Tahitian vanilla extract has a sweet, flowery essence that marries well with fruits, and is a wonderful dominant flavor in custard and creams. Produced in limited quantities, Tahitian vanilla extract is the preferred vanilla of many discerning pastry chefs.
Vanilla is a flavoring derived from the fruits of the Vanilla orchid, a native plant of Mexico. Tahitian vanilla beans, [grown in French Polynesia in the South Pacific], are shorter, plumper and have a higher water and oil content than other Vanilla species. Tahitian vanilla beans are famous for their aromatic and fruity flavor.
Originally cultivated by Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican peoples what is modern-day Mexico, the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes is credited with introducing both vanilla and chocolate to Europe in the 1520s.
Vanilla is the second most expensive spice [after saffron], due to the extensive labor required to hand-pollinate and grow the vanilla seed pods.
Use vanilla to enhance the flavor of other delicious dishes with complementary tastes, such as chocolate, custards, caramel, coffee, and cakes.
Extracts, whether vanilla, lemon, almond or another flavor, are made by mixing a concentrated flavor with alcohol. The alcohol burns off during cooking or baking, leaving behind only the desired flavor in your cooking.