Takrai’s field notes
The vanilla guide
What we are learning as we build our farm, written down for anyone who cooks with vanilla or just wonders where it comes from.
Understand vanilla
Where it grows, how the flower works and why it tastes the way it does.
- Around the worldWhere vanilla growsThe countries that grow it, the climate it needs, and vanilla in Thailand.
- The flowerThe vanilla flowerAn orchid that opens for one morning. What it looks like, and how to grow one.
- Taste the differenceTypes of vanillaMadagascar, Mexican, Tahitian, Bourbon, and what “French vanilla” really means.
- Before you buyVanilla beans and gradesGrade A vs Grade B, spotting a good bean, and how to store them.
- The scienceWhat is vanillin?The molecule behind the smell, real vs synthetic, and the beaver question.
The farm and its companion crops
How vanilla grows, how our farm will work, and the four crops that will grow beside it.
- Our farm planHow vanilla growsFrom cutting to cured bean, including hand pollination and the four stages of curing.
- Khamin’s cropTurmericThe golden root that will keep the ground between our vanilla vines shaded and damp.
- Takrai’s cropLemongrassThe tall, lemon-scented grass that will line our plot and hold the soil in the rains.
- Elder Koko’s cropCacaoThe tree that flowers on its trunk, and will share the shade with our vanilla.
- Prik’s cropBlack pepperThe other climbing vine planned for our farm, and where black, white and green pepper come from.
Vanilla basics
Five things to make at home with a few vanilla beans.
- Pantry No. 1Vanilla sugarWhat it is, a simple recipe, and what to use instead.
- Make it at homeVanilla extractWhat it is made of, how to make your own, and whether it goes bad.
- Make it at homeVanilla bean pasteThe speckles of a fresh bean with the ease of extract. How to use it and make it.
- RecipeVanilla syrupFor coffee, iced tea and cocktails. Ten minutes and one bean.
- Five minutesVanilla whipped creamCold cream, real vanilla, and knowing when to stop.
Vanilla desserts
Classic desserts where the vanilla is the whole point.
- RecipeVanilla bean ice creamA French-style custard ice cream, the way we will make our pints.
- The classicVanilla crème brûléeSilky vanilla custard under a sheet of burnt sugar you crack with a spoon.
- No ovenVanilla panna cottaItalian cream set with a little gelatin, with a real vanilla bean and a soft wobble.
- For tarts and éclairsVanilla pastry creamCrème pâtissière: the thick vanilla custard inside éclairs and fruit tarts.
- No raw eggsVanilla tiramisuCoffee-soaked ladyfingers and a vanilla mascarpone cream, dusted with cocoa.
Episode 1 is being drawn
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Get the first episode when it is out, Vanillin’s diary from the farm once a month, and first pick of the first jar of vanilla sugar.
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