All about vanilla

I heard about vanilla bean for the first time on Food TV, Gale Gand of Sweet Dreams was making some sort of custard that look so appetizing. So, I decided to take the plunge and purchase the $3/stick vanilla bean at University Avenue's Penzey's Spice in Madison. I purchased 5 sticks, 2 of which I used in my vanilla ice cream. The first batch was gone in several hours, mainly consumed by my sister and me :-) It became my favorite recipe and I proudly brought vanilla ice cream to any social gathering that required desserts.

In 2005, I left the States for good and return to Indonesia to be closer to my family. Since then, I have been learning a lot about vanilla beans . Vanilla beans are naturally grown in Indonesia and yet, most of the people in Indonesia think that vanilla is that white powder in the bottle from Carrefour or Hero. So, I decided that it is time to introduce what real vanilla bean is to them. I will try recipes using vanilla and post them in my blog and I will also make vanilla beans available for purchase through my blog. I know they are kind of hard to get your hands on, but I promise you they are not anywhere near $3/stick and they are really worth it!!