Tonka beans are an exotic ingredient — once associated with French haute cuisine, but now creeping into more and more home pantries.

Tonka bean is most often used to infuse liquids though, like milks, creams and custards. The shavings are added to the liquid, and stirred on a medium-heat. Be careful not to boil furiously though, as this will alter the tonka flavour.
Whole tonka beans can also be used to infuse spirits or sugar syrups.