Vanilla
(Joanna, I’ve owed you this post for like 2 weeks!)
I know it’s kinda, well vanilla, but I love me some vanilla.
As with most things food I decided I want my vanilla to be,
- quality
- thrifty
- a hands-on experience
so I ordered me some vanilla beans.
I sliced them in half and stuck them in some bourbon.
This ‘extract’ will be ready in about a month. I keep it in the pantry and shake it when I think of it.
Extract is nice and easy but I’m becoming addicted to the straight up pulp from the center of the bean.
Especially after making a Vanilla Fig Coconut Flour Cake with it.
After squeezing the pulp out of the bean for various baking projects I toss the shell into the mason jar containing my cherry bourbon. Waste not, want not. 😉
As far as thrifty goes, I ordered my Madagascar vanilla beans from Olive Nation and paid about $15 for 1/4 pound or ~25 beans. I’ve used about 5 beans so far and have a couple cakes and about 6 ounces of extract to show for it. Pretty thrifty in my book.
Have you experimented with vanilla beans? I’d love some ideas for savory ways to use them!
