Homemade Vanilla Extract

Beberapa kali Bryan dapat order fumigasi curah di kapal Vietnam dan hasil ngobrol2 sama kaptennya membuahkan beberapa botol Vodka Hanoi dibawa pulang 😀 Selama ini vodkanya paling dicampur2 sama cranberry/orange juice aja. Di botolnya ada tulisan 29,5% V, sepertinya itu kadar alkoholnya karena tulisan lainnya pake bahasa & aksara Vietnam yg keriting2. Kapan itu gw sempet bikin ice cream pake campuran vodka ini juga 😛 Kebetulan masih ada sisa 1 botol dan bingung mau diapain lagi. Bosen juga dicampur2 sama juice, maksudnya kalau bisa dimanfaatkan selain jadi minuman kenapa ngga. Nah waktu gw browsing2 nyari resep ice cream di blog ini, ternyata dia pernah bikin homemade vanilla extract pakai vodka, ini resepnya:

Homemade Vanilla Extract
recipes from here

Ingredients
3 vanilla beans
250ml vodka
bottle

Method
1. Split the vanilla beans with a paring knife or scissors. Cut to fit into your bottle.
2. Pour vodka to completely cover the beans.
3. Leave in a cool dark place giving it a shake every now and then. The vodka will slowly get darker. Leave for at least 2 months before using.

Catatan gw:
– Karena di Pontianak susah banget nyari vanilla bean, akhirnya pas ke Jakarta kemarin gw beli Vanilla Bean di Ranch Market, merknya Javara, 15gr isi 4 batang. Dibilangnya sih organik & tumbuh di Bali.
– Setelah diseset jadi 2, vanilla beannya langsung gw masukkin aja ke dalam botol Vodka, ngga gw pindahin ke botol lain, biar praktis.
– Jangan lupa dikasi label tanggal berapa vanilla extract ini dibuat karena kurang lebih 2 bulan setelahnya baru bisa dipake alias panen 😀

Kenapa bikin vanilla extract kalo udah ada vanilla bean? Jawabannya ada di web ini:

Perhaps some of you will wonder, if I have fresh vanilla beans, why use extract at all? And the answer is that they don’t serve the same purpose. Fresh beans need to be steeped in a liquid ingredient (milk, cream, syrup…) to release their flavor, so they can only be used in recipes that call for such an ingredient, like sauces, ice creams, or custards. Vanilla extract, on the other hand, is ready-to-use and can be added directly, without steeping, to cake batters, cookie doughs, cocktails, etc.