i don't think i've made anything with vanilla worthy of this wonderful prize. you are so generous to offer it! but i love making a plainish cake or a custardy pudding and using vanilla paste instead of the usual vanilla extract, so i can see the pretty little specks thru each slice. i take a childish delight in those little dots.

creme brûlée is the best vanilla dish ever! Gorgeous prize :)

Best I've tried, believe it or not, is the creme brulee at the Trattoria in the Hellenic Club (Woden). We'd be stuffed after lunch, but when they ask about dessert we'd look at each other and there's no way we could say no. Nothing beats beautiful, creamy vanilla custard :).

I'd love to make my own ice cream! I want to make something with white chocolate and smoked almonds, and goats cheese, and...

I had the whiting with vanilla and lemon at an Italian restaurant and it was amazing!

This would be AWESOME to win!!! I make vanilla bean syrup and pour it over fresh fruit and homemade yoghurt for a treat. Love your work Lizzy :)

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream - but only ever from a carton

Your affogato looks so delicious!

I must be having a blonde moment, because I can't find the "+1 do it" to click on the raffle copter to make this entry count.

Tracey and Gabriella, the machine automatically records your comment as an entry.

Hi Lizzy, this is a lovely generous giveaway indeed, thank you for the opportunity!

Your affogato does look delicious. I know what mean about some places making better affogato than others...and you tend to know straight away. My favourite way to use a vanilla bean is to split one into a dish of quinces and slow roast the quinces until they are very soft and the lovely vanilla has mingled into all of the juices. Happy vanilla and affogato days to you!

What a wonderful prize Lizzy! :D And that's great that you taught that person how to make a BLT and it became so popular!

What an amazing giveaway!!! I LOVE affogato and I often make it at home... there's nothing better than a little treat after your meal! ;-)
I love vanilla creme brulee the most, though I have been also adding truffle honey to it lately!

My favourite vanilla dish would have to be my vanilla bean panna cotta! Though I won't say no to an affogato made with good coffee and good ice cream :)

It’s very difficult to decide on the best vanilla dish I’ve ever created. Like many others here, I am a massive fan of crème brulee. But I have to say, sometimes vanilla deserves a little extra sparkle to make it really shine. I recently made vanilla cupcakes with orange blossom frosting (http://susansumptuousuppers.wordpress.com/2013/01/18/vanilla-and-orange-blossom-cupcakes/). I think they were wonderful. The buttery orange blossom frosting paired perfectly with the vanilla. They were also super pretty, topped with a crystallised violet.

I would love to win this prize because I think Heilala vanilla is amazing. I am particularly in love with the company because of the fair trade and sustainable ethos they put into practise. I would be super happy to win this Breville ice cream maker because my fridge is too small for me to have room to freeze the drum of my ice cream maker. If I was lucky enough to win the one you’re offering, I’m sure I could find a good home for my otherwise fabulous red ice cream maker.

Anything with créme anglais in it makes me a happy girl! Profiteroles are always a winner :)

Mum and I used to make a vanilla cheesecake together when she was alive; vanilla, cooking and baking brings back a lot of happy memories.

Melbourne is the place for coffee culture, Canberra is a bit off a back water in this regard sadly :(
My favourite vanilla recipe is poached salmon with vanilla pods- the flavours compliment each other beautifully indeed!
The easiest vanilla recipe I have is vanilla essence made from half a dozen plump pods steeped in a bottle of vodka- perfect!

The banana fig raspberry and vanilla cake that came out of my oven?! Yum! Be nice with an affogato too actually.... Awesome prize!

How fabulous, Lizzy! The best vanilla recipe we make would have to be Pete's vanilla syrup - it's highly coveted amongst our friends! :)

An affogato is not something i have often, Lizzy, but you have me craving for one, right now. Love the serving glass and saucer you've used. Very stylish!

Hey, loved the piece on affogato, Bizzy LIzzy! I never think about affogato as a dessert because it's too simple but I like the idea of treating it as a beverage. Will be having more of it this way.

I don't know Heilala products but I most often use vanilla in the vanilla bean paste form because I can see the tiny seeds. I love vanilla in everything. I did make a vanilla pannacotta with raspberries and peach jelly. It was the dessert du jour for a while in the noughties. And what would whipped cream be without a dash of vanilla?!

Oh I meant to say that all of the affogato I grew up with that my southern italian grandparents made for us as little kids used cold percolated coffee made from those italian coffee percolators. The trick was to make the coffee and sugar it up and put it in the fridge. Young and old would hit up the big bottle of coffee as it was quite refreshing in summer.

