“Vanilla is not like other spices,” states Janet Sawyer of LittlePod – a company specializing in responsibly sourced vanilla products. “Vanilla is not just a spice one adds to food to give it flavour. It is the perfect flavour partner for nearly all food. With over 250 flavour compounds, vanilla works with other foods to release the flavour...and with natural calmatives and natural up lifters, it is able to enhance the flavour of dishes.”
Janet continues, “For example, when cooking with chilli, it calms the chilli; when working with bitter chocolate it takes some of the bitterness away; similarly when working with delicate herbs, vanilla can release the flavour of those herbs. This is why top chefs the world over use vanilla everyday in all their cooking.”
Many of us associate ‘spice’ with ‘spicy’, like we do with spices such as black pepper and chili. We tend to forget that vanilla is a spice too. But maybe we’re right to disassociate vanilla…because Vanilla truly has no equal.
How do you use vanilla in your cooking? Have you tried adding vanilla to savory dishes?
Vanilla Bean Tropical Shake recipe by Season with Spice
Makes 2 servings
What you'll need:
1 vanilla bean
1 orange - peeled and seeds removed
Coconut water from mature, brown coconut
1 banana
2 tsp raw sugar
10 ice cubes
Process:
1. Add all ingredients into blender (except vanilla bean)
2. Slice vanilla bean down the middle to open the pod. With the dull side of the knife, scrape all vanilla seeds into the blender.
3. Blend thoroughly. Then drink up and forget how cold it is outside.
Makes 2 servings
What you'll need:
1 vanilla bean
1 orange - peeled and seeds removed
Coconut water from mature, brown coconut
1 banana
2 tsp raw sugar
10 ice cubes
Process:
1. Add all ingredients into blender (except vanilla bean)
2. Slice vanilla bean down the middle to open the pod. With the dull side of the knife, scrape all vanilla seeds into the blender.
3. Blend thoroughly. Then drink up and forget how cold it is outside.
