Vanilla

Photo Courtesy of Masterfile.com

How heavenly is that wonderful scent of vanilla? Even the smallest waft of it brings a smile to my face. And that is why the smart people at Glade and other such companies make it a point to put out scented candles and hand soaps and air fresheners with just that scent. Its almost as good as fresh backed chocolate chip cookies (and that is why Real Estate agents like the house to smell like fresh cookies during open houses…).

A couple weeks back I went on the hunt for fresh vanilla beans in the hopes of making my very own vanilla extract. Finding the recipe was easy; finding the beans was a little more tricky. But I did finally find them in Kensington Market, and now, after mixing with vodka, I am patiently waiting for my extract to be, well, extracted. The recipe is really simple:

INGREDIENTS

2 cups vodka or rum

3 vanilla beans

DIRECTIONS

SPLIT the beans in half lengthwise.

ADD vanilla beans and alcohol to a clean bottle with sealable lid. Keep in a dark, cool place, shaking the bottle a couple times a week so the vanilla evenly extracts into the alcohol. Can be used after 6-8 weeks. Store for 2 to 3 months, the longer the better.

This photo was taken on day one. No colour yet, but I’m due for an updated photo for comparison; the colour has gotten much darker and richer. I’ve got three more weeks left to go. I also really love this bottle. Originally it had a sweet Thai hot sauce in it, but I loved the topper so much that I kept it. Came in handy after all. Let's just hope I got all the 'hot' out of it...

In the long run, I’m not sure if this is any more cost efficient then buying the store brand, at least the imitation vanilla. Combining the cost of the alcohol and the vanilla beans, this small jar probably cost me about $8-10 dollars. Real vanilla extract is more expensive than artificial, but I’ve always bought the artificial kind. That might change! Curious to see if I could reduce my costs even more, I looked into the possibility of growing my own vanilla plant. Turns out, there is a supplier here in Canada that sells them (they are actually in the same family as the orchid), but the plant itself can grow up to 25 feet, and you have to keep it in a dark, moist climate. Naturally, I asked my mom if she would consider growing it in her basement, but she didn’t really go for that idea. Can’t say I blame her. Oh, well. I’ll see how this first batch turns out before I consider getting into the vanilla bean business….

My next experiment might be making vanilla sugar. If a recipe calls for fresh vanilla beans, don't through out the pod! you can put it in with your white sugar and it will flavour it. Give it a try next time you're doing some baking...