ottawa foodies

In my quest to not buy anything/as little as possible pre-made, I've now taken vanilla extract off my shopping list. This is fantastically easy AND (even at the 3 week point mine is at now) is way better than store-bought.
With only two ingredients plus the option of keeping it going by just adding vanilla beans/liquor to it: Love it!

Homemade Vanilla Extract

3 medium vanilla beans
1 cup rum or vodka

The short version: place vanilla beans in a jar, fill with liquor, close, shake, and wait.

The longer version: Have ready a 1-cup glass jar or bottle with a tight-fitting lid. Pour boiling water into it, let rest for 10 minutes to sterilize, and pour out the water.
Using a sharp knife, slice the beans open lengthwise to expose the seeds. Tuck the beans in the jar and fill with liquor. Close the jar, shake it a few times, and place it in a cool, dark cabinet.
Let the jar rest in there for 8 weeks, shaking it again once or twice a week, or whenever you remember to. The mixture will get darker and darker over time.
You can start using your extract by the end of the eighth week.

Photo and instruction from;
chocolateandzucchini.com

Awesome!!! Totally gonna do this!

another alcohol you could use is bourbon
i figure bourbon vanilla beans why not use bourbon

Is there any way, or value to doing it with a liquid that has higher alcohol content than 40%? Isn't the commercial extract 100% alcohol? If only I could easily re-distill the bourbon, without changing it's flavour....hmmm

I've been doing this for years, using rum as my solvent of choice. I keep it in a bail-top Grolsch bottle, which makes it easy to pour from and open without too much mess.

Once the beans poke above the liquid I cram a couple more in and top it up with some more rum. Give 'er a shake and she's ready to go.

We've been meaning to try this for some time now and the Dragonlady is stuck on the idea of using bourbon instead of rum. Why, for those of you who support the use of rum, do you suggest rum?

What kind of rum? Obviously not spiced rum. Do you use a light rum? Dark? Medium?

She just feels that it would impart an overwhelming rummy flavour.

I've got a bottle of Barbados Black Seal rum and another of Maker's Mark bourbon. Either would be fine, I imagine ... though the rum is quite dark.

Suggestions?

What are you or the Dragonlady going to use the vanilla for - baking or drinks or...
The stronger the base the more flavour you add - will it compete with or complement the vanilla...in baking it is probably best to use something cheaper in price but still of good flavour...
I have used vodka and brandy as my bases for making vanilla for about 10 years but have come to rely on the brandy for most baking and the vodka vanilla where vanilla flavour predominates (like pudding, whipped cream - but I still use the brandy based vanilla in such instances where it can add a bit of complementary flavour (like in whipped cream on an upside down apple gingerbread cake).
Whatever base you choose you`ll have to decide whether to add more base as you use up the vanilla or use up the bottle before renewing your supply, in which case you have to buy your vanilla until your homemade is ready. Another alternative is to start 2 bottles, use 1 up, then get it going again and start using the second bottle.

Say,I am wondering how you like the Maker`s Mark - I bought a bottle last spring when on vacation with friends and am saving it for New Year`s Eve when we`ll be together again. I`m looking forward to drinking it...

Maker's Mark is really nice. DL doesn't drink much and she likes it a lot. Oh, she is a very discerning person much like me. You should enjoy it now and open it up again for New Years. You probably won't make your way through a whole bottle in one night anyway. If you ARE that kind of person, you should give me a call.

;)

You know, I hadn't really thought about using a different liquor for different tastes. I figured that you wanted to use as innocuous a spirit as you could get away with to bring forward more of the base vanilla flavour. I can see now how using a nice brandy would be nice as well.

Still, I don't think I'll be using any of my good Armagnac.
Oh, okay ... just a shot before bed then.

Don't forget Momomoto, that you occasionally remove a bean to use the contents for a rum/vanilla infused creme brule....mmmmm

Ooooh! I never figured the pulp would still be good for something. I must give this a try.

I sometimes make my own vanilla extract, but my new, go-to extract is 'extrait antillais'. Sounds better than Antilles extract, no? It's made with vanilla beans, tonka beans, sapote beans(seeds?), mace and rum or vodka. I can't even describe how amazing it smells. I use it wherever I want a bit more than just vanilla, and if a recipe calls for rum, I just use this. I originally bought this as a kit at Epices de Cru in Montreal, but now make my own. Grace in the Kitchen usually has tonka beans and can order the sapote. I just put together a couple of bottles for Christmas gifts. Highly recommended!

HA! I had made a big bottle of rum vanilla and another of brandy vanilla just as an experiment. I let it age for about 4 months and took it to the Maritimes with me to give away as gifts for the family. Everyone loved it.

