Eurovanille Tahitensis Vanilla Pods

TASTING NOTES FROM THE CURATOR

A variety of pod meatier and wider than its Madagascar counterparts, the Eurovanille Tahitensis Vanilla Pods immediately fill your senses with a soft, flowery fragrance. This French Polynesia wonder is favored among pastry chefs, with its fruity, cherry-like flavor profile, and powdery notes of coumarin-tonka, hay, and almond.

PREPARATION AND PAIRINGS

Because Tahitian vanilla has a more intense flavor, it’s wonderful as a concentrate. Infuse it in your cold brew coffee, or your rum to give your drinks a different edge. Use it in pastry cream, or add it directly into any baked good. If you’re into baking, try making these simple Crème Brulee Cheesecake Bars!

• Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until finely ground. Add in butter, and pulse until moistened. Press your graham cracker mixture into the bottom of a baking pan lined with foil, and bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 8-10 minutes. Let cool, and reduce oven temperature to 300F.
• Make the filling by beating cream cheese on medium-high speed in a large bowl until smooth. Add in sugar, and continue beating until smooth.
• Slice your Eurovanille Tahitensis Vanilla Pod, and scrape the insides. Add this into the bowl. Add in heavy cream, eggs, egg yolk, and salt one at a time, and beat until well-combined.
• Pour this mixture into your prepared pan, and bake for 35 minutes, or until cheesecake is set but still a little jiggly in the center.
• Take the cheesecake out of the oven, and let cool on a cooling rack.
• Cover your cheesecake, and let it chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Transfer the cheesecake onto your counter, and cut into squares.
• Sprinkle the tops of your cheesecake squares with sugar, and with a kitchen torch, torch the tops until the sugar caramelizes and turns deep amber in color.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.

WHAT SETS IT APART

Tahitian vanilla is second only to saffron as the most costly and most valuable spice in the world. Despite it being seen on grocery shelves regularly, real vanilla is actually very labor-intensive and low-yielding. Tahitian vanilla, in particular, needs to be hand-pollinated, as French Polynesia has no naturally occurring pollinators.

It has a lower vanillin content that Mexican and Madagascar vanilla beans, but has greater levels of other flavor compounds, particularly coumarin. Coumarin is what gives Tahitian vanilla its unique fruity notes, the same compound found in cherries, apricots, and strawberries. This vanilla is a favorite among pastry chefs around the world, precisely because of its unique flavor.

Storage Instructions

Vanilla beans are shipped in either vacuum sealed or glass vial packages. If your vanilla arrives in vacuum sealed packaging, we suggest that you do not open the package until usage. We do recommend that you remove the beans from the package after approximately 6 months. Keep in mind that you might see a brown liquid throughout the vacuum sealed packaging. Do not be concerned; this liquid is simply oil squeezed from the vanilla beans during the vacuum sealing process. If your vanilla arrives in a glass vial, we recommend that you remove the beans within 3-4 months.

You should never store your vanilla beans in the refrigerator. Refrigeration will dry out your beans and excess moisture can promote a particular type of mold specific to vanilla. We recommend storing your airtight container in a cool, dark place such as a pantry or basement.