Big City, Little Kitchen

As a baking obsessive, I go through a fair amount of vanilla, and quickly discovered that not all extracts are created equal. While the taste imparted by pure vanilla is clearly superior to that of artifical vanilla flavoring, there also exists a hierarchy within the ranks of the real stuff. My favorite is Kell’s La Vanille, which I buy at Sur La Table ($12.95).

Most importantly, it is organic and free of the toxin coumarin, which is present in many unregulated Mexican vanillas. It also has a deep, rich flavor that shines through in the final product. The complexity is, perhaps, due to the Mexican vanilla beans, and the absence of added sweeteners like corn syrup. This extract creates another dimension of flavor in cookies or cakes (especially chocolate). Also try adding a drop to home-made hot chocolate.