Guest Author - Susan Stewart

How to Buy Vanilla
You have to hunt for it, but you can find pure vanilla extract. Good quality Mexican vanilla extract and whole beans are expensive, as the production is labor intensive and time consuming. The more expensive extracts are made from the finest quality beans and have been allowed to age naturally. You only need a small amounts in most recipes, so why not use the best? Make sure to buy products labelled "courmarin free". Coumarin is derived from the Brazilian tonka bean and is used to make flavoring very similar to vanilla. It has been reported that coumarin is toxic can cause liver damage, and is a known carcinogen. Only buy pure, 100% vanilla extract!

Mexican vanilla comes from the orchid vanilla planifolia. The vanilla bean is the seed pod of the orchid and the flavor comes from the tiny seeds inside the pod. The seed pods go through extensive processing and curing before they become what we know as ‘vanilla extract’. Once harvested by hand, the vanilla beans are boiled in water, then allowed to heat up in the sun. The beans are then wrapped in blankets to allow them to sweat. This curing process of sun-heating by day, and sweating at night, goes on for 3 to 6 months! The beans are then steeped in alcohol and water, and then aged like wine. And, like wine, vanilla extract continues to develop for about 2 years. It will keep almost indefinitely if kept cool, so refrigeration is best. If you prefer a product not made with alcohol, health food stores carry natural vanilla flavouring. This is made with glycerin instead of alcohol.

A great way to serve fruit salad is with a vanilla-yoghurt dressing:

Vanilla-Yoghurt Dressing for Fruit Salad
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. honey
1 tsp. lime juice
1 tsp. real vanilla extract

Whisk all ingredients together and chill before pouring over fruit salad. Or, after mixing, strain through cheesecloth to thicken and use as a dip for apple slices, whole strawberries, etc.

Whole Vanilla Beans
You can also buy whole vanilla beans. Again, be sure to keep them refrigerated. If they develop crystals, don’t worry! This is natural, and actually means you have a high-quality bean with lots of vanillin, the main flavor ingredient.

A classic dessert in Mexico is rice pudding, Arroz con leche. This is comfort food at its finest!

Arroz Con Leche ( 4-6 servings )

¼ cup raisins
1 cup long-grain rice
2 cups water
2 strips lemon zest
2 cups milk
1 1 inch piece of vanilla bean
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs yolks, whisked
ground cinnamon
pinch of salt

Soak the raisins in hot water to let them plump up. Rinse rice well and drain. In a saucepan, bring the 2 cups of water to a boil, and add the salt, lemon zest, and rice. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in another pan, add the vanilla bean to the milk and scald. Stir into the cooked rice, along with the sugar. Simmer, uncovered, until the milk is absorbed, stirring occasionally. (I usually burn it at this point, but you shouldn’t!) Remove from heat and stir in whisked egg yolks. Add drained raisins and cook a few minutes longer.
Remove vanilla bean. Serve in a big bowl, topped with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon.