DIY: Vanilla Extract

You want simple? I got simple! This is something I made a few months ago for my dear friend and fellow food-blogger, Sara. She is a baker extraordinaire, and I knew she'd get some use out of it. I made it ages ago and was letting it steep. It smelled soooo good, and we were a few days away from meeting for lunch when I broke it. It was a rough week in my kitchen--that week I broke a plate, bowl, cat's dish (the cute one with the fish on it!), and a glass--THEN I broke Sara's vanilla container. I wanted to cry--argh! (I must give the Mr. Clean sponge a shout-out for getting the brown stain out of my kitchen floor!!)

Fate stepped in a bit--we had to postpone our lunch, then I was going out of town, etc. etc. Suddenly I had a little extra time. I decided to make it again and hey, this time I'd blog about it!

Did I mention it's simple?? Take one vanilla bean (I used Madagascar), a cup of vodka (plain, cheaper brand is fine--you don't want Grey Goose or anything with a pronounced flavor), and a glass container. I let the vodka sit out on the counter to get back to room temperature (I keep it in the freezer). Scrape the seeds out and cut the bean to fit the container. Seal it, place it in a room-temperature spot, and let the magic happen. You need to shake it up about once a week, and let it steep for a good few months. This batch ought to be ready just in time for the holidays!!

By the time Sara & I met up for a gift exchange (and dinner--post coming soon!), the mixture was getting darker and starting to smell super-delicious. I've heard raves and raves about the vast improvement homemade extract has on store-bought versions, but I'll have to wait a few more months and ask Sara to report back to us, maybe even on her blog!!