Madagascar Vanilla (stick), 'Α 12cm' Vanilla stick - pod - bean, vanilla bean (Vanilla planifolia) ID: 188-49

All French pastry is based on vanilla. We find it everywhere, from the classic creams e.g. creme brulee, patisserie, English, up to millefeuille and cents, cookies and cakes.

Wherever he enters, he upgrades the sweet, giving it a deep and complex aroma, which is difficult to describe.

It is particularly suitable for creamy preparations, mousses, ice creams and parfaites and generally where there are many eggs, because it covers their strong smell.

It may surprise us, but vanilla can also be used in cooking, not in everyday meals but in gourmet dishes for special occasions.

In olive oil flavored with vanilla or in olive oil to which we have added seeds from the pod we can marinate beef fillet or season with it - in combination with plenty of black or green pepper - mashed potatoes or boiled potatoes.

We can also make sauces with red wine, vanilla and black pepper for the beef fillet.

Use: place the pod on a cutting board and with the tip of a sharp knife carve it lengthwise and open it in two. With a spoon or the back of a knife, "scrape" the inside by gently pressing to get all the tiny brown seeds inside. These, you can use them in sweet creations (they are great for flavoring creams and ice cream) while you do not throw the empty pod: you can put it in a jar with sugar to give it its aroma, in a bottle of vodka or in syrups.

Keep in mind that the empty pod can be used more than once, as long as you wash, dry and store it, wrap it in cling film, and place it in an airtight container.