Prova Gourmet Madagascar Vanilla Beans are whole, unsplit Bourbon vanilla pods, cured to a glossy black brown and packed in France in 8 oz (227 g) vacuum bags. They give pastry chefs the classic Madagascar profile, balsamic, woody, and lightly smoky, from a single ingredient with nothing added.

Each pod stays supple enough to bend without cracking, and a knife drawn down its length opens onto a dark, sticky seam of seeds that flecks through pastry cream, custard, ice cream, mousse, genoise, biscuits, and chocolate ganache. One to three beans carry a batch, depending on the application and how forward the vanilla should read.