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Tahitian Vanilla Giveaway!!
During our cooking lesson, I asked Franck about the vanilla on Bora Bora and in Tahiti. He mentioned it is some of the best vanilla he has every cooked with or tasted, confirming everything I had thought about Tahitian vanilla before going on our honeymoon. Before he could even finish telling us about it, he was on the phone with the other restaurant at the resort asking them to bring some vanilla over. They did, and Franck proceeded to cut one open and pull out the beans to show us how amazing it was. The small was insanely fragrant and fresh:
While I thought that was the end of the vanilla story, it wasn’t. As we were leaving on our boat to the airport, we asked if we could say goodbye to our favorite chefs, Franck & Maxine. They had mentioned they would be seeing us off but were nowhere in sight. We were kind of in a rush as the waters were getting choppy, but we were told we could wait one minute for them to come and say bye. About 15 seconds later, PB and I turned our heads towards the restaurant to see two long legged chefs SPRINTING for us!!!! It was like when you see long lost loves in the movies sprinting for one another. PB and I jumped off the about-to-depart boat to thank them one more time. They presented us with seashell necklaces and then handed us… VANILLA!!! They gave us one vacuum packed bunch and another fresh bag to take home with us. We were overwhelmed with gratitude. As we were pulling away from the resort we had several employees waving us off, and we felt like we were leaving old friends behind. We hope to see them again! Honestly, writing all of this is making me that emotional. They really had an impact on us.
Anyway, it wouldn’t be right to travel all the way to Tahiti without buying some vanilla to share with you!!!! Please comment here to win a chance to win this lovely Tahitian vanilla.. and tell me what you will bake/cook with it! If you tweet about it (I am @rhodeygirltests) or link back to my blog, you get an extra chance to enter! Just don’t forget to let me know you did so!!!
The giveaway will close tomorrow morning at 3 PM Eastern time so please enter now!! P.S. You can be anywhere in the world to enter! Speaking of, while traveling from Bora Bora to Tahiti I met someone who reads the blog!!! Hi Areej from Rome!!!!!!
The world is so much smaller than we think it is!!!!
For more stories about our honeymoon, see here, here, here, here, here and here.
52 Responses to “Tahitian Vanilla Giveaway!!”
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I would love to win the vanilla…..and I will use it to make vanilla custard with RhodyFresh milk in honor of you – RhodeyGirl!!!
I would bake MANY batches of Vanilla Blondies (with other “add-ins,” of course)!! And reserve a batch to send to you as well 🙂
I love vanilla, but I have never tried the Tahitian variety! I would love to try it!!!
omg, what WOULDNT I bake with it? I think I’d have to do creme brulee, and/or vanilla ice cream!
I’d have to go with Vanilla Ice Cream with only 5 ingredients. Pure & Simple. Maybe with peaches in white wine?!
I’m with Mara…what wouldn’t you make with it? So many choices…would love to win this!
I would make vanilla pizza…oh wait – that sounds gross. Forget it – I just hope whoever wins it enjoys it!!
Thanks, Franck and Maxime!
haha, love Philly Boy’s comment. 🙂 I hope you two are enjoying married life!
I would make so many things – try my hand at a homemade vanilla bean coconut milk ice cream, make some decadent baked goods…oh I would be one happy camper if I won. 🙂
I have always had a soft spot for vanilla in my heart since 4th grade. That is because the teacher asked the class if anyone knew anything about vanilla. I don’t know why, but she was a big cook like you and I think was making something at home with it (it would be appropriate if I could remember what now!). I answered that it was from Madagascar (and apparently Tahiti), which is one of those random facts I had heard and remembered (I knew what Madagascar was because I love geography). My teacher was so blown away that I knew that fact that she told the story every time she saw me or anyone I knew for at least the next decade, and probably is still doing so today! I told her it really wasn’t a big deal but she couldn’t stop talking about it. If I win I will call my 4th grade teacher and ask her what she made with it so I can make it with this.
i would bake bake bakeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 🙂 thanks girl!
I’d be making some cinnamon ice cream or Mexican hot chocolate, depending on the weather 🙂 It’s chilly enough today that I would pick the hot chocolate!
I would make Tahitian Vanilla Mousse and a homemade Tahitian Vanilla Chai!!
I would add a little to a big batch of oatmeal for the week-
I would put it in Happy Herbivore’s Carrot Cake Cupcakes- YUM
I would save some and give it to my sister to use as well (little miss wp)
I would use it in so many things!!! Great giveaway Sabrina!!
Yum! Well, fresh vanilla is great in all kinds of sweets, especially pastry cream, my favorite all-around vanilla concoction (I love banana cream pie!). I would, however, LOVE to try using some vanilla in a savory dish. It’s supposed to compliment lobster really well, and I think it would be cool to make some lobster or crab cakes with a vanilla-infused remoulade or something. Could be interesting 🙂
I agree with Bridget- homemade vanilla icecream with Tahitian Vanilla sounds DIVINE! Great giveaway RG!
I would make some brownies or cupcakes!! I tweeted about the giveaway also @niccisniftyeats
AWESOME giveaway!! I would love to use Tahitian vanilla to make french vanilla ice cream (or would it be Tahitian vanilla ice cream?) so the vanilla would be the star of the dish. Yum!
