# Good dish to showcase vanilla
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-dish-to-showcase-vanilla/677362
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [December 28, 2013, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-dish-to-showcase-vanilla/677362 "2013-12-28T17:31:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2013, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-dish-to-showcase-vanilla/677362/1 "2013-12-28T17:31:15Z")
My SO bought me some gourmet-grade vanilla beans for the holiday this year and I’m making several batches of extract.
I made my own extract last year from some slightly lower grade beans. It turned out great, but all I’ve used it for has been cookies. I feel like I’m squandering the stuff.
These new batches will be ready in about 2 months. What dishes can I make that will showcase the flavor? I’ve also still got about a dozen beautiful beans left; any suggestions for them besides more extract?
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2013, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-dish-to-showcase-vanilla/677362/2 "2013-12-28T17:39:42Z")
Flan.
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### Author:  [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2013, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-dish-to-showcase-vanilla/677362/3 "2013-12-28T22:38:35Z")
ice cream
mix with cream and marscapone for a topping/filling
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### Author:  [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2013, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-dish-to-showcase-vanilla/677362/4 "2013-12-28T22:59:17Z")
Vanilla fudge
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### Author:  [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2013, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-dish-to-showcase-vanilla/677362/5 "2013-12-29T00:11:15Z")
Scallops with champagne vanilla butter sauce. Google it and enjoy. It’s really really good. Splurge on good scallops.
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### Author:  [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-dish-to-showcase-vanilla/677362/6 "2013-12-29T03:32:06Z")
Panna cotta
Ice Cream
Whipped cream
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### Author:  [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2013, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-dish-to-showcase-vanilla/677362/7 "2013-12-29T04:22:49Z")
Great suggestions here, but don’t be too dismissive of things like sugar cookies - a well-done sugar cookie is a sublime taste treat.
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### Author:  [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2013, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-dish-to-showcase-vanilla/677362/8 "2013-12-29T04:46:39Z")
Vanilla sugar, for the extra beans. Just one or two in a tightly covered container will yield amazingly flavored sugar, great for coffee or putting on…sugar cookies 😃
Oh, and homemade liqueur; I’m sure you can come up with something 🙂
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2013, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-dish-to-showcase-vanilla/677362/9 "2013-12-29T04:49:17Z")
_Creme brulee_
Pancake batter
Hot chocolate
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2013, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-dish-to-showcase-vanilla/677362/10 "2013-12-29T05:23:10Z")
[Lobster Shortcake with Rum Vanilla Sauce](http://www.kitchendaily.com/recipe/lobster-shortcake-rum-vanilla-sauce)
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### Author:  [@Krav\_Manga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krav_Manga)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2013, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-dish-to-showcase-vanilla/677362/11 "2013-12-29T06:09:34Z")
Braised beef cheeks with vanilla and port.
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### Author:  [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2013, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-dish-to-showcase-vanilla/677362/12 "2013-12-29T06:31:14Z")
> [@Taomist](#):
>
> Vanilla sugar, for the extra beans. Just one or two in a tightly covered container will yield amazingly flavored sugar, great for coffee or putting on…sugar cookies 😃
>
> Oh, and homemade liqueur; I’m sure you can come up with something 🙂
If you store beans in sugar in an airtight container one bean will flavor about a pound of sugar. You can take out the bean, use it whole to make pears poached in champagne, dry it and return it to the sugar. You can usually get 3 or 4 uses out of one bean.
A nice savory dish is [Cauliflower and Vanilla soup](http://thingstomakemyday.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/cauliflower-and-vanilla-soup.html). This is a good recipe but there are others. I use half as much cream and add a splash of vermouth. The garlic is optional I reckon, sometimes I use it sometimes I don’t. I also discovered that the flavors develop if you leave it and gently reheat it. Leftovers are even better than the original dish
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### Author:  [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2013, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-dish-to-showcase-vanilla/677362/13 "2013-12-29T06:49:02Z")
My personal fave - vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting. But I LOVE vanilla cupcakes and vanilla frosting.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2013, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-dish-to-showcase-vanilla/677362/14 "2013-12-29T07:21:30Z")
Crème brûlée was going to be my choice, already mentioned. Or just any type of simple vanilla custard.
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### Author:  [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2013, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-dish-to-showcase-vanilla/677362/15 "2013-12-29T13:32:30Z")
Rice pudding.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2013, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-dish-to-showcase-vanilla/677362/16 "2013-12-29T15:58:07Z")
> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> Crème brûlée was going to be my choice, already mentioned. Or just any type of simple vanilla custard.
Oh look at you with your fancy carets and accent marks. 😛
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### Author:  [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2013, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-dish-to-showcase-vanilla/677362/17 "2013-12-29T20:11:50Z")
Love love love the suggestions. Do people want to contribute specific favorite recipes for any of these suggestions?
> [@Chefguy](#):
>
> Flan.
> [@Weedy](#):
>
> ice cream
> [@congodwarf](#):
>
> Vanilla fudge
> [@Hockey\_Monkey](#):
>
> Panna cotta
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#):
>
> a well-done sugar cookie
> [@Chefguy](#):
>
> _Creme brulee_
>
> Pancake batter
>
> Hot chocolate
> [@Krav\_Manga](#):
>
> Braised beef cheeks with vanilla and port.
> [@Poysyn](#):
>
> vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting
> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> Crème brûlée
> […]
> simple vanilla custard.
> [@tomcar](#):
>
> Rice pudding.
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### Author:  [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-dish-to-showcase-vanilla/677362/18 "2013-12-29T20:33:13Z")
I used [this](http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3148690/vintage-vanilla-fudge) recipe for the vanilla fudge I made for Christmas. It came out so good and was definitely the most popular of the 6 kinds I made. I even got a grunt and a nod of approval from the teenage boy!
I had to go to Wegman’s for the caster sugar but it was worth the trip. And now that I’ve used vanilla bean paste, I don’t think I’ll ever use extract again. I used heavy cream instead of double cream.
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### Author:  [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2013, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-dish-to-showcase-vanilla/677362/19 "2013-12-29T20:39:23Z")
Panna cotta.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2013, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-dish-to-showcase-vanilla/677362/20 "2013-12-29T22:03:37Z")
> [@Chefguy](#):
>
> Oh look at you with your fancy carets and accent marks. 😛
🙂 It was the autocorrect, I swear. At least it autocorrected the “brûlée” part. “Crème” I had to do myself.
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