People ask me all the time what my favorite ice cream flavor is. And when I enthusiastically reply “Vanilla!” there’s always disappointment in their eyes. They seem surprised that I’m not drawn by the vibrant hues of berry-speckled sorbets, nor by the decadent gleam of chocolate or the allure of sea salt on caramel. There is no more competitive battleground for flavors than in an ice cream case.
“You like vanilla?”
They repeat the question, as if giving me a chance to change my mind. Sometimes I suffer a momentary doubt. Should I have said hazelnut or coffee? But then I remind myself: I like vanilla, and I’m not ashamed of it.
We live in a world where twists and turns are applauded. I’ve had my share of bacon-, avocado-, and cheese-flavored ice creams—most of which I could do without. And a whole year once passed when I didn’t eat a scoop of vanilla ice cream. When I finally did, my taste buds, wiped clean of their memory of vanilla, experienced something new. I felt like I was drinking fresh water after a lifetime of wine. Every note rang out clearly.
What has ruined vanilla’s reputation isn’t that it is used so widely, but that it has been used so poorly. Oversweetened, extract-flavored, grainy versions of vanilla ice cream are everywhere. And without a minimum standard, its identity has come to stand for “plain.” What a sad fate for an exotic black fruit harvested from an orchid.
A truly well-executed vanilla ice cream is a perfect harmony of flavors: the base delicately cooked, the quality of the cream and eggs pristine, and the vanilla pods the very best you can buy. Those floral beans lie over every bite like the softest lace on satin. It isn’t Plain Jane. It is Coco Chanel in a room of overaccessorized women, the beauty of Cinderella against her gaudy stepsisters.
Real innovation is not about chasing the fashionable, but having an inherent beauty. It is not about a sampling of cleverness, but honest consideration for what works well. That’s vanilla ice cream. If you haven’t had it for a while, take a bite of a truly delicious scoop. It’s the one flavor that proves itself to be not just a passing fancy, but an eternal romance.