Take a deep breath, my friends at Food For Thought: A News Cafe. We have about 10 weeks until Christmas and Hanukkah.
Instead of falling into gift-buying mania, I would like to suggest a useful gift that can easily be made at home, but the time to start is NOW. A favorite holiday gift to give and receive is homemade vanilla extract. I have made my own vanilla for about 20 years, and like my sourdough starter, the first batch still thrives. When you purchase vanilla beans, PLEASE make sure the bean is plump, not a stick-dry, shriveled-up bean. Locally I like Moore’s Flour Mill. I have always found excellent quality beans there. Hunt for sweet little bottles for your gifts at second-hand stores. Morrison’s and Cost Plus have a nice selection. Add your personal touch with beautiful ribbon or get crafty with wire and beads, and make this a fun family activity. Enjoy!
Vanilla Extract
6 vanilla beans split lengthwise 2 cups Vodka 2 tablespoons dark rum 1 glass jar with a lid (I use a 1-quart Mason jar.)Put cut beans into jar. Pour Vodka and rum over beans. Make sure the beans are completely covered.
Put lid on jar. Place vanilla extract in a cupboard out of the light for at least 8 weeks.
After 8 weeks the vanilla extract has the nice amber color and is ready to pour into small bottles for gifts.
I like to put a vanilla bean in each bottle. This way the extract will keep gaining in flavor and you can tell them that by adding a little vodka when it is halfway used up will replenish your supply of vanilla. It will dilute it for a while but it will regain strength quickly.
Andrea Charroin was a trained baker and pastry chef in San Francisco before she and her family moved to Redding nine years ago. After falling in love with Redding’s downtown, Andrea and husband Westley opened a little pastry shop, Rene-Joule Patisserie, across from the Cascade Theatre. For the three years Rene-Joule was in business, it was renowned for making everything from scratch, using the best ingredients and keeping with a seasonal menu. To this day, Andrea is asked about her Marathon Bars, Orange Twists and sourdough bread.
Copyright 2008 Andrea R. Charroin. Visit my blog at bakerslove.typepad.com.