Who says vanilla is lame?
21 May
According to this informative article in Cooks Illustrated:
“Vanilla is a powerful ‘flavor potentiator,’ meaning it enhances our ability to taste other foods including chocolate, coffee, fruit, and nuts, and boosts our perception of sweetness.”
This may be why vanilla extract is a staple ingredient in baked goods. The article goes on to say that real extract is recommended for cooking, and making cold creamy desserts, but that imitation may be an ok substitute for cookies (as extreme heat changes the taste).
(*Photo courtesy of Edmond H. Lee)
Natural vanilla extract can be expensive, so when I came across a blog post about it on Simply Recipes, I knew immediately that I wanted to give it a whirl.
I started out by purchasing two dozen Madagascar vanilla beans from Beanilla trading company, for about $1 each. The beans were vaccuum packed and fresh, and they taste great!
Once you’ve used up most of it, you can add more alcohol and vanilla beans to keep it going. You can use dark rum as well. This project takes about 4-6 weeks to make, but it is totally easy, awesome and delicious!
