Dessert anyone? Yes please! Indulgence is a sweet part of life, and nothing satisfies the craving for something rich and creamy like these decadent Double Vanilla Pots de Crème.

Quality ingredients are the secret to creating this elegant dessert which can be whipped up ahead of time for ultimate convenience. Each single-serving custard is laced with a double dose of pure LAFAZA Madagascar vanilla from a bourbon-based extract and ground vanilla bean powder. The intense, heady flavor of vanilla makes for a delicious stand alone dessert, or top with your favorite seasonal fruit.

Follow along as I take you through the simple step-by-step process for making these lusious pots de crème on the Cooking Guru video recipe series. The production team at Food Guru and I are excited to partner with Oakland-based LAFAZA Vanilla which sources its superior product direct from small farmer cooperatives in and around the Mananara-Nord region of Madagascar. Read more about this amazing company and their Kickstarter campaign below.

*Click this link for the printable recipe: Farminista’s Double Vanilla Pots de Creme

LAFAZA co-founders, Nathaniel Delafield and Sarah Osterhoudt, discovered their calling while working in Madagascar as Peace Corps volunteers. They witnessed the struggles faced by rural farming communities that lacked basic resources like medicine, educational materials, and market access for their products. At the time, the vanilla market had crashed and prices had dropped over 90% from previous years. The isolated farmers had no way to connect with international markets to sell their crop, and convoluted local export channels were offering them below-market prices.

Seeing a desperate need, Delafield & Osterhoudt began talking with farmers to develop a direct, fair trade business model that would bridge the existing gap between local cooperatives in Madagascar and gourmet markets in the United States. As fate would have it, Nathaniel’s brother James Delafield had been working in the Bay Area specialty food industry for years. They sent him some sample vanilla beans, which he entered in a blind taste test with a panel of experts from a major Bay Area chocolate maker.

The sample won top honors against vanillas from around the world and LAFAZA was born. *The company name is derived from the Malagasy word for a unique variety of tree grown along Madagascar’s east coast. Watch this three-minute video to learn more.

LAFAZA has made it their mission to support independent vanilla growers who use sustainable practices that help protect the unique biodiversity of Madagascar’s native rainforest. The LAFAZA team has spent a combined 20 years working side-by-side with the farmers who grow their high-quality vanilla, and are proud to pay a premium price for this organically raised commodity. The company also invests in the local community by helping build libraries and community centers in rural forest areas where the farmers and their families live and work. By offering direct market access from farmer to consumer, LAFAZA supports long-term economic growth that has made a meaningful impact on farming families in Madagascar.

Now through Thursday, June 4, 2015, you can try LAFAZA gourmet vanilla products AND support their continued efforts to provide a sustainable, direct supply chain for Madagascar vanilla farmers by contributing to their KICKSTARTER campaign. The company hopes to reach its $30,000 goal which will be used to achieve organic, fair trade & non-GMO certifications for sustainable spices from Madagascar. Over 1000 small farmers will benefit. Contributing to the campaign is a great way to try their gourmet vanilla products, and feel good about backing a company that is truly making a difference in the lives of the farm community it helps sustain.

For more information about LAFAZA Madagascar vanilla beans, visit their website.