Adventures In Extracts
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I love vanilla. I love it more than chocolate. No, that’s not right. I love it as much as chocolate. I mean, I love it almost as much as chocolate.
Did you know that adding a little vanilla to something you’re planning to eat will make it taste a bit sweeter without adding any actual sweetener? It’s like magic.
According to the inter-webs, most of our vanilla comes from Madagascar and Indonesia these days, although it’s also grown in places like Mexico, Central America, and some islands in the Indian Ocean. The vanilla beans are the product of an orchid plant and most are hand-pollinated. Which is, as you might imagine, quite a lot of work, and goes a long way toward explaining why vanilla is relatively expensive. Saffron is the only spice more expensive than vanilla.
You can get vanilla in many forms, from the beans to extract to vanilla powder and vanilla sugar. You can also get artificial vanilla (quite a lot cheaper than the real thing), which is made from vanillin derived from lignin (I’m no chemist but lignin is something to do with the cell walls of plants). In fact, according to Wikipedia, more than 90% of all vanilla flavor is made using vanillin, rather than actual vanilla extract from real vanilla beans.
I am a fan of the real thing. Specifically, I’m a fan of making my own vanilla extract, using vanilla beans and food grade alcohol. I recommend using organic beans if you can (I got mine here) and for the alcohol, I like a mid-range vodka (I’ve been using Skyy), as it’s smooth enough to keep my final product from harsh overtones but it has no flavor, letting the vanilla shine through. Some people like to use something like rum or bourbon to make their vanilla extract, and while that certainly works, I don’t want the complication of the flavored alcohol. I prefer just plain vanilla flavor in my extract.
Why should you make your own? Well, it’s dead easy, it tastes better than most anything you can buy, and making it is cheaper than buying it. And stored properly (in a temperate dark place), it keeps for approximately forever. Also, it makes a lovely gift for the baker in your life.
You’ll need the alcohol of your choice, vanilla beans, and an airtight container for letting the beans steep. Oh, and you’ll need some time. About six months.
I use a 34 oz glass bottle with a swing top (you can get it here) and about 20 vanilla beans. That seems to yield the right ratio of beans to vodka. Slice the beans lengthwise, but don’t cut them all the way; leave them joined at the end so that they’re easier to pull out of the bottle later. Stuff them into the bottle cut ends first, and then fill the bottle to the tippy-top with your alcohol. Don’t forget to label your bottle, and then set it in a dark place for about six months, turning it a few times once a week or so. You can leave it longer (and you might need to, depending on the beans you use) but you won’t want to leave it for less than six months. You’ll know it’s ready when it’s quite dark in color (see the picture below) and tastes/smells strongly of vanilla.
Feel free to take a moment to admire the unusually beautiful fragrance of your hand after cutting up all that vanilla. Permit no judgments if you choose to sniff or lick your fingers.
After it’s done brewing (fermenting? extracting?) and you’ve run it through a strainer (I recommend straining through muslin or a few layers of cheesecloth or a coffee filter), you’ll end up with vanilla extract that looks like this picture below. Beautiful and delicious. Store in an airtight container in a dark place.
