Villa Vanilla Spice Tour Tasting Menu

HIBISCUS FLOWER, CEYLON CINNAMON BARK, ALLSPICE & CLOVE TEA

Ingredients

1.5 ounce Ceylon cinnamon bark
1.5 ounce dried hibiscus flowers
8 cups water
3 allspice berries
3 clove
¼ – ½ cup of sweetener of choice

Recipe

Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Once the water starts boiling, Ceylon cinnamon bark and boil or 10 – 15 minutes. Add allspice and clove. Let the tea steep for 30 minutes – 1 hour. Leave longer or overnight for a more concentrated tea. Bring to tea mixture to boil again and turn off heat. Add the dried hibiscus flowers and cover the vessel. Let the tea steep for 10 – 20 minutes. Strain mixture. Mix in the sweetener until completely combined. You can either serve the tea lukewarm or you can chill it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM

Ingredients 

4 egg yolk 
3 cup whole milk 
3 cups heavy cream 
1 cup organic white sugar 
1 vanilla bean (black caviar seeds scraped out with the vanilla bean skin) or 2 tsp vanilla extract

Recipe 

Add egg yolks and sugar to a medium saucepan and whisk until a light yellow color and well combined. In another small sauce pan, heat milk over medium-low heat until it just begins to simmer. Do not stir. Gradually add milk to egg and sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Return to heat until it reaches 165 ºF, but do not allow it to come to a boil. As soon as it reaches the correct temperature, remove it from the heat. Pour custard base into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator until it chills to 65 ºF. The longer the custard base chills, the creamier your ice cream will be. 
Once the custard base is ready, stir in the heavy cream and vanilla extract and pour it into your ice cream maker and process according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.

GOLDEN MILK ICE CREAM

Ingredients 

4 egg yolk 
3 cup whole milk 
3 cups heavy cream 
1 cup organic white sugar 
1-1/2 tbs Rainforest Spices Golden Milk spice blend

Recipe 

Add egg yolks and sugar to a medium saucepan and whisk until a light yellow color and well combined. In another small sauce pan, heat milk over medium-low heat until it just begins to simmer. Add Golden milk blend. Gradually add milk to egg and sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Return to heat until it reaches 165 ºF, but do not allow it to come to a boil. As soon as it reaches the correct temperature, remove it from the heat. Pour custard base into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator until it chills to 65 ºF. The longer the custard base chills, the creamier your ice cream will be. 
Once the custard base is ready, stir in the heavy cream and pour it into your ice cream maker and process according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.

CHAI TEA ICE CREAM

Ingredients

4 egg yolk
3 cup whole milk 
3 cups heavy cream 
1 cup organic white sugar 
1-1/2 tbs Rainforest Spices Chai tea spice blend 
3 black tea packets

Recipe 

Add egg yolks and sugar to a medium saucepan and whisk until a light yellow color and well combined. In another small sauce pan, heat milk over medium-low heat until it just begins to simmer. Add Chai tea blend and black tea packets. Gradually add milk to egg and sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Return to heat until it reaches 165 ºF, but do not allow it to come to a boil. As soon as it reaches the correct temperature, remove it from the heat and remove black tea packets. Pour custard base into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator until it chills to 65 ºF. The longer the custard base chills, the creamier your ice cream will be. 
Once the custard base is ready, stir in the heavy cream and pour it into your ice cream maker and process according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.

OATMEAL CACAO NIB COOKIE

Ingredients 

1 cup butter 
¾ cup organic brown sugar 
¾ cup organic white sugar 
2 eggs 
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats Quick oats will also work 
2 cups flour 
½ tsp salt 
1 tsp baking soda 
1 tsp baking powder 
1-1/4 cup cacao nibs

Recipe 

Preheat oven to 375 ºF. This is a very heavy dough and mixes best in a stand-mixer. 
In a food processor grind the oatmeal to a medium to fine grind, then pour the oats into a medium-sized bowl and add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 
Cream the softened butter and the white and brown sugars together over medium speed until smooth and creamy. 
Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined, scraping the bowl and remixing until you have a smooth mixture. 
Add in the oatmeal flour mixture along with the cacao nibs. Beat on a low speed to slowly incorporate all the ingredients. 
Scoop out the cookie dough with a cookie scoop of a tablespoon on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes until the cookies are golden brown 
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes then remove to a cooling rack until cool.

CURRY MASALA COOKIE

Ingredients 

1 cup unsalted butter 
3/8 cup organic white sugar
1/8 tsp salt 
2 egg yolk 
1 cup flour 
3/8 cup almond flour 
½ tsp baking soda 
2 tbsp curry powder 
Black sesame seeds & black pepper for garnish

Recipe 

Preheat oven to 320 ºF. 
Grease baking pan. 
Cream the softened butter and the sugar together over medium speed until smooth and creamy. 
Add 1 egg yolk. Mix thoroughly. 
Roll the dough into a 4-inch disk. Then refrigerate for 1 hour. 
Take the dough out of the refrigerator, wait 5 minutes before rolling out the dough into 1/8 inch thickness. 
Cut dough into whatever shape you want. For our recipe we use 1 x 2 inch rectangles. 
Move to baking sheet. 
Beat the remaining egg yolk and brush on the surface of the cookie dough. 
Sprinkle sesame seeds on top of dough. Press gently into dough. 
Bake for 12 – 14 minutes until golden brown. 
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes then remove to a cooling rack until cool.

FLOURLESS CACAO CAKE

Ingredients 

½ cup water 
¼ tsp sea salt 
¾ cup organic white sugar 
18 oz (2 ¼ cups) bittersweet chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate)* 
1 cup salted butter, room temperature 
6 eggs, room temperature 
1 tsp vanilla extract

Recipe 

Preheat oven to 300 ºF. Grease one 9” round cake pan (or glass pie plate) and set aside. (Note: Cut a piece of parchment paper into a circle with “handles” and place it on the bottom of the pan. Then grease the pan with the parchment paper in it). 
In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the water, salt and sugar. Whisk every 60 seconds until completely dissolved and set aside. 
Melt the chocolate chips (in the microwave or in a double boiler) and pour into the bowl of a standing mixer. 
Cut the butter into 1 tbsp pieces and beat it into the chocolate, 1 piece at a time. 
Mix in the warm sugar/water mixture until combined. 
Slowly beat in the eggs, one at a time until completely smooth. 
Add vanilla and mix until just combined. 
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. 
Put the cake pan in a larger pan and fill the larger pan with boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of your cake pan. Be very careful not to get water into the cake! Put the pan with the cake in it on the oven rack before pouring the water. That way just slide it in and close the door. 
Bake cake in the water bath at 300 ºF for 45 minutes. The center will still look wet, but the edge will look done. 
Remove the cake from the water bath and let it cool on a wire rack. 
Chill cake overnight (or for at least 6 hours) in the pan. 
Carefully lift the parchment paper out of the pan and the cake with it.