A while back we got the chance to go to the Nielsen-Massey headquarters here in the Chicago area to check out the factory, but also to meet Eric Lanlard. The minute we got out of the car I knew we were in the right place as everything smelled of vanilla.
Who is Eric Lanlard? Eric Lanlard is one of Europe’s top pastry chefs. He also makes cakes for the Queen and other VIPs in England. I was very excited to get to see him make two different recipes from his new cookbook Tart it up. He made a pecan pie and a salmon tart . Besides the time involved to make the dough and baking, it really took no time at all to make both tarts. They were incredibly easy. I’ve yet to try my hand at any of his recipes, but the gypsy pie looks the most intriguing.
After watching Eric make tarts, we were able to get a few photos.
Then it was off to tour the factory. Photos for the most part were not permitted, so I didn’t attempt to take any. I can tell you the factory is huge and smells absolutely amazing. I’d much rather have vanilla and caramel over chocolate any day. We learned all about how Nielsen Massey makes their vanilla, starting with vanilla beans and ending with extract and paste.
It’s taken me forever and a day to get this post done as it was my first time using my Sony Bloggie Live. I had to eventually hit up the Arlington Heights Memorial Library to get my footage edited correctly. That said, I’m pretty pleased with the results.