What should we make with our fresh Tahitian vanilla bean?

Vanilla chocolate, and vanilla Pine

Home-made ice cream.

(What’s vanilla chocolate and vanilla Pine?)

Lots of suggestions here and here.

Crème Brûlée, then you also get to use a blow torch!

Home made vanilla ice cream. Yum. Milk fat and sugar flavored with a fresh Tahitian vanilla bean. What could be better?

I’m lactose intolerant.

@psychocandy, oh. That changes things. Coconut-milk Custard is nummy (use the seeds steeped in the coconut milk instead of extract).

You could also make a simple vanilla sugar: Slice open the bean then with back of spoon or knife scrape the seeds into an airtight container with 2c sugar. Bury the rest of the bean in the sugar and seal tightly with lid. Let sit for 1 to 2 weeks. Use as regular granulated sugar. The bean will give off flavor for several months.

Vanilla stout.

@psychocandy That’s tragic. I can’t come up with anything to do with the vanilla bean that doesn’t involve dairy except maybe vanilla sugar. That would at least stretch the use of it out. You can then us the vanilla bean in sugar in any number of other things.

1 whole vanilla bean
2 cups granulated sugar
Directions for vanilla sugar:

Place the vanilla bean into a glass jar and completely cover it with the sugar.

Close the lid making sure it is airtight.

Shake the container once a day to help the aroma of the vanilla permeate throughout the sugar.

The sugar is ready to be used within two weeks.

The vanilla bean can be reused to flavor additional granulated sugar.

Discard the vanilla bean when it is no longer aromatic.

Though @liminal‘s coconut milk pudding sounds really good. Coconut and vanilla. You can’t go wrong there.

I can do a bit of dairy, but ice cream will kill me.

if you get lazy vanilla coke is always good.

Did it come in a little glass vial? If so, fill the vial with bourbon and make your own vanilla extract. As you use it, keep refilling the vial with more bourbon. You’ll have vanilla for months and months.
I have an old square pint sized milk bottle with about 20 beans and bourbon. It’s the best for cooking!

@breedmitch:Just as long as you’re not using the bacon-flavored bourbon (Cold enough for ya?)

Wow! It’s been awhile since I answered this question, and I actually did what my answer says…how did it not get recognized.

@gailcalled you’ve got me thinking of those 10,000 calorie meals on youtube now.