I have thoroughly enjoyed all of your Tahiti updates and they have made me even more anxious/excited for my very own Honeymoon trip there next fall!! 🙂
I would like to say I’d use the vanilla to whip up some amazing butter cream or ice cream … however if I was being honest I’d tell you that I have been eager to try my hand in making my very own vanilla infused vodka and Tahitian vanilla beans would simply make it that much more divine!
What a great giveaway! I would make creme brulee. I am drooling thinking about how amazing it would be with this lovely vanilla.
Would it work in vanilla ice cream? That would be amazing.
I know this might not seem too exciting, but I would use it in my oatmeal every day! Of course, I’d try other baking experiments with it, but it’s gotta go in the old standby!
Thanks!
What a touching story – I’ve loved reading about your magical honeymoon! I would use the beans to make the most delicious banana bread – I just received the recipe from my boyfriend’s grandmother and I would love to surprise her with a batch!
Oh I would make a batch of my bittersweet chocolate cookies
Oh I would definitely make some banana bread and pretty much anything else! It sounds amazing!
wow, what an amazing opportunity! sounds like a great place to visit–honeymoon or not 🙂 i’d probably do a vanilla panna cotta and maybe even some vanilla bean shortbread… oh, delicious!
I would probably make some cream puffs. I’ve never tried anything but McCormick vanilla so it would be fun to win!
oh my GOSH – I would ADORE these! I have always wanted to try making creme brulee with fresh vanilla beans!
I’ve always wanted to bake with real vanilla but never have seen it anywhere! I would love to bake something simple that would really feature the vanilla bean flavor– pound cake, vanilla sugar cookies, creme brulee…
I would bake lots of amazing cookies and breads. I love baking anything, so I’m going to go look up some amazing recipes now because this is such an amazing giveaway! I’ve gotten pure vanilla from Mexico and Europe, but Tahiti trumps that!
And I just linked you back to my blog, thank you again for this amazing chance!
ahhhh! What a great giveaway! There are several Giada recipes I haven’t made because she calls for fresh vanilla!
i’d put it in oatmeal and make a pancake! or like flan. =D ohhh tapioca pudding!
My husband and I got married just a few months before you guys, and went to Italy on our honeymoon. We took an amazing cooking class in Florence (from a chef named Fabrizio, which is just perfect for an Italian chef, don’t you think?). I am planning to recreate the class menu for my husband’s birthday in just a few weeks – an antipasto plate (with pate, proscuitto, and cheeses), pasta with panchetta, chicken cacciatore, and the piece de resistance: the panna cotta (with Tahitian beans!) .
I love to bake! And I love remembering our honeymoon trip to Bora Bora as I read your recaps!
I just got my first Vitamix and can’t wait to make my own homemade vanilla almond milk – your vanilla would make it that much better!
I would make some vanilla sugar so that I could enjoy it in many different things:)
Every day I get more and more jealous of this fabulous trip you just took!!! And you have some amazingly creative friends with great ideas for fresh vanilla…I have never had it from ANYWHERE, never mind hand delivered from Tahiti!!
i would totally use the vanilla in some sugar cookies! LOVE!!!!!
what a great story! its wonderful to hear about places really going ABOVE AND BEYOND for their guests- when around here you don’t find too much of that.. : )
YES PLEASE!!!!!! Oh my goodness. I can only imagine all of the yummy vanilla products I would make with these beans…vanilla sugar cookies, vanilla cupcakes, vanilla ice cream….the list is endless. 🙂
To answer your questions about my soup, yes, keep the seed in. It gets pureed so they aren’t annoying in the creamy soup. Plus they add flavor, and it is SUCH a pain to remove them! 🙂 Enjoy!
I have never cooked with anything like this before!
Wow, how cool! I would make some vanilla bean coconut milk ice cream. Yum!
i also tweeted this 🙂 @ellen1214
I would love to try homemade Tahitian vanilla ice cream!
Awesome giveaway! Your trip sounds amazing!!
I would use the vanilla to make vanilla bean ice cream!! yum!
What a touching story!! I would probably make bread pudding!
Oooh, ooh, me, pick me! 🙂 I would totally use it for oatmeal…or smoothies…or even cupcakes. I bet I could find a million uses…I love vanilla! (PS I just tweeted about this to you also!) Thanks lady!
My sister has started baking cakes (she’s doing her first wedding cake next month!). anyways, for christmas I was planning to buy nice vanilla and bourbon and make homemade vanille extract as a christmas gift for her. But of course I’d have to keep some vanilla for myself and make a yummy custard pie.
I would make homemade coconut milk ice cream with the vanilla. And a cheesecake for my hubby. Thanks for sharing your honeymoon stories. I’m adding Bora Bora to my list of future vacation spots!
Everyone’s making desserts!! Any ideas for dinners using this ingredient? (Just my own selfish way of getting ideas to use it at home – sorry!)
What a great end to a fabulous trip! You’re so kind to share your goods with us.
I would mix the vanilla in some brown rice and serve honey marinated grilled shrimp and peaches on the side. Yum!
Oh no did I miss it!!!!!!!!! I hope not!!!!! I would make some incredible creme brulee! Or homemade vanilla icecream!!!