Most of the great cookie recipes I bake use vanilla and would be enhanced by really good vanilla. Are you looking for a savory dish that uses vanilla, though?

You could make a bread pudding that’s rich and vanillaful without being too sweet. Add a little half and half and some cardamom or cinnamon. And save me some. ;)

A local restaurant makes one like this. Here, I copy and paste from their online menu:

Mexican Bread Pudding 4.50
Martin’s Grandmother’s recipe. Baked bread pudding with apples,
pecans, maple syrup, cinnamon, and cheddar cheese. Served with
sweetened cream.

I would look at South American recipes.

Horchata – You can make it as sweet as you like, i prefer just a bit. And it would blend the vanilla into a wonderful drink from the would remind her of the vacation.

I don’t know about a recipe but when you are done using it don’t throw away the scraped pods. Place one or two in your dry coffee and in your sugar bag. Trust me, wow!

Note: not pods. Liquid.
Pods would probably be illegal to bring back with her.

I’ve read of recipes with vanilla in a flavoring for meats like steak, etc. but never tried them. How about looking at allrecipes.com ?

;) @janbb, look at the note in the question.

Tapioca Pudding, mmmm

@delirium Sorry – it’s getting late. Better fold up my tent and go home; although the same idea could work for fish if you eat that.

So I guess chocolate or peanut butter fudge is out of the question since you don’t want it too sweet?

Make a sweet-ish sushi. Create a sticky rice that is infused with vanilla and cinnamon. Spread it on a very thin sheet of chocolate. Flip it over and place whatever fruit your little heart desires on one edge and roll it up. Slice into rolls and serve as a sushi inspired dessert. Do not dip into soy sauce

Homemade ice cream!!

place a vanilla pod into a half bottle of premium vodka, leave for 6 weeks, hey presto a lifetime supply of vanilla essence! unless you get desperate that is lol

A lot of good ideas have already been said. Other things that come to mind are a homemade vanilla pudding or a trifle.

How about this one? It’s a dessert but with fruit and doesn’t look overly sweet:

Try South African Milk Tart. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/south-african-melktert-milk-tart/detail.aspx

My god, that’s the best idea ever.