July 21st
2005
V A N I L L A
One of my absolute favorite ingredients are vanilla beans. Vanilla extract, off the shelf vanilla sugar or synthetic vanillin, no thanks, not in my kitchen. The only problem with my culinary predilection: Vanilla beans are quite expensive! While I started a little “barter” with beloved friends from the States (vanilla beans for Donna Hay magazines), I conveniently assumed that our (German) prices were acceptable compared to the ones in the States. But one should never feel too safe… During the last months I made a rather frustrating discovery: Vanilla bean prices are rising – again! Compared to the “early days”, when Germany still had the “Deutsche Mark” for currency (until the beginning of 2002), I remember buying 2 beans for round about 4 DM (which translated roughly to about $1.50, not sure what the exact exchange rate back then was…). Today you can easily spend 4 EUR (about $4.80) for ONE bean – what’s up with that?
So I started doing some research and compared prices. The dilemma: Neither am I willing to give up on my extensive use of vanilla beans nor keen on spending a fortune for them going forward. The increasing prices are said to be in line with the diminishing yield due to raw climate in the most important vanilla growing countries, like Madagascar, Réunion and Indonesia. As the process of drying and curing is very elaborate and time-consuming, it seems quite understandable, that scanty harvests results in increasing prices. Sounds much like a take it or leave it type situation. But back on topic : Keeping my eyes wiiiide open and browsing different shops (online and offline) for vanilla beans, I discovered several very reasonably priced sources of supplies. They all seem to have one thing in common, they import vanilla (almost) directly from the producing regions, meaning less money for in-between vendors AND decent prices for the consumer. As a nice bonus, some of them explicitly pay attention to ecological cultivation methods.
Best vanilla bean hot spots I have found to-date in Munich:
Teahouse, actually my favorite tea supplier. Still remember the moment, when I incidentally discovered the vanilla beans on their shelves, asked for their price and couldn’t believe what I was told “two for 2,50 EUR” (about $3)…And the best part: The quality of the beans is much better as the ones I got at the supermarket – thick, oily and rich of intense flavor… They take online orders, too!
Best online shop I have found to-date: Gewürzhandel Bernhard Ulrich. Very good quality, great attitude and resource for additional information on vanilla.
Both suppliers claim to ship internationally – if you’re interested you might just want to give them a call.
I C E C R E A M
Scent. Aroma. Taste. For Schuhbecks (famous German chef de cuisine) ice cream parlor Eissalon am Platzl (Munich city center) all three promises are more than mere words. Setting foot in his elegant domain and indulging in the timeless ice cream concoctions will open a whole new spectrum of inspirations.
Of course we had to try several of the rather unorthodox creations, such as black cumin or thyme ice cream. Among others, the vast array of flavors included…
Cucumber Yoghurt with Dill
Brown Bread
Cookies
Lychee and Green Tea
Lavender-Sorbet
Grapes
Dolphin (not the fish)
Orange-Curd
Passion Fruit
Pine Nuts
Aloe Vera
Lemon-Sorbet
Granola
Lime
Argan-Oil
Peach Ice Tea
Elder
Tiramisu
There were many more, but these I could remember off top of my head and with the help of a picture taken inside showing some of them.
Of course we couldn’t try each and every one – although we really would have liked to. While I was waiting on my cup, O. noticed that they only produce a few ice cream cones in advance, so they are always as fresh as they can be. I usually prefer my ice cream in a cup, it’s just easier and less messy to handle – I’m a slow ice cream eater. Presumably as a teaser, she gave us a cone to try – in anticipation that once we had tried it we’d regret our decision made earlier…she was so right. Their taste is similar to the taste of fresh waffles (which was my first thought), just so much better and crispier.
