Vanilla

Vanilla – royal spice from Mexico

Nothing equals real vanilla: These long, dark brown pods harbor a flavor which attracts men like moths. Aromatherapy tests have shown recently most men are aroused by smelling vanilla. However, it is not quite clear if the arousal was sexual or gastronomic in nature.

Few spices stimulate our gastric juices like vanilla. Its sweet smell announces joyful sensations to our taste buds. Thanks to modern chemists most sweets contain vanilla in one form or another today. 

Artificial extract from wood pulp

The first artificial vanilla extracts were synthesized in the late 19^th century, based on pine bark and clove oil. Later vanilla flavor was extracted from wood pulp leftovers used by the paper industry. Today most artificial vanilla is made from petrochemical substances. These affordable flavors made vanilla accessible for common people.

However, imitation can never equal the real thing. The genuine vanilla pod offers nuances of flavors which make the synthetic vanilla look pale in comparison. If you want to make a sweet predominantly flavored by vanilla pods – for example vanilla ice cream or vanilla custard – please use real vanilla. 

Many years I was searching local markets in vain for the genuine article. Then the spice plantations in Goa started to grow vanilla. Now vanilla beans are sold in many shops. They are not cheap, but not outrageously expensive.

Like many other spices, vanilla has made its way around the world from South America. Cortez brought the vanilla plant from Mexico to Europe.  

Monopole: Vanilla from Mexico

Until the middle of the 19th century Mexico was the only producer of vanilla. The reason for this: Only a Mexican bee can pollinate the vanilla flower, an orchid, which produces the pod only after pollination. But in 1819 French entrepreneurs developed a method of hand pollinating the flowers which is still used today. With this discovery many tropical islands and regions started to produce vanilla.

Vanilla plants have both male and female organs - separated by am membrane to prevent self-pollination. Workers in spice plantations use a bamboo stick to fold back this membrane so the anther and the stigma (the male and female parts of the flower) can meet and pollen can be transferred.

The yellowish green orchid flower only blooms for a few hours. Inspecting every plant in the morning is crucial for successfully growing vanilla. The bean is left on the vine for 9 months to develop flavor. Only careful drying turns the vanilla pod into a precious spice.

Triple-Nut-Guglhupf

 

Guglhupf – a rotating sun for the emperor’s breakfast

A guglhupf was a common sight on our dining table: My grandfather could not get enough of his favorite cake. His guglhupf was made with yeast and a lot of eggs – light dough melting in the mouth, crowned by roasted almonds and dusted with icing sugar. My grandfather shared the habit of eating guglhupf with royal Europeans. According to legend around 1800 the Austrian Emperor discovered the guglhupf, making it his daily breakfast. Following Emperors like Franz Joseph and his wife Sissi could not imagine beginning the day without guglhupf.

The original guglhupf goes a long way back:  Archaeological excavations near Vienna show Romans used a mold for ring cake in the form of a rotating sun identical to the guglhupf.

Childhood memories came rushing back when I discovered a guglhupf mold recently in my favorite home appliance store. This one had nothing to do with the antique Italian copper molds decorating my kitchen here. It was made from high tech flexible silicon which can support high temperatures. It needs buttering only for the first use. Following the first use you just fill it with the batter, stuff it in the oven and wash it – very convenient. I had to have this fruit of modern technology which was made in Italy (an added bonus for me), although it carried a sizable price tag.

Back home I wondered which kind of guglhupf to make. I am not a big fan of yeast dough because it takes a long time for rising. Furthermore I like to use whole wheat flour. You cannot make a proper yeast cake with this flour. It just does not taste right. So I did some thinking and developed the recipe for a triple nut guglhupf. 

It combines three different kind of nuts (very healthy) with whole wheat flour, coconut oil, and eggs (very healthy, too). To balance this it also got some chocolate chips for my chocoholic men and of course sugar, but only a moderate amount. I have used a vanilla pod grown in Goa for this recipe. If you don’t want to spend the money for the vanilla pod, use vanilla extract. Experts say artificial vanilla leaves a bitter aftertaste, but I don’t share this opinion. I think real vanilla is only required for vanilla ice cream and custards. When vanilla only contributes to a lot of other ingredients, artificial vanilla extract is perfectly acceptable for me.

Ingredients:

• 150 grams desiccated coconut
• 100 grams roasted almonds
• 100 grams roasted cashew nuts
• 100 grams chocolate chips made from dark cooking chocolate
• 6 eggs
• 1 vanilla pod
• 2 ½ cups sugar
• 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup cold pressed coconut oil
• 1 cup milk
• butter for greasing the mold
• icing sugar for dusting the guglhupf

 

Method:

Prepare your vessel: Spread butter carefully over the inside of your guglhupf mold. If you don’t have a guglhupf shape, you can take any round, big cake mold. A silicon mold needs greasing only the first time you use it.

Spread the almonds and the cashew nuts over a cookie sheet and roast them in the oven. Keep the flame low and pay attention: Nuts burn easily. They are done when the cashew nuts have turned golden brown and the almond skins show some dark brown spots. Let the nuts cool down and grind them finely. The easiest way to do this is using a blender. Take a piece of dark cooking chocolate, place it on a cutting board and shave off chocolate chips with the help of a big knife.

Place the eggs into a big whisking bowl. Slice open the vanilla pod and scrap out the insides. Add these aromatic bits and the sugar to the eggs. Beat everything with a hand mixer until you have a light colored, thick cream. Incorporate the coconut oil, the nuts and the coconut flakes into the mixture.

Combine the flour with the baking powder and stir it into the batter. Finally add the milk. Fill the batter immediately into the mold and bake it for 1 ¼ hour at lowest temperature in the oven. The guglhupf needs quite a lot of time for baking as it is a big cake. You can check if the cake is done with a toothpick. Stick it into the cake: If it comes out clean, the cake is done.