Buying a vanilla bean is a gastronomic luxury; the Mexican, Tahitian and Madagascar bourbon varieties have particularly soft, shiny and oily pods, with an intense aroma that pervades every preparation. You can use the seeds inside them to cook baked goods and as a natural flavoring for dishes.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Cooking in the Oven with Vanilla Bean
Step 1. Cut the pod in half if you want to use the seeds
If you need to flavor the batter of a cake or biscuits, you have to open the pod lengthwise and remove the seeds that are inside. You can later incorporate them into the preparation and imbue it with their unmistakable aroma.
- Place it on a clean, dry cutting board, taking care to point the curved end up. Grab the top end of the pod with your non-dominant hand and take a curved knife with the other.
- Slice the vanilla in a long, vertical motion, opening it perfectly in half. You must have access to the small seeds that are inside and that form almost a dense pulp. Proceed slowly; if the knife slips out of your hand, realign it with the incision you made earlier and continue cutting the pod.
Step 2. Scrape the seeds
Divide the two halves by spreading them with the side of the blade. Do not use the knife edge because your purpose is not to cut the pod further.
- Use the side of the knife or a teaspoon to remove the seeds. Just slide the cutlery along the "pulp" inside the pod.
- You should open the vanilla just before using it in the kitchen. Remember that one pod corresponds to three teaspoons of liquid vanilla extract. If you only need half the dose, you should cut the pod only half its length, thus exposing only part of the seeds to the air.
- You can find tables online to convert extract doses into seed doses.
Step 3. Add the seeds to the oven preparation
If you're following a cookie, pie, or tart recipe that calls for vanilla extract, you can substitute seeds for this ingredient. Add them to the butter as you work it to cream, so that they blend evenly into the batter.
- You can also ensure a homogeneous mixture by taking part of the batter and then adding the seeds with a spoon, or by crumbling them with your hands. Afterward, incorporate this portion of the flavored dough with the rest of the batter.
- You can find online a number of recipes for cookies, cakes and pies that use vanilla seeds as an ingredient.
Step 4. Make the vanilla flavored sugar
You can rub the seeds inside the sugar to enrich the flavor. The seeds will release their vanilla aroma naturally. Then you can use the sugar respecting the instructions of the recipe.
Use flavored sugar to cook vanilla cookies, such as Kipferl or Sicilian totò
Step 5. Make an extract for flavoring baked goods
Instead of spending a lot of money buying the extract at the supermarket, you can make it yourself by keeping the pod cut in half. This is a long process, so if you know you need to use the extract, you need to start 1-2 months in advance.
- Place 3-4 pods cut lengthwise into a clean glass container. Add half a liter of high-quality vodka, rum, or bourbon and seal the container. Store in a clean, dark, cool place for a month if you're using rum, and for three to four months if you've opted for vodka. Shake the container from time to time to mix the aromas. The intensity of the flavor depends on the duration of the infusion times.
- For this purpose, choose grade B pods; you can use grade A ones too, but they are much more expensive.
Part 2 of 3: Flavor with the Vanilla Bean
Step 1. Add the pod to a liter of milk
If you like to use vanilla beans in recipes that involve milk, you can add them to a liter of this liquid, which you will heat over medium-high heat in a saucepan. You can use vanilla to flavor puddings, creams, and other milk-based preparations.
Alternatively, you can put the vanilla seeds and the pod cut in half in the pot full of milk; the aroma will be even more intense. After a few minutes of boiling you can taste the milk, to make sure that the vanilla flavor is present but not dominant
Step 2. Place the pod in the sugar bowl
To flavor the sugar with vanilla, simply add a pod, cut in half, into the sugar bowl or container where you store it. The vanilla will naturally release its own flavor which will transfer to the sugar. You can later use it to sweeten your morning coffee or to cook baked goods.
Step 3. Put the dried vanilla in the coffee beans
If you like coffee with a natural vanilla flavor, then you can put the pod or dried seeds in the bean bag. Let the ingredients sit overnight or a few weeks. Over time, the coffee will absorb more and more of the vanilla aroma.
Part 3 of 3: Storing the Vanilla Bean
Step 1. Wrap it in aluminum foil and store it in a cool, dark place
Pods are susceptible to air and can dry out if not protected. To prevent them from becoming fragile, you need to wrap them in aluminum foil and then store them in an airtight bag. You will then need to store them in a cool, dark place in the kitchen.
- Do not store the pods in the refrigerator or freezer, as the temperatures in these appliances are too low and can dehydrate the vanilla. Instead, choose a spot at the bottom of the pantry.
- Well-preserved vanilla pods last for several weeks.
Step 2. Rehydrate the dried pods with boiling water
If you feel they are dehydrated or crumbly, you can regenerate them by soaking them in a pot of boiling water for several minutes. In this way they return to their original shape and recover the right consistency.
Step 3. Use fresh pods within 2-3 weeks
If you plan to use fresh ones for cooking or baking, you should do it within a couple of weeks; after this time, in fact, the pods begin to dry out even if properly stored in a cool and dark place.
