Foodie View: Vanilla Ice Cream - AKA a Blank Canvas

I am a chocolate lover first and foremost, and vanilla isn't exactly a stand up and take charge flavor. Sometimes, I want my ice cream to take the lead, rather than being an "I dunno, what do you want to do?" sort of flavor. Generally, I want my ice cream to be a flavor that "shows up with dinner reservations, has a wine recommendation, has plans for a movie, and has a lot of scintillating conversation swirled into the whole mix." I like my flavors akin to Ben & Jerry's Urban Jumble (a metropolitan merger of chocolate and coconut ice creams, mingled with white and dark chocolaty chunks, pecans and roasted almonds), now sadly retired to their Flavor Graveyard. Now, that was a take charge kind of flavor!

Vanilla is a good "river" ice cream - it just goes with the flow. As my wise and hilarious friend says, "It's like tofu in that it embraces whatever flavor you add to it. Kind of like the zen ice cream, or the ice cream that gives in to peer pressure!" Given its placating and complaisant nature, vanilla tends to be the perfect blank canvas on which to create a palate masterpiece. Below are some of my absolute favorite Vanilla-and-(fill in the blank) creations. I fully encourage you to buy some vanilla ice cream and have a creative night. This is also a great activity for children. Have them create their own personal flavor and give it a name. For those of us counting calories, you may want to start with Dreyer's Slow Churned Light or Dreyer's Slow Churned No Sugar Added ice creams. They're super creamy, very tasty, and only 100 or 90 calories, respectively.

Fruity ~ Vanilla Ice Cream topped with:
Fresh Passion Fruit
Fresh Mango
Raspberry Preserves
Blueberry Preserves
Guava Jelly
Grilled Pineapple and Sugar Free Coconut syrup

Pies and Cakes ~ Vanilla Ice Cream mixed with:
Pumpkin Pie - 100% Pure Pumpkin Puree and Pumpkin Pie Spice or Cinnamon (or both)
Apple Pie - Chunky Applesauce and Pumpkin Pie Spice or Cinnamon (or both)
Blueberry Cheesecake - Blueberry Preserves and Ricotta Cheese
Strawberry Shortcake - Strawberry Preserves, Shortbread pieces, and whipped cream

Exotic ~ Vanilla Ice Cream topped and mixed with:
Ginger Preserves (or chopped candied ginger) and Roasted Cacao Nibs
Green Tea powder sprinkled on top
Sweet Red Beans and Coconut Gel

Alcoholic ~ Vanilla Ice Cream mixed with:
Blood Orange slices and Cointreau
Toasted Coconut Shreds and Malibu Rum
Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans, Baileys Irish Cream and Kahlua
Super Nutty Toffee Crunch Cereal (Trader Joe's) and Amaretto
Limoncello
Rum-soaked Rasins, Cinnamon and Dark Rum
Baileys Irish Cream, Butterscotch Schnapps and Ladyfingers

Wanna-Be Chocolate ~ Vanilla Ice Cream mixed with:
Graham Crackers, Mini Marshmallows and Dark Chocolate Syrup
Toasted Almonds, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Dark Chocolate Chips
Warm Caramel Syrup, Dark Chocolate Chips, Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Dark Chocolate Ganache

Don't be shy. We've all taken vanilla to new heights. I'm always looking for more decadent ways to tweak my ice cream. Share the joy!