Bonnie: Earlier this year when on the island of Zanzibar, Tanzania, I visited a spice plantation and saw the actual orchid plant that produces the vanilla pod. I’d used dried pods, but had never before seen the beans in their natural habitat.

Who doesn’t love the flavor and aroma of pure vanilla? Notice I said “pure” – no imitation vanilla extract allowed into my kitchen. As for whole vanilla beans, I store them in my sugar canister – giving the sugar a subtle vanilla flavor and fragrance.

Today’s FeaturedBite of Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract is sugar infused with the essence of vanilla. One tablespoon equals the flavoring power of 1/4 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. Sprinkle it over cookies, cakes, pies, crêpes and pastries when you want a sweet hint of vanilla. Mix into beverages, sprinkle over French toast, cereal or fresh fruit, or use to rim cocktail glasses.

Just want to share with you some interesting tidbits I learned about the vanilla bean from the Nielsen-Massey website.

  • Vanilla beans are hand-pollinated on family plantations.
  • The vanilla cultivation process — from planting to market — can take from five to six years.
  • Thomas Jefferson is credited with introducing vanilla to the US in the late 1700s.
  • A vanilla bean under the car seat gives a fresh aroma and helps eliminate musty odors

I’d use that last tip only after I had used the bean for other purposes—such as flavoring a canister of sugar or a pitcher of mulled cider. (Be sure to cut the bean open before placing it in the liquid to get the most flavor.) Keep in mind that you can use a portion of the bean at a time.

While we’re on tips, I recently learned that when using pure vanilla extract for baking, it’s advisable to cream the vanilla with the butter first. The fat encapsulates it, preventing the vanilla from evaporating in the baking process.

(For nonbakers, the word cream is a term generally used to beat or work an ingredient or combination of ingredients, such as sugar and butter, until soft and smooth.)

Bryan: As we all sat down recently to discuss our slate of ‘bites’ to finish 2008, the question was raised; Should we write about a product that was, despite its great taste, essentially just sugar? “Tell me why it’s special?” Eric asked. “What makes it a Bite of the Best?” A moment of silence ensued, only to be broken by my reply, “Have either of you ever seen an infused sugar before? I mean sold commercially?”

Nobody could remember a product similar in any way. Aside from a variety of artificially flavored cocktail sugars, none of us could remember a prepackaged sugar with such distinctly flavorful and exotic qualities. “Well, isn’t that what makes a bite?” I asked….

For over a century, Nielsen-Massey has produced a wide range of wonderful extracts. While vanilla continues to be the most prominent, other powerful flavorings include coffee, chocolate, almond. lemon, orange and peppermint. The vanilla offerings are far-reaching: Tahitian and Mexican, whole beans, extracts and pastes. Though, with all of this “power,” we really did find the most magnificent display of quality in the subtlest of products: The Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Sugar.
The ingredient list is overwhelmingly simple: sugar and vanilla bean extract. We all have to remember that sometimes it’s not about complexity or inventiveness, it’s about quality and flavor. The sugar hits the mark on both counts. I’d be remiss not to mention (especially as a bourbon lover) that Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla has nothing to do with the Kentucky-based whiskey of the same name, but is rather named for the Bourbon Islands off the coast of Africa. Madagascar supplies more than 60 percent of the world’s vanilla, while being widely accepted amongst Epicureans as the finest and most consistent product.

So, what does one do with vanilla-infused sugar? While there are an infinite number of substitutions to be made for “regular” sugar, my favorite, so far, has been crème brûlée. There are few sugar experiences like poking your spoon through the perfectly hardened, sweet skin of a crème brûlée. Something about being fire-torched draws that extra bit of caramelized, infused vanilla flavor from the crunchy, sugary goodness. While mixing this great product into your coffee will also be sublime. If you’ve got the torch and the time, do not skip the brûlée…

Eric: How many products can we, as consumers, tolerate? I began to ask myself this question as I strolled down the cereal aisle of the local supermarket overwhelmed by the endless sea of cereal boxes. Do we, as a society, really need 100 varieties of cereal? Has our freedom to choose left us with too much to choose from? This is a colloquialism that has plagued my thoughts for the past few years, especially since I started to write for Bite of the Best.

Inevitably there have to be products that help you to sit back and realize that food is meant to be enjoyed – that a simple pleasure in life can be the taste of a well-cooked steak, the smell of pancakes on a winter morning or the feeling you get from sipping your favorite wine. I realize now that all of the products we’ve written about have provided me one of these feelings – a reminder that sometimes it’s important to indulge in the products that help you to “live”.

Who would have thought that Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Sugar would be such a product? If you’re a baker, this product is must. If you’re a chef, try adding it to some of your sauces and marinades. And if you’re just an avid foodie, find ways to incorporate this sugar into your every day routine – it might just help you realize the eloquence of simplicity.