Here’s a fun and easy although not entirely inexpensive little project: make yer own vanilla extract!
You can thank Chef Michael Smith for this one. Beloved and I have been taping old episodes of his series Chef at Home from the Food Network and watching them on the weekends. One episode he made a passing reference to how easy it is to make your own vanilla extract as he shook a mason jar full of honey-brown liquid, and my curiousity was piqued.
I’ve already learned my lesson about vanilla extract. There are two kinds on the shelf in your grocery store: artificial and pure. When Beloved started to get into baking last year, I tried to cut corners and brought home an extra-large size bottle of artificial vanilla extract because I balked at the price of the pure stuff. As I’ve since learned, it’s worth spending the extra to get the pure stuff because it has flavour-enhancing properties (not to mention a heavenly flavour in its own right) that the artificial stuff just can’t touch. Artificial vanilla extract can be made from corn syrup, wood pulp, or various natural and artificial flavours.
The recipe for home made vanilla extract, it turns out, is ridiculously simple. It comprises a whole two ingredients: vanilla beans and vodka. And as I found out, both of those things are stupidly expensive.
That’s how I found myself in the LCBO, peering at price labels on vodka bottles and searching for the absolut cheapest brand. (Get it? Absolut? I slay me.) Holy crap, this stuff is not cheap! As I compared the prices of the various brands, it occured to me that this may be the first time I have purchased hard liquor. Oh the things I’m learning in my ripe old age!
Solution for extracting vanilla acquired, I found myself lacking only vanilla. I thought I might be able to find bulk vanilla beans at Farm Boy or Bulk Barn, but it turns out they both sell the variation of the same packages containing just two vanilla beans in the range of $5. I found a recommendation online to buy vanilla beans online from Beanilla, and managed to pick up 25 beans for just over $20.
So, to recap: artificial vanilla extract for approximately one cent per millilitre. Pure vanilla extract for approximately nine cents per millilitre. Home made vanilla extract for approximately four dollars per millilitre. This is starting to sound like the time I made my own baby food!
But, having finally acquired all the necessary components, I must say the actual making of the extract couldn’t have been easier. You will need: vodka or other liquid over 35% alcohol content, at least three vanilla beans, knife, 250 ml mason jar.
Split the vanilla pods down the centre to expose the itsy bitsy bits of beany flavour inside. I chopped mine further into thirds to make them fit better in my jar. Pour the vodka over the beans. Do not take a photo of this step as you try to balance camera in one hand and vodka in the other and press the shutter button with the third or you will pour several hundred expensive millilitres of vodka past the jar and onto the table, driving up your cost per millilitre another dollar or so.
Shake, shake, shake it baby – and you’re done!
You can see all the yummy wee vanilla beans floating around in there. Drool-worthy! Put it up in a cool, dark cupboard and forget about it, except for when you go in about once a week and shake it up. Ours is about two weeks old now and already a lovely rich dark brown and smells like heaven. I’ve read that you should let it steep for anywhere from four to eight weeks – I figure I’ll crack ours open just after the holidays and let Beloved have at it to try out in all his favourite cookie recipes.
So now you have to share – what’s your favourite use for vanilla extract?
