I make vanilla extract.
Lots and lots of vanilla extract.
It's pretty good.
The by-product (after syphoning off the liquid) is pounds and pounds of slightly used vanilla beans. They're still plenty good, and full of caviar. Just not good enough to make more vanilla extract with.
I usually sell these to local restaurants to make desserts with. In the case of the rum and brandy soaked beans, I reuse them to flavour maple syrup and THEN give the twice-used, booze-soaked, maple-dipped beans to a good friend who uses them to make beer.
I made a lot of extract this year because of my attendance at the Toronto One of a Kind Christmas show, which was amazing, thank you for asking. That means that I have a lot of extra beans that my regular sources aren't able to take. I took a lot of them with me to Toronto and did manage to get rid of a few bags, but I didn't have the chance to get out very much and still have about 6 bags left.
Each bag is about 3 pounds, what would have started out as 2 pounds of vanilla beans. They've plumped up with the alcohol. That's around 200 vanilla beans in each bag. $50/bag. Whole bags only, before you ask.
If you know anyone who wants a bag, let me know via email or PM. They're fantastic for making desserts. One of my regular clients gets awards for her cheesecakes every time she enters a competition and attributes it to the beans' mellow flavour. Crème brûlée is amazing. Make a tonne of vanilla sugar or vanilla syrup for your coffee. Whatever. At 25¢ each, you can be pretty profligate.
They're well preserved, having soaked in alcohol for 6 months. They'll easily last at cool or even room temperature for months. Normally, I tell people not to refrigerate vanilla beans, but these would be fine in the freezer. In fact, I have a bag in my freezer that I've been pulling from for years now to make other stuff with (bitters, mostly).
I hate to throw something out that still has so much life left in it.
Rizak
Lots and lots of vanilla extract.
It's pretty good.
The by-product (after syphoning off the liquid) is pounds and pounds of slightly used vanilla beans. They're still plenty good, and full of caviar. Just not good enough to make more vanilla extract with.
I usually sell these to local restaurants to make desserts with. In the case of the rum and brandy soaked beans, I reuse them to flavour maple syrup and THEN give the twice-used, booze-soaked, maple-dipped beans to a good friend who uses them to make beer.
I made a lot of extract this year because of my attendance at the Toronto One of a Kind Christmas show, which was amazing, thank you for asking. That means that I have a lot of extra beans that my regular sources aren't able to take. I took a lot of them with me to Toronto and did manage to get rid of a few bags, but I didn't have the chance to get out very much and still have about 6 bags left.
Each bag is about 3 pounds, what would have started out as 2 pounds of vanilla beans. They've plumped up with the alcohol. That's around 200 vanilla beans in each bag. $50/bag. Whole bags only, before you ask.
If you know anyone who wants a bag, let me know via email or PM. They're fantastic for making desserts. One of my regular clients gets awards for her cheesecakes every time she enters a competition and attributes it to the beans' mellow flavour. Crème brûlée is amazing. Make a tonne of vanilla sugar or vanilla syrup for your coffee. Whatever. At 25¢ each, you can be pretty profligate.
They're well preserved, having soaked in alcohol for 6 months. They'll easily last at cool or even room temperature for months. Normally, I tell people not to refrigerate vanilla beans, but these would be fine in the freezer. In fact, I have a bag in my freezer that I've been pulling from for years now to make other stuff with (bitters, mostly).
I hate to throw something out that still has so much life left in it.