I saved a small bottle of the rum extract for the little B&B we stay at in St.-Antoine-de-Tilly. He loved it.

Here's the fun part. I gave a bottle of the brandy extract to my friends who run the Foolish Chicken. I've been hanging around there since they opened and the managers and I have a good time. I was remarkable to them because of my online persona: Rizak the Really Horrible. Anyway, she immediately took the bottle home and made some cheesecake with it that they called Really Horrible Cheesecake. It sold out before either of them got to taste any. Now she's all out and needs more!

;)

I have to remember to ask her if she wants the pulp when I'm done with it. 4 pounds of liquor soaked vanilla pulp should be good for something.

I've been trying to get some beans from my previous supplier for over a month now. He decided to refund me the price because it took so long. He said, even if it arrives later, not to worry. He knew that I needed it last week if I'm going to get a proper batch made to sell at Christmas craft shows. Maybe I'll be able to get some in for the late, late shows. 2 months is the absolute earliest I think I'd bottle it.

I've run out the costs on this and can make a bit of a profit if I sell 100ml bottles for $10, $14 for the double-fold (double strength).

I just thought it was a bit of fun. Now it might turn into a bit of a business. A bit of booze, a bit of vanilla, wait for a while, bottle. Profit.

Anyway, anyone who is interested can give me a buzz and I'll add your name to my list when it is ready.

All natural, no pesticides, no sugar added, no laboratory-made vanilla scents. Boutique vanilla like this goes for anywhere between $4-$8 more than I've priced it at. Still, it isn't cheap. I use a combination of Madagascar and Tahitian vanilla beans.

Jamaican Rum vanilla (single-fold) - $10
Jamaican Rum vanilla (double-fold) - $14
French Napoleon Brandy vanilla (single-fold) - $10
French Napoleon Brandy vanilla (double-fold) - $14

... or enjoy the experience of making your own.
:)

BTW, the USDA has specific guidelines for making vanilla which are a fair standard to use: the equivalent of 6 whole beans must be used for every cup of alcohol. Otherwise, you're just making vanilla scented booze.

Another thing that very soluble in alcohol is capisum (the stuff that makes hot peppers hot). Just soak some chilli flakes in alcohol for a couple of months and you will have a very strong tincture. Use ethanol if you are going to consume it of course, but for topical only application, you can use strong rubbing alcohol too (some people say capisum makes hair regrow by stimulating the hair follicles).

FOLLOWUP:

I had a craft show on Sunday at the Sandy Hill Community Centre and it was completely wild. I have another show next Sunday (at the Ottawa South Community Centre (old fire hall on Sunnyside)) and have no stock left aside from individual beans. I guess I seriously underestimigated the market for boozy vanilla in Sandy Hill.

Okay, I still have about a dozen bottles, but they're the ones I couldn't fit in the box to take last weekend. WOW! I was really surprised. I made a bit more than 10 liters.

Plus, it tastes really good. ;)

Hey Rizak,

What % ABV for that recipe from the USDA? Not saying I have a still, but I have heard of people with them getting 90% ABV out of it. Want to be sure that any recipe is adjusted accordingly.

My neighbors are coming back from Mexico in the near future and if beans are cheap down there I may get some muled back.

Is there a linky for such a recipe? And no SmokerGuy you cant get it on my source ;)

K,

Can one source ethanol for food extracts, like vanilla, and not pay all the liquor taxes ?

An another example is salted Chinese cooking wine that can contain a high alcohol content but not be taxed like liquor.

Why CC I can only comment on what I have read on the internet. Smiley sells stills out of Barfhaven. $100 at the BORG will get you all you need. Allegedly some folks have used a 20# sack of white sugar from Costco, EC1118 yeast from LHBS and some yeast nutrients to make a sugar wash. A double run will get you 90% ABV.

Zero risk of methanol production. There is some science here but like most things from what I have read the government is fear mongering. Distilling a grain base is a bit more challenging but not by much.

Well, I'm currently using the LCBO and SAQ available liquors. I've adjusted these for an 8 liter batch and are very close approximations by my base understandings of the systems of math. 35% is the accepted standard for selling the stuff, but there are various methods for production which start off at 70% or more. It all depends on whether you are making a double-fold (up to twenty-fold!) extract or not. However, those require heat and come out relatively quickly: just a couple of weeks. My method is a slow, cold extraction over 4-6 months and the reviews show that it makes a difference.

7 liters of 40% alcohol mixed with 1 liter of filtered water gives me exactly 35%.

3 liters of 94% alcohol mixed with 5 liters of filtered water gives me pretty close to the same.