The joy arrived when you poured the cold coffee over the cold icecream in a glass. If the coffee was ice cold it actually starts to freeze inbetween the crevices of the icecream. Heaven I tells you. I don't really enjoy store bought affogatos as the icecream is melted and the coffee luke warm. I think I have just been spoiled. I suggest you give the cold percolated coffee a go on a hot summers day.

I love peaches poached in vanilla syrup. Made them two weekends ago. Poached fruit, so easy!

I think that vanilla is best showcased by a very simple vanilla panna cotta and I would love to win an ice cream machine because I am an ice cream addict and this will allow me to feed my addiction at home using the very best ingredients!

The best vanilla dish. Something that can be shared, and of course celebrated. There is nothing better than a first birthday vanilla cake for this reason. Baked with love, care and decorated with pride. Then to see the face of your one year old, pure delight as they experience their first date of that vanilla buttercream icing and yummy buttery cake. A memory to be cherished forever in any parents heart.
Hmm to add I've cream into the mix with a prize like this would be fantastic.
Fingers crossed

I do love an affogato as well, but you're right it has to be good vanilla ice-cream.

In terms of vanilla uses, I've gone back to that old favourite of making vanilla sugar. It's something my mum used to do when I was little and then it seemed to go out of fashion. But Jamie Oliver reminded me of it, in one of his early books and now I always have a jar of vanilla sugar in the cupboard.

Creme brûlée in Paris!

My grandmas homemade vanilla ice cream. No idea how she made it but I remember many her beating it many times. On my wish list is an ice cream maker so that I can create my own with the freshest incredients and no nasty additives.

The best vanilla dish i ever created was during a massive pregnancy craving. Vanilla french toast with bacon, maple syrup and lashing of vanilla whipped cream. Amazing combination, i still enjoy it even now i've had my baby. I can just imagine turning this into an ice cream mmmm.

Does Vanilla Slice count?

My favourite vanilla desert was a Vanilla custard with roasted blueberries that my grandmother made. Just delicious.

Simple and pure - vanilla ice cream. A sure hit with everyone!

Rapunzel tower cakes (using dariole moulds) were yummy and a twist on the average cupcake. This prize is awesome and something new I've never attempted before,so would love to give it a go.

My favourite vanilla dish is simply vanilla bean icecream!! nothing compares to home made vanilla bean icecream.

I love using vanilla to poach pears, along with star anise and cinnamon.

The best vanilla dish I've eaten was a home-made vanilla, white-chocolate and apricot icecream. I could have died and gone to heaven! The texture, the taste, the experience. It was literally a party in my mouth. I woke up thinking about it. Yes I did. Honestly. I'd love to win this so I can replicate this amazing tastebud sensation myself. Who needs men when you can own an ice cream maker? ;)

You do realise you've now given us all a yearning for affogato. :)

The best vanilla dish I've made is fried ice cream. It can't be made with cheap ice cream, it has to be creamy and good quality vanilla ice cream. Would love to be able to make my own ice cream to ensure the quality.

Vanilla custard in profiteroles with chocolate fudge sauce. Yum! I didn't know vanilla would grow in New Zealand.

My best ever vanillia dish is good custardy vanilla ice cream with homemade lemon curd and meringues with vanilla all smashed together in a glass! easy to make beforehand and always impresses people.

Vanilla Baked Rice Custard - oh my gosh. Got this recipe from a dear friend. Uses far too many eggs, but what a feast. Prefect dessert & even lunch box addition for our young fella!

I love a classic vanilla custard. Oldie but a goodie and so versatile!

I made a really nice Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta using Splenda for my diabetic uncle (I was the favourite neice for a month!!) he has to watch the fat of the cream, but it was a total treat. I love the flecks and taste vanilla bean gives. You know Affogato means drown - what a way to go!!!!

Vanilla cheescake using Vanilla paste, it can't be beaten!

A simple Vanilla milkshake. When made properly with quality products and is icy cold, it is so refreshing.

I make something i called the 'Queen of Tarts'
Choc biscuit base with vanilla bean ice cream and then topped with raspberry coulis.
Perfect summer dessert to make in advance and pull out of the freezer =)

Simple but loved by my kids. A vanilla bean milkshake. Nothing better than a milkshake with real vanilla. Perfect for an afternoon treat after school.