Recipes

Simple ways to use something this good.

A single-estate Tahitian vanilla like this does not need much around it. These are old, proper techniques, built to let the pod itself do the work.

First, The Pod

How to open one properly.

Lay the pod flat and press it straight with the back of a knife. Split it lengthways, then run the blade down each half to scrape out the seeds. Use the seeds where the recipe says, and never throw the husk away: it still holds enormous perfume, and Recipes Thirteen and Fourteen exist for exactly that reason.

Recipe One

Crème Brûlée

The classic proof of a good pod. Nowhere for the vanilla to hide.

Serves 6 · 1 hour, plus chilling
Ingredients
  • 600ml thickened cream
  • 1 Manea’s vanilla pod, split and scraped
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 80g caster sugar, plus extra for the tops
Method
  1. Warm the cream with the pod and seeds until just steaming. Rest off the heat for 20 minutes, then remove the pod.
  2. Whisk the yolks and sugar until pale, then whisk in the warm cream. Strain and skim any foam.
  3. Pour into six ramekins. Bake in a water bath at 150°C for 30 to 35 minutes, until set with a slight wobble.
  4. Chill for at least 4 hours. Just before serving, scatter a thin layer of sugar over each and caramelise with a torch until glassy.
Recipe Two

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

A true custard base, churned. The seeds speak for themselves.

Makes 1 litre · 45 minutes, plus churning
Ingredients
  • 300ml full-cream milk
  • 450ml thickened cream
  • 1 Manea’s vanilla pod, split and scraped
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 130g caster sugar
Method
  1. Warm the milk, cream, pod and seeds until steaming. Rest for 20 minutes, then remove the pod.
  2. Whisk the yolks and sugar until pale. Slowly whisk in the warm cream mixture.
  3. Return to a low heat and stir until the custard thickly coats the back of a spoon. Do not let it boil.
  4. Strain, chill completely, then churn in an ice cream machine and freeze until firm.
Recipe Three

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta

Barely set, cool and clean. Vanilla in its purest setting.

Serves 6 · 20 minutes, plus setting
Ingredients
  • 500ml thickened cream
  • 100ml full-cream milk
  • 80g caster sugar
  • 1 Manea’s vanilla pod, split and scraped
  • 2½ gelatine leaves, soaked in cold water
Method
  1. Heat the cream, milk, sugar, pod and seeds together until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is just below boiling. Remove the pod.
  2. Squeeze the excess water from the gelatine and stir into the hot cream until fully dissolved.
  3. Strain into moulds or serving glasses.
  4. Chill for at least 4 hours, until just set. Serve as is, or turned out onto a plate.
Recipe Four

Vanilla Bean Madeleines

Brown butter and vanilla seeds, baked to a golden shell.

Makes 18 · 30 minutes, plus resting
Ingredients
  • 100g unsalted butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 90g caster sugar
  • Seeds of ½ Manea’s vanilla pod
  • 100g plain flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
Method
  1. Melt the butter until it turns nut-brown and smells toasted. Cool slightly.
  2. Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla seeds until thick and pale. Fold in the flour, baking powder and salt, then the brown butter.
  3. Rest the batter in the fridge for at least 1 hour. This gives the signature hump.
  4. Spoon into a buttered madeleine tin and bake at 200°C for 9 to 10 minutes, until golden at the edges. Eat warm.
Recipe Five

Vanilla Bean Custard Tart

A shatter of pastry over a barely trembling vanilla custard.

Serves 8 · 90 minutes, plus chilling
Ingredients
  • 1 blind-baked shortcrust shell, 23cm
  • 500ml thickened cream
  • 1 Manea’s vanilla pod, split and scraped
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 70g caster sugar
Method
  1. Warm the cream with the pod and seeds until steaming. Rest for 20 minutes, then remove the pod.
  2. Whisk the yolks and sugar, then whisk in the warm cream. Strain into a jug.
  3. Pour into the baked shell and bake at 130°C for 35 to 45 minutes, until set with a gentle wobble at the centre.
  4. Cool fully, then chill. Serve in clean slices at room temperature.
Recipe Six

Poached Pears in Vanilla Syrup

Whole pears turned translucent in a pod-flecked syrup.

Serves 4 · 40 minutes
Ingredients
  • 4 firm pears, peeled, stalks on
  • 750ml water
  • 250g caster sugar
  • 1 Manea’s vanilla pod, split
  • 1 strip of lemon zest
Method
  1. Bring the water, sugar, pod and zest to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
  2. Add the pears and cover with a round of baking paper. Simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender to a knife.
  3. Lift out the pears. Boil the syrup until reduced and glossy.
  4. Serve the pears warm or cold, glazed with syrup. The pod can be rinsed, dried and reused for vanilla sugar.
Recipe Seven

Vanilla Bean Shortbread

Three ingredients deep, which is exactly why the pod matters.

Makes 20 · 40 minutes, plus chilling
Ingredients
  • 250g plain flour
  • 170g cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 80g caster sugar
  • Seeds of ½ Manea’s vanilla pod
  • Pinch of salt
Method
  1. Rub the vanilla seeds into the sugar until evenly speckled.
  2. Work the butter into the flour, sugar and salt until it just comes together. Do not overwork.
  3. Shape into a log, wrap, and chill for 1 hour. Slice into rounds.
  4. Bake at 160°C for 18 to 20 minutes, until pale gold at the edges. Cool on the tray.
Recipe Eight

Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding

Slow, humble and completely transformed by a real pod.

