Vanilla Extract
At the end of May, I bought a pound of extract grade Tahitian vanilla beans off of eBay for something like $17 incl shipping. We've got some vanilla sugar going, but the extract is the true experiment.
All were placed into pint canning jars. Some beans were snipped, some split, some a bit of both. None were scraped. Each of 4 jars was filled with a different alcohol. Vodka, Brandy, Rum, and Kirsch. There is no photo of the Kirsch batch in the beginning, as it was an afterthought when I realized I had tons (well, ounces) of beans left. Each batch had about 3 oz of beans in them. Here are the photos if you care to see:
May 29th, 2008
August 14th, 2008
The color change is already very apparent. I give them a shake every now and then. The vodka batch smells terrific already, but the others need more time to mellow. I'm giving them all at least 6 months, at which point I'll have more vanilla extract than I could ever use.
All were placed into pint canning jars. Some beans were snipped, some split, some a bit of both. None were scraped. Each of 4 jars was filled with a different alcohol. Vodka, Brandy, Rum, and Kirsch. There is no photo of the Kirsch batch in the beginning, as it was an afterthought when I realized I had tons (well, ounces) of beans left. Each batch had about 3 oz of beans in them. Here are the photos if you care to see:
May 29th, 2008
August 14th, 2008
The color change is already very apparent. I give them a shake every now and then. The vodka batch smells terrific already, but the others need more time to mellow. I'm giving them all at least 6 months, at which point I'll have more vanilla extract than I could ever use.
Bob, you are awesome! You are definitely one of the most interesting people I know. I'm impressed by your culinary prowess and have been for years.
You will definitely enjoy your vaious vanilla concoctions. I've been making my own for years, using vodka primarily. I'm curious about the brandy and the kirsch. Let me know how the taste test goes.
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