I had a colleague once, who used to dab vanilla behind her ears before teaching a class.  She said it helped to keep her calm and reminded the kids of cookies, so they were happy.

I love the aroma of vanilla.  I currently have five different bottles of vanilla extract, plus Tahitian vanilla beans in my pantry.

And it is such a complimentary flavour to many foods, but especially to my other favorite, and the chief subject of this blog:  chocolate.

Whether in a vanilla crème or as the base of a hot fudge sundae, nothing matches the taste of really good vanilla. [Read more…]