Serves 4 · 45 minutes
Ingredients
  • 100g pudding rice
  • 1 litre full-cream milk
  • 60g caster sugar
  • 1 Manea’s vanilla pod, split and scraped
  • Pinch of salt
Method
  1. Combine everything in a heavy pot and bring to a bare simmer.
  2. Cook low and slow for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring often, until the rice is tender and the pudding is creamy.
  3. Remove the pod. Rest for 5 minutes; it will thicken as it sits.
  4. Serve warm, or chilled with a little extra milk stirred through.
Recipe Nine

Vanilla Bean Pavlova

A crisp shell, a marshmallow heart. The vanilla runs through both.

Serves 8 · 90 minutes, plus cooling
Ingredients
  • 6 egg whites, room temperature
  • 375g caster sugar
  • 1½ tsp cornflour
  • 1½ tsp white vinegar
  • Seeds of 1 Manea’s vanilla pod
  • 300ml thickened cream, for serving
  • Fresh fruit, to serve
Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 130°C. Line a tray with baking paper and draw a 20cm circle as a guide.
  2. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. With the mixer running, add the sugar one spoonful at a time, whisking to stiff, glossy peaks.
  3. Fold through the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla seeds.
  4. Spoon onto the tray inside the circle, smoothing the sides higher than the centre.
  5. Bake for 75 minutes, until the shell is dry to touch. Turn off the oven and leave the pavlova inside with the door ajar until completely cool.
  6. Top with whipped cream and fruit just before serving.
Recipe Ten

Vanilla Bean Baked Cheesecake

Dense, silky, and impossible to rush. The vanilla runs through every layer.

Serves 10 · 75 minutes, plus chilling
Ingredients
  • 250g digestive biscuits, crushed
  • 100g unsalted butter, melted
  • 750g cream cheese, softened
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 250ml sour cream
  • 2 tbsp cornflour
  • Seeds of 1 Manea’s vanilla pod
Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Grease and line a 22cm springform tin.
  2. Mix the crushed biscuits with the melted butter and press firmly into the base. Chill for 15 minutes.
  3. Beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in the sour cream, cornflour and vanilla seeds until just combined.
  4. Pour over the base and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until the edges are set and the centre still holds a gentle wobble.
  5. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside with the door ajar for 1 hour.
  6. Chill for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, before releasing from the tin.
Recipe Eleven

Vanilla Bean Financiers

Small, golden, and built entirely on brown butter and almonds.

Makes 12 · 30 minutes, plus resting
Ingredients
  • 100g unsalted butter
  • 3 egg whites
  • 100g icing sugar, sifted
  • 50g plain flour
  • 60g almond meal
  • Seeds of ½ Manea’s vanilla pod
  • Pinch of salt
Method
  1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until it turns deep golden brown and smells nutty. Cool slightly.
  2. Whisk the egg whites lightly, just to loosen. Whisk in the icing sugar, flour, almond meal, vanilla seeds and salt until smooth.
  3. Whisk in the brown butter until fully combined. Rest the batter for at least 30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge.
  4. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Butter a financier or mini muffin tin and fill each mould two-thirds full.
  5. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until golden and springy to touch. Cool briefly in the tin before turning out.
Recipe Twelve

Vanilla Bean Pots de Crème

Crème brûlée’s quieter cousin. No torch required, just patience.

Serves 6 · 50 minutes, plus chilling
Ingredients
  • 400ml thickened cream
  • 200ml full-cream milk
  • 1 Manea’s vanilla pod, split and scraped
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 70g caster sugar
  • Pinch of salt
Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 150°C.
  2. Warm the cream, milk, pod and seeds until steaming. Rest off the heat for 20 minutes, then remove the pod.
  3. Whisk the yolks, sugar and salt until pale. Slowly whisk in the warm cream mixture. Strain into a jug.
  4. Pour into six small pots or ramekins. Bake in a water bath for 30 to 35 minutes, until just set with a gentle wobble at the centre.
  5. Cool, then chill for at least 3 hours before serving.
Recipe Thirteen

Homemade Vanilla Extract

The no-waste move. Spent pods keep giving for months.

Makes 250ml · 5 minutes, plus 8 weeks
Ingredients
  • 5 to 6 Manea’s vanilla pods, split lengthways
  • 250ml vodka, 40%
  • 1 clean bottle or jar with a tight seal
Method
  1. Put the split pods in the bottle. Spent pods from other recipes work beautifully here too.
  2. Cover completely with the vodka and seal.
  3. Store in a dark cupboard for at least 8 weeks, shaking once a week. The longer it sits, the deeper it gets.
  4. Top up with more vodka as you use it. The pods will keep flavouring for a year or more.
Recipe Fourteen

Vanilla Bean Sugar

The simplest thing in this collection, and the one you will use most.

Makes 300g · 2 minutes, plus 1 week
Ingredients
  • 1 used Manea’s vanilla pod, rinsed and fully dried
  • 300g caster sugar
  • 1 airtight jar
Method
  1. Bury the dried pod in the sugar and seal the jar.
  2. Leave for a week before using. The sugar will take on the full perfume of the pod.
  3. Use anywhere sugar meets cream, fruit, coffee or pastry.
  4. Top up with more sugar as it depletes. The pod will keep flavouring it for months.

Every recipe here begins the same way.

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