The service is super nice, whenever I gave O. the elbow to get his attention for a new possible flavor to try, it took the girl behind the counter only a blink of an eye and she handed over a little sampling spoon to me. Oh boy, I could have spend all day there. But we kinda felt bad, since other customers came in and a line was quickly building up. When we finally left, the icing on the experience if you will, the chef himself Alfons Schuhbeck entered his parlor – for ice cream? Funny side note – while waiting for our fresh waffle cone, we examined the art work on the back wall. It looked like a classy, old painting, until we finally realized – the face of the depicted Adonis looks astoundingly similar to the owner’s face.. ;)
So we’ll be back for more, that’s for sure. Prices are very reasonable (one scoop for 1EUR/$1.20), it’s conveniently located in the city center and I can’t really think of any reason not to stop by there again tomorrow after work. N.
N ,
that ice cream looks so good! I sooo want some now, and I am wraped up with a blanket! LOL
What flavour is Argan oil?
Well Nicky I am a user of (gasp!) vanilla extract. I've seen recipes in cookbooks ask for vanilla beans but I've always substituted for extract. After becoming involved in the blogscene and noticing how many people use real vanilla beans I went looking for them and found them at my favourite health food store. It was my turn to gasp! They're selling the little devils at $5.00 each! Suddently, the perfume of the extract is became so much richer!
I love vanilla and my favourite vanilla beans are from Tahiti...but I don't think I've tried any from Madagascar.
Hi, I love the picture inside the ice cream shop, its gorgeous. The ice cream flavours sound so intriguing. I'm also an "ice cream in a cup" girl, but a freshly made cone would probably convert me too. You've got vanilla on my brain now.. :)
Oh ice cream - I'm actually not that big on ice cream, but two years or so ago the most superb ice cream shop opened just around the corner, serving tons and tons of seasonally varying flavors and with a line that stretches for meters when the weather's nice. I actually think it's a sorta gelato-type ice cream - anyway, it's gorgeous!
And Nicky, re. the vanilla pods: I LOVE using them too! But they are ridicously expensive here too, so I stretch their perfume by making vanilla-scented sugars and my own vanilla extract which serves great for "regular" cakes. But I'd always use the real deal for icecreams and custards, there's just nothing compared to that!
Vanilla is so so lovely.
Just as an aside, you can order an international subscription ot Donna Hay magazine from here:
http://www.isubscribe.com.au/title.cfm?ID=1606
I live in Switzerland and just got one for my birthday...
Hi, Farmgirl told me how much she loves your blog so I thought I'd come by to check it out. I've really enjoyed reading this and I have to say, am I the only person on the planet who's never heard of brown bread ice cream? What does it taste like?
I live in Florida, and I'm starting a project of growing and drying my own vanilla beans. The orchid that grows them supposedly does very well in this climate, but we'll see. The thought of growing orchids intimidates me a little.
Hi Susan,
Thank you for making a little detour to check out d:d and bringing a friend along :)
Hey Clare,
This smart web site says: Argan oil comes from the nuts of the Argan tree. Go figure. We didn’t try it, but I would think that it tastes similar to olive oil gelato, which we just recently made ourselves. ‘Will post soon…
Hello Michele,
Do you have a favorite ice cream parlor in Heidelberg, or will the search have to wait until after the move to Paris?
Hi Barbara,
The ones form Tahiti I’ve seen, but you can’t find them very easily here. They’re said to be really good…I’ll keep my eyes open.
Hi Ana, Zarah Maria,
I hear you. If I hadn’t found other, less costly sources, I would have likely cut down on the heavy use of vanilla beans/pods and used alternative options. Perhaps, some of the (online) shops ship to Canada and Denmark?
Hi kitschenette,
Thanks for the hint, I though about it before, but the price tag (the delivery charge is almost as high as the mag itself) kept me from placing an order. The transatlantic deal that’s been “put in place”, vanilla beans for Donna Hay magazines, works beautifully…:)
Hi Amy,
Brown bread ice cream really did taste like brown bread - of course it was still sweet, as ice cream should be, with a hint of cinnamon. Having tried those rather unusual flavors, made me think about being a bit more adventurous next time I’ll try to come up with a new gelato concoction.
