Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (c)2011 LaDomestique.com

Happy Friday! A week of experimenting with ice cream here at La Domestique has got me in a nostalgic mood. The husband and I used to live in this cute little neighborhood where just outside our door we were lucky enough to have a bistro and an Italian style espresso cafe that served gelato. In the summer we would walk over to the bistro for dinner and a bottle of wine, visiting with the bistro owner who became our friend. After supper a trip to the espresso cafe was always in order (I need a petit something sweet after every meal). We ordered our favorite flavor gelato and an espresso. A table by the window was good for people watching.  When the gelato was gone and espresso cups emptied, we wandered home slowly, full and happy just to be together.

Espresso is hot and ice cream is cold. They make a good pair. It’s fun to pour hot espresso over cold ice cream- the Italians call that an affogato.

Ice Cream And Espresso (c)2011 LaDomestique.com

Did you know I’m on a quest to discover the best homemade vanilla ice cream? It all started here with Tahitian vanilla beans which have a sweet floral aroma that is rich and exotic. They are shorter and plumper than Madagascar vanilla beans, and I found the Tahitian vanilla beans to have markedly less seeds. Maybe I just got a dud? The ice cream I made with a Tahitian vanilla bean was lovely with a delicate vanilla flavor- floral and fruity.

For my next batch of homemade ice cream I chose the Mexican** vanilla bean. Vanilla actually originated in Central America. The Aztecs used it to flavor their cacao drink. I found the Mexican vanilla bean much more earthy, with a hint of tobacco and a robust, lusty aroma(I’m all about earthy flavors). My Mexican vanilla bean ice cream was full of intense vanilla flavor, plus the pods seemed to have a ton of seeds. Whereas I could barely make out the vanilla bean seeds in the Tahitian ice cream, the Mexican vanilla bean ice cream was gorgeous with hundreds if not thousands of brown specks. That’s what I call vanilla bean, people!

I used the Madagascar vanilla bean for the final batch of ice cream. It was moist and full of vanilla seeds. As I stirred the cream and vanilla bean on the stove top, a sweet heady aroma of licorice filled the kitchen. The scent also reminded me of dark cherries- complex and intriguing. Madagascar vanilla beans are often covered in a white, powdery substance called vanillin (which contributes to vanilla flavor and is associated with better grade vanilla beans). This last ice cream was the favorite (of the husband and myself). It had a balance that the other vanilla ice creams lacked. The flavor of the vanilla was sweet but not overpowering.

In the end, the Tahitian vanilla bean had a lovely aroma, but was less flavorful than the Mexican and Madagascar vanilla beans. The Mexican vanilla bean had the strongest, most earthy flavor. I would employ the rich, robust flavor of the Mexican vanilla bean in winter ice creams and desserts. The Madagascar vanilla bean was stronger than the Tahitian but not as intense as the Mexican vanilla bean. I prefer Madagascar vanilla beans for summer ice cream and other desserts like panna cotta.

I hope you enjoyed my quest for the best homemade vanilla ice cream. Vanilla is a pantry staple that we take for granted because it’s a basic ingredient in so many recipes (mostly baking). Taking a moment to learn the story of the vanilla bean makes me appreciate its history, flavor nuances, and unique role in cooking. Delving into an ingredient is a great way to understand it better and wake up your palate. Thanks so much for reading! Have a lovely weekend.

**According to the Deluxe Food Lover’s Companion, some Mexican vanilla products contain coumarin which is banned by the FDA as a toxin that causes live and kidney damage. Always buy Mexican vanilla beans from a reliable source.

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Making Vanilla Ice Cream (c)2011 LaDomestique.com