Real vanilla can be a great addition to cocktails, desserts and even main dish sauces. It can also be expensive. While artificial vanilla can be a good alternative, I find it just lacks the punch of the real deal.
So I decided to make my own! And it's super easy.
What you will need:
-4 vanilla beans
-1/2 cup of vodka
-1 small mason jar
Note: You can increase the amount you make. Just keep the ratio of 1/2 cup vodka to 4 beans.
What to do:
1) Take the vanilla beans and slice them in half. Then slice them down the middle to open up the sticky fleshy part inside. A good sharp knife is important here.
2) Try your best to remove the centers from the beans and make a pile of paste.
3) Once done, place the paste and all the vanilla bean halves into the bottom of the mason jar. The point of slicing and seeding the beans is to expose as much of the vanilla flavor to the vodka as possible so you will get a concentrated product.
4) Pour over the vodka and seal the jar. Give a gentle shake and place in a cool dark spot.
5) Let sit for 4-6 weeks, giving a shake about once per week.
6) Once it looks ready, get out a cheese cloth or very fine strainer and drain the mixture into another container to remove the vanilla bits.
7) Place a couple of the vanilla bean shells into the bottom of the new jar and place in your spice pantry.
All set for use!
So I decided to make my own! And it's super easy.
What you will need:
-4 vanilla beans
-1/2 cup of vodka
-1 small mason jar
Note: You can increase the amount you make. Just keep the ratio of 1/2 cup vodka to 4 beans.
What to do:
1) Take the vanilla beans and slice them in half. Then slice them down the middle to open up the sticky fleshy part inside. A good sharp knife is important here.
2) Try your best to remove the centers from the beans and make a pile of paste.
3) Once done, place the paste and all the vanilla bean halves into the bottom of the mason jar. The point of slicing and seeding the beans is to expose as much of the vanilla flavor to the vodka as possible so you will get a concentrated product.
4) Pour over the vodka and seal the jar. Give a gentle shake and place in a cool dark spot.
5) Let sit for 4-6 weeks, giving a shake about once per week.
6) Once it looks ready, get out a cheese cloth or very fine strainer and drain the mixture into another container to remove the vanilla bits.
7) Place a couple of the vanilla bean shells into the bottom of the new jar and place in your spice pantry.
All set for use!
| Vanilla beans ready to be stored for 4-6 weeks |
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