What a coincidence only this afternoon I was killing some time in a deli cafe before picking up my son from school and checking out their products I was amazed to find they were selling vanilla beans for $2.50 Australian dollars each. I have been paying $5 Aus dollars as a rule. I love immersing my bean in caster sugar and use it constantly. There is a new vanilla product on the market here which I saw in the supermarket the other day it is a vanilla bean paste and here is a link http://www.queenessences.com.au/content/view/157/153/I to information about a prize it won in London as a food additive.
Hi Nicky and Oliver,
I love to use vanilla beans too. I think the flavor is much better that way. Do you normally use the bean more than once?
Hi Nicky, I dont actually have a favourite one in Heidelberg. There are 2 very popular ones right on the Hauptstrasse. I tried their pistachio ice cream once and found it tasted heavily of almond extract, which I thought was very strange. So I haven't gone back! I get disillusioned too easily I think :) I think the search will resume once we move though, hopefully I can find some wild flavours like the ones you mentioned!
I am so intrigued by the flavors on offer at this place. What does Aloe Vera ice cream taste like, and granola, and dolphin (if it's not the sea creature then what is it)? Not to mention the black cumin and thyme... Is the cucumber-dill yogurt sweet or savory? I think I may have to arrange a trip to Munich just to find out all the answers myself!
I live in Munich and I also love Schuhbecks ice especially the lime and chocolate sorbet. Just wondering if you also like sarcletti. The quality of the ice is not as good but they have unbelievable flavors. Thanks for the vanilla info... my husband often makes bavarian creme and I have noticed that prices for Vanilla have really gone up.
Your pics are amazing... actually, all your blog is ! I was impressed when I saw the picture of vanilla... It's wonderful !
hiya, those pictures look so lovely - am a huge fan of vanilla too. the predominantly tahitian and madagascan stuff we get here comes tagged with nosebleed prices too. have been really curious about mexican vanilla, which i've heard so many wonderful things about but have yet to come across...cheers,j
I should visit munich soon.
I've heard raves about olive oil gelato on the Amateur Gormet's site...
so, what gives? Is it really that earth shattering of a flavor? Is it a texture thing?
Thanks for the great tip re the Teahouse! I used the link you so kindly provided and found out they carry a good assortment of other organic spices as well. I placed an order the end of the week and on Tuesday I received those lovely, plump vanilla beans and all the other goodies I couldn't resist. Berlin is not that far away from Munich, but still it seems they get the ordered mechandise shipped within a day or two.
By the way - great blog and pics from one of my favorite cities!
Hi Lushlife,
Thanks for the info and link, ‘will check it out!
Hey Reid,
Yep, every vanilla bean we scrape out (and don’t use otherwise) we add to our vanilla-sugar-jar. :)
Hi Melissa,
A lot of the flavors we yet have to try. The Dolphin is somewhat bogus, because it’s really just sort of vanilla but colored in bright blue for kids. The cucumber-dill one (and I would think it applies to every other savory kind as well) is still sweet but you can absolutely tell what it the creator had in mind – hope I’m making sense here ;)
Hey J,
The Tahitian beans I’ve just seen this weekend and have to agree they’re surely on the other end of the pricing spectrum…
Hi McAuliflower,
I think it’s both, the texture is surely different to any other gelato I had before, likely due to the oil, as well as the taste. Let people guess, they might not get it the first time and the surprise is even bigger if you tell them after they have taken a first bite… Our first recipe had some creme fraiche in it, so it was quite heavy. A little too heavy for my taste… the next version should be lighter ;)
Hey Dana,
Super! I’m happy the info was useful to you! :))
Hi
Anyone know of other great gelato places in Munich apart from Schubecks and Sarclettis?
I am in the search for authentic tasting coffe, pistachio and hazelnut flavours :)
Hi there!
Oliver, thanks so much for all the kind words you left on my blog. I popped over here this morning and just came back to make sure the link I added to my links list works-yep! Well, what a lovely surprise to find this latest post. Yum! That ice cream store sounds right up my alley--free little tastes, freshly made cones, all those scrumptious flavors, great prices. I'm so envious. And so craving ice cream right now. Great blog. Can't wait to read more about your adventures in Munich.