One bottle (750ml) of cheap vodka
10 extract grade vanilla beans. I buy from Vanilla Products USA on Ebay. http://stores.ebay.com/Vanilla-Products-USA
Cut the beans into little pieces, about an inch long or
split the beans lengthwise (you can then cut each into smaller pieces, a
few inches long, if you want—the key is to OPEN the beans and expose as
much of the bean as possible to the alcohol for extraction).
Put
the beans in the alcohol (I use a ½ gallon mason jar) and close
tightly, storing in a dark place for at least six weeks. Shake daily or
at least every couple days. It will still look clear for several weeks
and then will almost suddenly start turning darker. At the end of six
weeks, it should be a very dark amber/brown color, about the color of
pancake syrup. (Store bought is as dark as it is because of added
coloring.)
At the end, you can decant into something else,
straining beans; some seed flecks may remain in the liquid. Store in a
cool, dark place and it will keep for a very long time. You may wish to
use darker bottles for storage or gift-giving.
Put the used beans in sugar to make a wonderful vanilla sugar or double up the “used” beans to make a new batch.
Have you ever mixed the beans in with vanilla ice cream to make vanilla bean ice cream?
ReplyDeleteI've never tried it but thought that I should :-)
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