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BOOKS ON VANILLA (this is an edited re-post from the old site)

Here are just a few of the books on vanilla I've purchased since I became interested in vanilla earlier this year.

Vanilla Cookbook by Patricia Rain (1986, Celestrial Arts) is the book that started the modern-day “vanilla revoluation” in 1986 using vanilla as a flavoring in other than just desserts.  The book starts with a short history of vanilla and is followed by short chapters on the cultivation and processing of vanilla, choosing and storing vanilla extracts and beans, growing your own beans, and finally, the rest of the book is devoted to recipes collected by Rain on using vanilla.  She starts with the basic on using extracts and the beans, making your own extract, vanilla sugar and vanilla cooking oil.  I expect that this will become my favorite cookbook on vanilla.

Vanilla: The Cultural History of the World's Favorite Flavor and Fragrance by Patricia Rain (2004, Tarcher/Penguin) is for someone interested more on the topic of vanilla than on recipes. Rain covers a lot of vanilla topics in this book: the cultural and economic histories of vanilla, the lure and lore of vanilla, trivia about vanilla, and a number recipes using vanilla. The recipes include among others vanilla extract, vanilla sugar, vanilla simple syrup, papaya chicken with vanilla-scented coconut milk, sweet baked pumpkin, rompope (a Mexican-Italian alcoholic drink), and pork chops with fresh apples.

The Vanilla Chef by Patricia Rain (2002, Vanilla Queen Press) is a paperback cookbook, her second cookbook, filled with more recipes using vanilla. The book also includes a brief history of vanilla and quite a number of introductory pages on vanilla.

Vanilla: Travels in Search of the Ice Cream Orchid by Tim Ecott (2004, Grove Press) is an informative and riveting travelogue on Ecott's experiences in following the elusive and often violent trail of the vanilla plant. He covers the intrigues, history and economics of vanilla. This book was very easy to read. There were no recipes in this book.

Simply Vanilla: Recipes for Everyday Use by Patty Elsberry and Matt Bolus (2006, Elevate) is a beautifully illustrated hardcover cookbook with many colored photographs. The recipes include vanilla extract, simple vanilla sauce (which the authors have referenced as the “mother of all sauces”), juices and drinks, breakfast items, salads and salad dressings, spreads, sides, soups, main courses and desserts, all featuring vanilla.