Vanilla extract (Recipe: ice cream chocolate chip cookies)

Chocolate and vanilla, the culinary Romeo and Juliet: grown in different areas of the world, stored in different parts of the pantry, but they find a way to be together in the end.

All the great chocolate desserts — ice cream, brownies, cakes and cookies — depend on vanilla to enhance the chocolate flavor. The Aztecs may have discovered this synergy, but the first people to spread the word were Spanish conquistadors, who got hooked on a chocolate drink flavored with vanilla at the court of Moctezuma, and sent vanilla pods back to Spain.

Vanilla pairs well with flavors other than chocolate, too, such as the "warm" spices: cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and saffron. Usually we associate vanilla with sweets, but it works with savory foods like seafood, chicken, and vegetables.

Vanilla planifolia, a perennial, climbing orchid native to Central America, produces pods which actually have no aroma or taste until they are fermented. Vanilla extract, invented in the late 19th Century by pharmacists as a remedy for upset stomach, is made by macerating vanilla pods in ethyl alcohol — not bourbon whiskey, as the name implies. (The name originated in the 1800s, when the French developed large vanilla plantations on Réunion, which was known as Ile de Bourbon.)   

If you plot on a map the countries that produce vanilla — Tahiti, Mexico, Indonesia, Madagascar and Réunion — you'll see that they are all within a similar latitude north or south of the Equator. Do the same with chocolate; you'll find that the major chocolate producers are all much closer to the Equator. This is a fun thing to do with a giant world map and a group of kids, as we did earlier this year in the Ninecooks kitchen at a chocolate and vanilla tasting.

At that tasting, fourteen parents and middle-school gourmands-in-the-making chose vanilla extract made by Charles H. Baldwin & Sons, a fifth-generation business in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, as the favorite, besting the best quality Madagascar, Tahitian and Mexican vanilla extracts. The Baldwin family has been making Bourbon vanilla extract since 1888, and still uses the original oak vats to age the extract before bottling.

Most of the time I use Baldwin extract, but my cousin Martin brought some wonderful elixir from Tahiti, which has a rich and pronounced flavor that's lovely in baked goods and creme anglaise. I've also got a bottle or two of the popular Madagascar vanilla extract, and some from Mexico that I don't like quite as much. Thanks to reliable online sources like King Arthur Flour, you can sample high-quality vanilla extracts from several different countries, and find your own favorite.

ICE CREAM CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
On rainy Sunday afternoons, Ted and I sometimes go "antiquing" — not for real antiques, but for old stuff. One of our favorite vendors had a stash of cookbooks last week: a Diana Kennedy book on Mexican regional cuisine, a book by a Hollywood producer, and The Search for the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie, by Gwen Steege, from which I've adapted this recipe. Ice cream in a cookie dough? Who could resist?! Yield: 4 dozen.

1-1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup margarine, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/3 cup chocolate ice cream, softened
6 oz (1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine margarine, sugars, cocoa, and vanilla, and beat until creamy. Add egg and ice cream; beat well. Gradually add dry ingredients, and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by well-rounded teasponnfuls onto lightly greased baking sheets (or sheets lined with a Silpat or parchment paper), placing cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake for 14-16 minutes until well set. Do not overbake.

Comments

[Kate]

If I had chocolate ice cream in the freezer, I'd be having chocolate chip cookies for breakfast this morning!

['cousin' Martin]

To me at least, the "rich and pronounced" taste of Tahitian Vanilla is a cherry undertone. What do others think?

[Lydia]

Martin -- so interesting, and as always, I'm grateful for the wonderful foods you bring back from your world travels. We couldn't really pinpoint the flavor at our chocolate and vanilla tasting. I've never been to Tahiti, so I have to ask: do cherries grow there?

[Steve H]

Ah, the warm taste of pure vanilla extract can't be beat when it comes to baked goods. But did you know that vanilla extract is also wonderful straight from the bottle sprinkled over fresh fruit? Try placing a little over fresh pineapple slices, melon or even bananas for a true taste of the islands. A truly aged vanilla, if you can find it,isn't harsh with that familiar alcohol bite and is creamier and thicker than what you find on store shelves. No need to add sugar to some of your favorite foods, just sprinkle some fresh vanilla extract over it and enjoy.

[Lydia]

Steve, welcome to The Perfect Pantry. Where do you find this luscious thick vanilla extract? The closest I've found is from a little store in West Stockbridge, Mass., called Baldwin's Hardware (they're online at http://www.baldwinextracts.com/). Their extract actually won a taste test in two of my cooking classes!