Big Taste in a Little Pod

Oct 1, 2021 by Chef David

By Chef David

A chocoholic is a person who craves or compulsively consumes chocolate, to support this irrational need for chocolate, we try to focus on the health benefits, there is even evidence of actual addiction to chocolate. While I am a fan of chocolate, I find myself impressed by the richness of pure vanilla. Move over chocolate, and make room for an often-overlooked taste, with a rich exotic past, and find room in your kitchen cabinets for Little Pod, a vanilla paste certified kosher by the London Beit Din. 

The Prima Donna of Spices

Pure vanilla is a seed pod, cultivated from an orchid that grows in areas close to the equator, where it was cultivated by the Totonac Indians of Mexico who called it Tlilxochitl. In 1520, Spanish explorers brought it to Europe where it was introduced as a culinary taste by Elizabeth I.

Producing vanilla is a labor-intensive process. While wild pollination is carried out by bees and hummingbirds, cultivated plants are hand-pollinated, and to complicate the process vanilla orchids only open one day a year. The bean pods need to be ripened, dried, and fermented. the process from planting to eating can take up to 4.5 years. This makes vanilla an expensive spice (It is the second most expensive spice behind saffron) and this is why many recipes opt for the lesser quality substitute, imitation vanilla extract.

Vanilla is more than flavor, it has unique medical benefits

Smelling vanilla has a calming effect, it can even help you fall asleep. The sweet taste can be used as a sugar substitute in recipes. Vanilla contains antioxidants and minerals including calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorous.

Distinctive Taste of Pure Vanilla Paste 

After using Little Pod’s vanilla paste, I can tell you that pure vanilla is in a league of its own. Vanilla paste provides an equivalent flavor characteristic to using the pods, including the visual aspect of the black flecks (which are not present even when using high-quality extract). 

Little Pod’s natural vanilla paste contains four ingredients: Pure Bourbon Vanilla Extractives including vanilla seeds, Alcohol (17%), Sugar, Thickener (Xanthan Gum). It comes in a tube that contains the equivalent of 20 pods worth of extract. Little Pods vanilla paste is chock-full of visible vanilla flecks, with an intense vanilla aroma, giving you the potency of a vanilla bean with the convenience of a paste, a little bit goes a long way. One teaspoon is equivalent to a pod, making it economical as well. 

Making a Statement

Little Pod was established in 2010 in the kitchen of Janet Sawyer, who is now the companies Executive Chair. She focused on finding new uses for real vanilla and educating people about the benefits of pure vanilla over artificial look-alikes by promoting National Real Vanilla Day which is October 17th.

Janet has made a splash; the Queen awarded her the British Empire Medal for contributing to the ‘Employment and Culture in East Devon’. She is championing against deforesting in Madagascar to grow palm oil, which is in much higher demand. 

Sawyer is also the author of the cookbook, “Vanilla: Cooking with One of the World’s Finest Ingredients”

Become a Vanilla Purist

Having sampled Little Pod paste and experimented with several recipes and I have become a vanilla purist, discovering how vanilla can create interesting tastes beyond traditional desserts. Consider adding a tablespoon to your next challah recipe …I know I will.

LittlePods can be purchased online, shipped from the UK to your door, allowing you to select from an extensive list of kosher offerings. In addition to the vanilla paste we sampled, they also sell coffee, chocolate, and vanilla extracts as well as vanilla pods.

Consider Trying Two Vanilla Recipes (you’ll be glad you did)

I tried two recipes from Little Pods’ list of recommendations. The real vanilla ice cream shocked me by how good and rich it was, and it required almost no work. After eating ice cream that is this delicious and easy, makes it hard to return to supermarket vanilla ice cream.

Real Vanilla Ice-Cream – made with three Ingredients

Ingredients

284ml heavy cream (experiment by substituting a lighter cream)
397g container of condensed milk 
1 tbsp natural vanilla paste

 

Method

1. Whisk the cream to soft peaks in a 1-pint bowl that can be frozen
2. Add the condensed milk and vanilla paste to the cream and whisk in lightly, just until combined. 
3. Cover the mixture with and put in the freezer for 4 – 6 hours.

 

The second recipe I tried Honey & Vanilla Glazed Salmon opened my eyes to a different way to prepare salmon, one I had never considered, although isn’t too shocking as one of my favorite ways to prepare Salmon is with a glaze, usually a honey mustard glaze.

Honey & Vanilla Glazed Salmon a great marinade for fish dishes

Ingredients

2–4 salmon steaks (fresh or frozen)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla paste 
pinch freshly ground black pepper
1⁄2 teaspoon finely chopped ginger

Method

• • Make a glaze by combining olive oil, honey, vanilla paste, ginger, and pepper.
  • Brush the mixture evenly over the salmon. Leave in the refrigerator (preferably overnight, but less time works as well)

• • Place the fish under a hot grill for around 10 minutes or until the glaze forms a crust and the fish is cooked through but still moist.