I'd love to get or make my own without paying additional taxes on it. I'd also love it if I could make something unflavoured like that without using any grains. Then, it is gluten free! As a matter of fact, I'm having mine tested right now to see if they are. At least I'll know one way or the other. I had no idea there were such tests readily available to the public. Thank you FUK Flour for doing that for me. I'm pretty sure that the vanilla extracts I make with rum and brandy for my Really Horrible Enterprises brand are GF, but I don't know for sure.

I guess I have even MORE research to do now.
sigh.

I mean, I FOR SURE wouldn't be making my own rum, but brandy is certainly possible ... or could I?

I've been looking (pretty casually) for a way to get food-grade ethanol, but haven't turned up any leads yet. Not surprising with the government's stranglehold on alcohol production/laws. I certainly wouldn't want to start a business model that depended on moonshine to make my product, but if there was a way to make it legally as an ingredient for the same, well, I'm sure I'd make a whole bunch of new friends. I mean, I'd find a sufficient quantity of volunteer quality assurance specialists. Of course, I'd need to run a gas line out to the garage ...

I have all the information I'd need to make a still from my Foxfire books. They show everything about how to do things the 'olde-fashioned way', like slaughtering a hog, building a still, or making a sod-roof home. The basics.

BTW, I have no problem telling people how to make vanilla extract. It can be a fun project. Hell, I'll even sell you the beans (much cheaper than you could get them at the grocery store). It's just that it takes a long time and most people don't want to wait that long. In fact, each of the bottles I sell comes with a bean in it, so as long as you keep topping it up, it should keep making extract. Up to a point. It's kind of like when you have a container of eggnog and keep adding rum to it. Eventually, it stops being eggnog. Enjoy responsibly.

@chef Obi
Just a note on Bourbon vanilla.
Bourbon is the name of the French island group that the beans come from, not the liquor used to make it. Trust me, vanilla made with bourbon isn't what I'd use for baking. It is also one of two methods used for 'killing' the beans to halt maturation.
The Mexican method is to put the beans on hot tiles and the harsh heat does the work. The Bourbon method is to boil/steam the beans briefly which does the same thing in a gentler way.

I also have a note about Mexican (Dominican Republic, etc.) vanilla. I've had it and liked it. Hell, I've even bought a couple of pounds of beans and made some myself. The beans are 4x more expensive than the Madagascar or Tahitian beans anywhere I've been able to source them. The issue isn't with the beans themselves, but with the sale of what people believe to be fantastic, cheap vanilla. If you think you just got a great deal on some of that great Mexican vanilla, don't be so sure. If it is clear, or especially cheap, you don't have real vanilla. What you have is Tonka bean extract. Tonka beans actually smell more like vanilla than vanilla does, and that sound like a great thing. However, Tonka beans contain coumarin; the main ingredient in rat poison. It's a blood thinner and banned by the FDA (and if I could find a source, probably the Canadian equivalent as well) for use in foods. In the small amounts it is used, it probably isn't a problem, but I wouldn't use it.

I'm trying not to be too fear-monger-y about this. I just hear so often about people who go on trips and buy this stuff and really have no idea. Usually they're older people who shouldn't be taking blood thinners anyway.

Brandy..distilled fruit wine, Rum distilled wash easily made from molasses procured at your local groc store. Neutral spirit from white sugar.

From things I have read...90% ABV made from sugar burns with such a clean flame it is barely visible ;)

The limit of using distillation will give you a max of 93% ABV. It is not possible to get anything purer via that method.

BTW @Rizak - no worries about gluten free when using distilled alcohol. The distilling kills the gulten, so celiac's are free to drink from any grain based distilled alcohol. Fermentation on the other hand does not kill the gluten so regular beer is off the list.

Tonka beans aren't illegal in Canada as far as I know - but its use may be regulated. But at least three handmade chocolatiers in Montreal have a Tonka bean filling, and they can't send that one by mail anywhere.

Also, Rizak, your vanilla is excellent! Used it in a banana bread recipe and it really lifted the taste a notch. Thank you again!

I'm not saying it's illegal. However, there are special and very particular tests for Mexican vanilla (specifically) entering the country via legal channels. That should say a bunch right there.

Thank you for the kind words. Always nice to hear.

A note on vanilla BEANS. I get them wholesale at a very good price. Since the last time I bought a load (20 pounds!), the price has literally doubled.

Just a note for anyone who might happen to see the prices of foods with real vanilla ingredients start to creep up. I'm going to try to eat the cost (not increase any prices) for as long as I can and hope this worldwide shortage ends this coming season.

Even before the price doubled, I could only get the Madagascar beans. What small amount of Tahitians I have left are my last. For a while, anyway.