One of my favorite perfumes smells like chocolate.  My lotion scent of choice?  Brown sugar vanilla.  And the shade of the bath towels I recently purchased?  Vanilla.  I’m seeing a trend here…

Things that remind me of my favorite flavors just make me feel good.  And vanilla is at the top of my list of flavors to use in baking.  For this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe choice from Lynn at Cafe Lynnylu (click for the recipe), I got to use vanilla to make a fabulously rich and custard-y Vanilla Ice Cream.

Reading through Dorie’s Playing Around sections, I came across the suggestion to add dulce de leche to the ice cream, which reminded me of that lonely can in my pantry waiting for just such inspiration.  So instead of using a vanilla bean or my normal vanilla extract, I added Mexican Vanilla Extract to the custard before chilling.  Once the ice cream was churned, I stirred in a couple of tablespoons of dulce de leche.  The result?  Divine.  The combination of the rich egg custard base, the Mexican vanilla, and the dulce de leche was absolutely delicious.

I just might have to dab a little behind my ears.