Vanilla Extract - from Shayla

[Deniser]

Oh wow!  Had no idea vanilla extract would be so easy - I do tend to use heaps of it and it is quite expensive.  Off the buy the Smirnoff later in th day.  (Don't want to look desparate in the bottle shop this early in the day) 

[dede]

Lol. Well when I went I brought 3 bottled (one each for me, mum and my sister) but the embarrassment got to me and I end up telling the lady who served me why I was buying it. She was so interested and said she was going to do the same thing.

[judydawn]

Know how you feel Mandi, whenever I go around to stock up for cooking with things like port, sherry, a cask of dry white I also feel like saying this is for cooking whereas when I buy anything else there, I don't have a problem with it. Probably has a lot to do with the price of the items purchased, don't want them to think I am a cheap drunk

[Katiej]

LOL...I know what you mean
I keep a cask of white wine for cooking (risotto etc) and I always think when I buy it "I hope they don't think I drink this!"

That reminds me I must go check on my bottle of vodka/vanilla and see how it's going.  I stashed it away months ago and had forgotten about it

[hools003]

I'm so excited, just received my vanilla beans from eBay. Only ordered a couple of days ago. 250g of vanilla beans( roughly 60-70) for $32.99 plus $8.80 postage!!!
Now to go to the bottle shop to buy some vodka. Yay!

[hools003]

I've just put 10 vanilla beans into a bottle of vodka that I bought this morning. I've got so many beans that I thought I'd have a look in our drinks cabinet to see if I had any brandy as Judy has done. I'll do a taste test in a few months!
Now I've found a bottle of Napoleon Chatelle( says rare old French brandy). Does anyone know if that's a really expensive one? I'd hate to use it then find out it's $100 a bottle if u know what I mean!
Also, how do u store vanilla beans that aren't used and for how long?

[CreamPuff63]

I just found this on the web here:

quote: "You can also make a vanilla bean paste similarly. Make a very small batch of simple syrup (only need 1/2 cup or so), add the vanilla bean SEEDS only and 1/2 a cup or so of vodka. This should be a fairly thick slurry if you reduce it enough...I use this paste when regular vanilla extract isn't a strong enough flavor and I need the bean seeds to show in the final product. (Homemade icecream, vanilla butter or sugar cookies, pound cake)
Since it has some sugar in the final product, I keep this in the fridge just for insurance against spoilage.
If vanilla is the key flavor note you want, use the paste with the seeds and you'll be amazed at the difference...."

[judydawn]

Now I've found a bottle of Napoleon Chatelle( says rare old French brandy). Does anyone know if that's a really expensive one? I'd hate to use it then find out it's $100 a bottle if u know what I mean!

Use the brandy with no fear hools, my SIL brings me back a bottle duty free whenever he travels to the States and this is the one I make my vanilla essence with when using brandy. It's not that expensive but is a nice brandy.

[hools003]

Thanks CP and Judy. Well I used the brandy, it will be interesting to see if there's much of a taste difference.
I counted the beans that I bought, thinking there was about 60-70 as that was what it said but there was actually 102!!!
I've put them in snap lock bags, are they ok in the pantry of shall I freeze them?

[judydawn]

I found this comment hools.

You want to store your vanilla beans in an airtight container, in a cool, dark spot. If you buy them in bulk and won’t be using them all at once, you can throw them in the freezer to prevent them from drying out.

[hools003]

Ive only used 20 so far and given mum 20! I've put them in snap lock bags in the pantry but I might put them in the freezer. Just going to look through cook books to see if I need fresh vanilla beans for anything first though.
Thanks Judy, you always are such a help.

[Cornish Cream]

Ive only used 20 so far and given mum 20! I've put them in snap lock bags in the pantry but I might put them in the freezer. Just going to look through cook books to see if I need fresh vanilla beans for anything first though.
Thanks Judy, you always are such a help.

Place some in your sugar container Hools,the smell is fabulous when you next open the lid.

[hools003]

Thanks CC I'll try that! Does that make vanilla sugar?

[Frozzie]

No to make vanilla sugar you need to mill it... Isnt there a recipe in edc ?? There i in our version of it....

Here is one

The number of beans to sugar is personal to how strong you want it but its generally either one bean to 250g or one o 500g.. Basically to not get icing sugar the best thing to do is first cut the vanilla bean in the middle lengthways or split it then cut again in three equal parts so you end up with 6 short pieces ... Put in thx bowl with 50g of sugar and mill 10 sec sp9 then if milled well and no pieces of. Vanilla remain you add this concentrated sugar to 200g to start and adjust to your liking.. Traditionally vanilla sugar is made with white sugar but you could also use raw sugar.

Hope this helps..

[Frozzie]

Here in france we have vanilla sachets which is equivalent to a tablespoon.. Much much cheaper to make ourselves as its used alot in cooking here from biscuits to creams to flans to almost everything sweet