Vanilla

We all entertain for different reasons, and a few days ago my husband and I hosted a small dinner for a very special purpose. Our guest of honor was one of my spouse's college students whose help we desperately needed. As the proud new owners of a flat-screen high-definition television (my spouse's belated Christmas gift), we found ourselves totally in the dark about how this slick, space-age set functioned. Even after a visit from the cable guy and several hours spent poring over the manufacturer's manual, we still couldn't get all the buttons to work.

On its own, homemade pudding is certain to soothe and comfort. With a few twists - whipped cream, a dash of spice, fresh fruit, bits of candy - pudding can quickly turn into something both fancy and fast. Making vanilla pastry cream, which is simply good, old-fashioned vanilla pudding, takes less than 10 minutes and can become the jumping-off point for a variety of flavors. Think dark or white chocolate, coffee, rum, liqueurs, citrus zest, cinnamon, coconut (plain or toasted) or crushed toffee.

The Essence of Chocolate By John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg with Ann Krueger Spivack and Susie Heller Chocolate & Vanilla By Gale Gand with Lisa Weiss Clarkson Potter / 2006 / $22.50 With two covers, introductions and recipe sections, the latest book from Chicago pastry chef and restaurateur Gale Gand appeals to those who like their sweet flavors dark or light (or both). Along with about 60 recipes, there are tips on finding good chocolate and vanilla, deciphering chocolate terminology and warming chocolate just enough to make curls (try a hair dryer set on low)

Roasted Pineapple With Pineapple Sorbet Serves 4 seeds scraped from 1 split vanilla bean 1/2 cup dark-brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 cup light rum or apple juice 1 whole large pineapple, peeled Pineapple Sorbet (see below) Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Heat the vanilla-bean seeds and sugars and rum in a large ovenproof saute pan over medium-low heat, stirring, until the sugars are completely dissolved. Add the pineapple to the pan and cook, gently turning it several times, until thoroughly coated with the rum mixture.

My sandy-haired, gap-toothed daughter has written "I love Daddy" in green chalk on the driveway, and of course it's gratifying to get this endorsement, but a father is never sure if he's doing the right thing or not. I am an indulgent parent who wants to make her happy, but instead of taking her to swim class, I wonder if I shouldn't send her to hoeing school. I learned to hoe when I was her age and soon thereafter to pick potatoes. How will she find happiness if she doesn't learn about work?

Susan Rose of Baltimore was looking for a recipe from the 1960s for a refrigerator cake made with fresh strawberries, angel food cake, Jell-O and other ingredients. Ele Piche of Fort Collins, Colo., sent in a recipe for Strawberry Angel Dessert that sounds similar to what Rose was looking for. The recipe was her mother-in-law's and is a family favorite. I tested this recipe using store-bought angel food cake and fresh local strawberries. I used an angel food cake pan with a removable bottom, which made it easier to unmold the cake once it had chilled overnight.

Cutting sliced bread into rounds with a biscuit cutter makes this French toast look special -- and ready to top with vanilla yogurt and fruit. VANILLA CINNAMON FRENCH TOAST SHORTCAKES WITH YOGURT AND BERRIES MAKES 4 SERVINGS 4 slices bread 3 large eggs 1 tablespoon skim milk 1 / 4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 / 4 teaspoon cinnamon 2 teaspoons butter 1 teaspoon canola oil 1 cup berry topping (below) 1 (6-ounce) container vanilla or plain nonfat yogurt Use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut the slices of bread into circles.

Sometimes a recipe will call for vanilla, vanilla extract, vanilla flavoring, a vanilla bean or even vanilla paste. Could you please explain the difference? What we call the vanilla bean is the fruit of the vanilla plant. Vanilla manufacturers immerse cured beans in a solvent of water and alcohol that extracts the flavor. The solvent then is strained and bottled, and the result is pure vanilla extract. To learn more, I called on Dan Fox, director of sales for Illinois-based Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, a leading producer of vanilla.

BEMANEVIKA, MADAGASCAR -- The house that vanilla almost built soars above all the others in this remote village of one-story wood huts and dirt lanes. Jamaro Bernad, a 57-year-old grower, began erecting his four-story concrete dream home two years ago, when the price of vanilla shot to record highs amid cyclone damage and price speculation. But he finished only the top two floors before the price plunged by 90 percent, a welcome change for American consumers but a dread occurrence here.

Good morning --Starbucks -- As Sam Perlozzo suggests, a greenie crackdown could mean more caffeine. New franchises in dugouts? QUESTION OF THE DAY Will the Ravens' offense kick into gear Sunday? Of course not. With Billick's "Vanilla" offense, designed to win games 13-6, how hard does the defense have to work to hold us under 14 points? Michael S. Herman Sr. Baldwin Until the Ravens' offensive line protects the quarterback and opens lanes for the running backs, there will be no kicking this offense into gear.