that we collaborated on, I was blown away. And after tasting it, it sent me to the heavens and I realized I had found a culinary soul brother. Roberto’s approach to his cuisine is spectacular. I have yet to meet or read about any chef that has his path.
— Matthew Biancaniello, cocktail chef and author of Eat Your Drink

OK, do take our word for it. 
Roberto deftly defies all that is expected in food to create some truly incredible dining experiences. We couldn't be more excited about his new book. If it's half as good as the dishes he's prepared using our vanilla, it's going to be a mouthwatering visual feast.
— Peter Cohen, Vanilla From Tahiti

Using photography and evocative writing, this finely bound, 200-page, photo-oriented volume will include 12 chapters, each on a different complex emotion expressed through a unique dessert created for that expression. Because this is not a cookbook but rather an aesthetic experience, there are no recipes.

Will you experience it? Join Vanilla From Tahiti and help us support Chef Roberto Cortez’ book project on Kickstarter. The all-or-nothing project will only be funded if it reaches its goal by Monday, Dec 26, 2016, 7:35 PM PST—just in time for a gift for your favorite foodie this holiday season!

Thank you for your support.

Bake With Love. Vanilla From Tahiti.





Friday, November 11, 2016

Vanilla Bean Paste is the best of both worlds

Want to include both the flavor of Tahitian vanilla extract and the beauty of thousands of tiny vanilla bean seeds in your recipe? Here is a tip from professional pastry chefs and cooks. Use Tahitian vanilla bean paste and get the best of both worlds.

What is vanilla bean paste? Essentially, vanilla bean paste is made from vanilla extract, vanilla bean seeds scraped from the bean, and a binder. It has a thick viscosity more akin to a syrup than a paste, actually. Some producers include sugar in some shape or form, so watch out for that if you don’t want additional sugar in your recipe. Our Tahitian Vanilla Bean Paste is made with gluten-free, grain-free alcohol and is triple strength, with no sugar or sweeteners added. It is non-GMO, kosher, and made in the USA, to boot.

Why use vanilla bean paste? It saves time. You don’t have to know how to split and scrape a vanilla bean to get to all those beautiful seeds (also known as caviar) and then worry about what to do with your used vanilla bean pod. Our triple strength paste has a rich, concentrated flavor, and when a little goes a long way it means you can conserve this precious ingredient. The best reason to use paste is for the visual effect of the seeds.

How to use vanilla bean paste. Normally, one would substitute paste for extract 1:1, but because ours is triple strength, substitute one third the amount of paste for extract. For example, one third tablespoon of paste = one tablespoon of extract.

When not to use vanilla bean paste. When your recipe calls for dry ingredients, use ground vanilla bean powder instead of extract or paste. Learn more about how and when to use
Tahitian Ground Vanilla Powder.

So there you have it. Get the beauty of real Tahitian vanilla bean seeds and full flavor of vanilla extract in the convenient form of vanilla bean paste. It’s the best of both worlds.

Bake with Love. Vanilla From Tahiti.

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