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| Vanilla Me! http://cookaholics.org/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=1746 |
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| Author: | Tatoosh [ Thu Oct 13, 2011 6:18 am ] |
| Post subject: | Vanilla Me! |
Well, courtesy of a hint from Tim (I think it was Tim) I read a thread about making vanilla extract and paste over at eGullet. They mentioned a source of vanilla beans in the USA who had pretty good pricing and I found that his shipping to the Philippines wasn't all that bad either. So today, exactly one month to the day from placing the order, two pounds of Madagascar and Tahitian vanilla beans/pods/whatever arrived and ... man-o-man ... does my place smell good! I still have beans coming from Indonesia too. So next week the big Vanilla Extract Caper will commence. We will try Kenji Alt's method described over at CI for making authentic VE. We will try the Vanilla Report's suggested approach as well. We will probably even combine the two methods for a third version, 'cause I gotta whole lotta bean! The majority of extract will be made with medium grade 3-filter Vodka, but I will grab a pint or two of Tanduay Rhum (lubricant of the masses here - though I may get their slightly more aged version) and give that a shot too. I will consider the vanilla paste process, if we have enough left, if not, well, one round of vanilla sugar coming up. My plan is to make the variations, then age some for a minimum of 3 months and most up to 6 months. I will strain the pods out but leave the seeds or "flecks" in the extract as visual confirmation of the original source. Reminds me of the story about a friends niece and nephew, young Filipinos visiting an uncle-in-law Switzerland and being treated to vanilla bean ice cream, which they eyed dubiously and then gracefully refused. Later, the aunt pried out why they declined what is a favorite food of youngsters. It was the insect bits, they declared, the ice cream was just full of them. Auntie laughed a lot on that one. Steve Note: eBay Source: Vanilla Products USA |
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| Author: | talanhart [ Thu Oct 13, 2011 7:33 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Vanilla Me! |
Wow, 2 pounds. I bet your house does smell good. |
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| Author: | BeckyH [ Thu Oct 13, 2011 2:13 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Vanilla Me! |
If you run that liquor through a water filter like a Britta, you will get a smoother taste. |
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| Author: | Tatoosh [ Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:10 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Vanilla Me! |
Fuzzy, oh yes! And we just got back from a shopping trip for heavy cream and dark chocolate, so time to dust off the ice cream maker, to be sure. Two batches, one vanilla bean and the other chocolate coming up. Next up, a trip to the liquor store, so very aptly sporting a large "Booze" sign outside, for my extracting fluid. BeckyH, you are so right. And considering how much store (with reason) they put on "filtered water" here, I never see any of these in the shops. The only place I've seen charcoal filters are for much larger home water supply applications in the building supply and hardware stores. I'd resolved to order a pitcher and a years supply of filter replacements even before this project came on board. Now I will get two jugs, one for the vodka. Steve |
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| Author: | MiGirl [ Sat Oct 15, 2011 8:02 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Vanilla Me! |
Good luck. I haven't made it in a couple years, but when I did it was great. |
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| Author: | Tatoosh [ Sat Oct 15, 2011 9:30 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Vanilla Me! |
Thanks! Just back from the liquor store and I have two bottles of vodka and one bottle of 12 year old rum. I will try the various methods to see which I like best for making extract. I gotta remember to save a bit of the vodka for ice cream making so we can quit using my premium Grey Goose in the base. We did make two nice banana cream pies using the new beans as well. Ice cream machine is running away downstairs as I post this. Later tonight we'll get started on the extract project. Yeah! Steve |
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| Author: | JesBelle [ Sat Oct 15, 2011 9:58 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Vanilla Me! |
When the vanilla has just started to flavor the rum -- say in a couple days -- try making a White Russian with the rum in place of vodka. It's one of my (now not so) secret vices. |
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| Author: | MiGirl [ Sun Oct 16, 2011 1:13 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Vanilla Me! |
JesBelle wrote: When the vanilla has just started to flavor the rum -- say in a couple days -- try making a White Russian with the rum in place of vodka. It's one of my (now not so) secret vices. That sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing the secret.  Laurie |
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| Author: | Tatoosh [ Sun Oct 16, 2011 7:52 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Vanilla Me! |
I had never heard or thought of that. Sounds interesting, and I do have a bottle of Kahlua on hand. We'll do this in little aperitif glasses since none of us imbibe so much these days. Thanks for sharing that little secret, I can almost taste those flavors across my tongue now. |
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| Author: | Tatoosh [ Fri Oct 28, 2011 6:19 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Vanilla Me! |
We have started phase one of the Vanilla Project. Our beans arrived and are great. A number have been sacrificed respectively (and respectfully) to vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream, and leche flan. The extract grade, the bulk of my order, are being used in a combination of the CI and the Vanilla Review methods for making Vanilla Extract. CI calls for 1 bean to 3/4 cup of heated vodka and a one week "soak". The Vanilla Review calls for 30 grams of Vanilla Bean to 1 cup of room temperature vodka and a 3 to 6 month soak. 250 milliliters equal one cup so the new "fifth" is 750 milliliters or 3 cups. I weighed out 90 grams of Madagascar Extract Grade beans. That turned out to be 22 beans or pods, if you prefer, or 7 to 8 pods per cup, much higher than the 1 bean CI recommends. We took the pods, split them, scraped the flecks out and made quite the fragrant mound of vanilla "caviar". So while we waited for the vodka to come up to a simmer, we stuffed the pile of Vanilla flecks into the bottle along with the chopped pods. Once nice and toasty, we poured the vodka into the bottle, recapped it and shook the little beggar until it's teeth fell out! Well, fairly vigorously anyway. After two days it has darkened quite nicely. It will have to be strained for use, but in one week we will give it a taste test, comparing it to CI's bench mark, McCormick's Pure Vanilla of which I have a scant 1/2 ounce left. I don't know that 1 week is enough, and I am pretty sure 1 bean is not. Should CI be right and my concentration is way too high, I don't have a problem with diluting it. Now I am debating the addition of corn syrup which is used to take the alcoholic edge off. Part of me wants to remain "pure" but the practical side of me (particularly if I gift it) wants it to be what most cooks expect based on the commercially available stuff. We also did the rum, a 12 year old Tanduay (Filipino brand) that goes for all of 3 or 4 bucks a fifth as I remember. Similar bean concentration. What I did learn about while researching this is there is some truly bogus Mexican vanilla extract, made not with vanilla beans, but with Tonka Beans which contain coumarin, a substance banned by the FDA and shown to damage internal organs. While Mexico is producing true vanilla beans, given that some very unscrupulous folks down there are making extract, paste, and concentrate out of the Tonka bean and labeling it as "Pure Vanilla" I would be very very careful about Mexican sourced products. I quote Wikipedia about coumarin in Tonka beans:
Less alarming but still off-putting, is the synthetic Vanilla Extract, made from wood pulp. The stuff many of us have used (sorry if I paint with too broad a brush here) along the way, since it was both cheap and available. Even CI found that the synthetic stuff could win blind taste tests, so it does not fail in the taste department particularly. But it is not the complex, nuanced vanilla found when you can compare simply by sniffing Madagascar, Tahitian and other varieties. The synthetic is good, maybe just not so complex. And surely not so reassuring to my "avoid overly processed foods" gene. Who knows what they are selling here in the Philippines where labeling laws are non-existent and price point is way way more important that any superficial health consideration. What I like, when I make ice cream or any other thing, is knowing what I'm using. And I'll be using the real thing, as Justin Wilson used to say, "I ghar-ohn-tee!" Steve |
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