MMMM. Vanilla. I choked the first time I went to the bulk section at my local grocery store and saw the price of ONE vanilla bean. I wanted to try out vanilla scones, and thought I'd make them with real vanilla instead of relying on extract for flavor. $6!! For one!! I couldn't believe it. Since they were supposed to be 'special' scones for family, I splurged. Later, I came across a website that sold them by the pound! In case you don't know, vanilla beans are extremely light, so a pound was at least 100 beans. I ordered a full pound for myself for $20! Amazing. Since then, I've made several batches of vanilla scones with vanilla icing and I have 3 jars of vanilla sugar working. I have several other ideas for these beans, too. I want to make homemade vanilla ice cream when the weather warms up, creme brule(apparently I dont need a torch for this since I have a gas oven) , and I want to make my own extract when I run out. I'm sure I'll come across more ideas for these beans as I go, but already I've saved so much money ordering them in such a large amount.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Vanilla Goodness
MMMM. Vanilla. I choked the first time I went to the bulk section at my local grocery store and saw the price of ONE vanilla bean. I wanted to try out vanilla scones, and thought I'd make them with real vanilla instead of relying on extract for flavor. $6!! For one!! I couldn't believe it. Since they were supposed to be 'special' scones for family, I splurged. Later, I came across a website that sold them by the pound! In case you don't know, vanilla beans are extremely light, so a pound was at least 100 beans. I ordered a full pound for myself for $20! Amazing. Since then, I've made several batches of vanilla scones with vanilla icing and I have 3 jars of vanilla sugar working. I have several other ideas for these beans, too. I want to make homemade vanilla ice cream when the weather warms up, creme brule(apparently I dont need a torch for this since I have a gas oven) , and I want to make my own extract when I run out. I'm sure I'll come across more ideas for these beans as I go, but already I've saved so much money ordering them in such a large amount.
Orange Marmalade!
I attempted orange marmalade on Sunday, and I'm very pleased with the results! It took a couple hours and the house smelled like oranges, but the payoff was 11 8 oz. jars of tasty candied oranges. I used Alton Brown's recipe from Good Eats, and the only ingredients were 5 oranges, 1 lemon, and lots of sugar. I have yet to try it on toast, but it was excellent on vanilla ice cream. If you are a fan of the old fashioned dreamsicle(vanilla ice cream pop covered in orange sorbet) then this is your ice cream topper! I've thought about selling the jars, but I'm a little timid about putting myself out there. What do you think, dear reader? Would you pay $4 for an 8 oz. jar?
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