My beans arrived today and they smell heavenly! they are still in the vacuum sealed package and the aroma seeps through. After months (years?) of reading online various blog posts about making your own vanilla extract I've decided to try it for myself. I shared my frustrations with Greg about always running out of vanilla extract and how expensive a tiny bottle of it costs. I told him I should just make my own-the concept intrigued Greg and he did the research for me and found beanilla They didn't have the cheapest prices but they offered a large variety and a lot "education" on vanilla beans. Turns out there is a variety of vanilla beans available and each have their own unique flavor and nuance. Greg is big on subtle flavor differences (go figure with his espresso obsession)He strongly encouraged me to order a variety pack of vanilla beans and try them all out to see which kind we liked best and just for the fun of tasting different creations. I found this post which outlined some of the differences in each bean. I can't wait to get started. I'll have to have patience as it will take several months for the extract to "mature."
I'm going make 8 batches of extract-one for each bean. I'm also going to set some beans aside to experiment with-vanilla bean ice cream is the first thing that comes to mind but I know there is a plethora of recipes out there that call for "real vanilla beans" and I've shied away from them because I didn't have any beans and I wasn't about to shell out $7 for two tiny shriveled up beans from the grocery store.
oooh I'm so excited-I don't think that I would have invested the money in vanilla beans had it not been for Greg's encouragement and his own curiosity to see what comes. (in the long run my homemade vanilla extract is going to be loads cheaper and tastier than store bought)
1 comment:
Wow, Rachel, I am so impressed! You never cease to amaze me. Can't wait to hear about how it turns out.
Post a Comment