Vanilla

Vanilla is one of the earliest aromas I remember. Long before I was allowed to wear scent I dabbed vanilla on my wrists and revelled in the creamy spicy addictive fragrance.  Vanilla can be too sickly if it's artificial but the real thing is glorious. It's no accident that it's the most common flavouring for baking but that's not to belittle it. Vanilla pods are a precious resource. 

The warmest, smoothest, most complex scent; why is vanilla often dismissed as middle of the road, conventional, dull or unadventurous?

It’s vanilla that gives raw cake mixture that unmistakable, lick the spoon quality. Splitting a vanilla pod & scrapping the seeds into burgeoning custard is a delight; one of the few culinary occasions when black specks are welcome. Like most people I never throw the pods away. Into caster sugar they go; washed & reused until the last wisp of scent is released.

A few years ago, lucky enough to attend the Slow Food Salone del Gusto and Terre Madre, I came home with a clutch of vanilla pods, from Mexico to Madagascar. Recently the opportunity presented itself to try fair trade Ugandan vanilla from Ndali thanks to Vanessa Kimbell’s Vanilla Gift Swap.  Opening up the little metal canister of powdered vanilla, there’s a smoky, butterscotch like hit, rich and complex. I’m going to love using it.   And vanilla powder is such a good idea.

It's been one of my long time ambitions to follow the spice trail, see where nutmeg & cinnamon grow, and most of all, to see vanilla pods in their trees. Envious of Vanessa Kimbells opportunity it was fascinating to hear her journey on the BBC Radio 4 food programme & listen to the stories of vanilla farmers. Vanessa has done an amazing job of bringing attention to this community of growers in Uganda. I had no idea that vanilla grows in Africa.Quite rightly they say they don't want charity, just a fair price for their crops. 

All farmers the world over deserve a fair price for the food they grow.
There are many times when I've been told that farmers markets are expensive; its easy not to think about the true price of food production & what it actually costs a farm to raise & grow the food we eat.
It's no different with a fair trade product. It can be more expensive but that is the real and fair price.

My first attempt;

Little cakes drenched in my plum and vanilla cordial.  I made individual versions of my plum and cobnut cake but the syrup made the little cakes soggy although they tasted great. 

 

Second attempt; something simple where the flavour of vanilla would shine. In the convents of Spain, nuns sell sweet confections they’ve made themselves. Rich in almonds and egg yolks they make charming gifts. I bought the cookbook, Reposteria de Los Conventos whilst in Madrid. 

Lionesas are choux buns flavoured with lemon, filled with confectioners custard. I replaced the lemon with vanilla powder and flavoured the custard with a split vanilla pod. The choux buns didn’t work; too soft, but the custard was wonderful. Rich, creamy with a solid hit of vanilla. In the picture the choux buns look slightly burnt because I gave them a 2^nd warm in the oven to crisp them up. 

Here’s the proportions. I used less sugar than the stated 150g and it was sweet enough;

½ litre milk

one vanilla pod

50g corn flour

4 yolks of eggs

100g sugar

My second offering, Mexican wedding biscuits also uses corn flour. They’re a shortbread traditionally flavoured with cinnamon. I used vanilla power in the mixture and dusted them with icing sugar mixed with vanilla powder for a double hit. Very simple, slightly sandy and delicate. 

With their customary hospitality for the vanilla swap, Fortnum & Mason had provided a beautiful looking selection of cakes; but after testing and tasting confectioner’s custard all morning, I sadly wasn’t in the mood for anything sweet.

There were some amazing offerings on display like this flower pot cake; 

Here's two of the well deserved winners:

The gift swap was a lovely idea and lucky me, I went home with a beautiful elderberry drizzle cake from Turquose Lemons and vanilla penda by the talented Botanical Baker.
And a very generous goody bag 

 

As I write this the Big Fair Bake  is taking place. As well as using fair-trade ingredients from other countries, use fair trade ingredients from your local farm shop or farmers’ market; free range eggs, butter, and flour if you can, and  make the most of local seasonal apples, pears and plums.  

Thanks Vanessa, it was an inspring afternoon.

There will be another Gift Swap at Christmas. More info on Vanessa's website here.