Vanilla Beans: The Topic

[webguide]

I make my vanilla sugar by rinsing and drying the vanilla beans used for ice creams etc. I then run them together with sugar in a blender so that they become completely pulverized. Thats sort of a way to use them.

[andiesenji]

You can make vanilla paste. I posted the recipe in the vanilla extract thread several months ago.

[Terrasanct]

I've ground up some dried pods and put them with the coffee in the grinder--it makes good vanilla flavored coffee.

[Preserver]

well you can reserve it and the next time you make creme brulee or ice cream you can steep it in the cream so you don't have to use whole beans... maybe use 2 or 3 of the split pod..

[joiei]

You can stick some into those jars of vanilla extract you are making and it should not hurt. Everytime I get a big jar of Penzey's vanilla, there is a bean in it.

[KatieLoeb]

Brush off as much sugar as you can and stuff them in a bottle of decent quality well bourbon, like Evan Williams. Let them soak for as long as you can stand it (at least a few weeks) and then enjoy the spoils of your patience.

[KLwood]

My favorite thing to do with ' Old ' vanilla beans is to add about 1 bean to 2 Tablespoons of Herbs De Provence and pulverize it in the spice/ coffee grinder its Awesome on Duck, and if you do the Slow Roast method ( 250˚ for about 2 hours ) the smell will permeate every corner of your home.

[CheGuevara]

a pastry chef friend always dries out used beans (you can air dry the or in a warm oven if you're pressed for time) then he grinds them in a blender into a fine powder and uses it to make anything from cookies to macaroons.

[gfron1]

I'm bumping this topic because a friend has a birthday on Thursday and asked me to make his cake. The only request was vanilla. WTH. Its like the only flavor I have ever not featured! Why not cilantro or celery (I'm a freak).

I want to do something fancy not simple. He deserves it and expects it. Any ideas?

I'm not sure if I can do something with this - but he loves dark beer, so if I could incorporate that into a dessert that features vanilla I would get brownie points! I'll have to go re-read Mette's Iron Baker challenge.

[jumanggy]

Vanilla Guiness cake? Heh. I'm the least knowledgable person when it comes to beer.

I think I would love plain chiffon layered with panna cotta!

[John DePaula]

What about vanilla beans with a Belgian kriek. You could make a chocolate ganache frosting using the kriek and have a white layer cake with the vanilla beans.

[kitchensqueen]

Andreas Viestad did a skate wing with vanilla beans on his PBS show last season. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds really good, and a unique departure from using vanilla with sweets.

[gfron1]

I loved these ideas, but I'm in the middle of nowhere and had no lead time on this one (which meant no kriek). I ended up making a Guinness cake with vanilla panna cotta, super charged vanilla whipped cream all around, sprayed with white chocolate. It tastes great but my executiion was horrendous - good thing its for a friend.

[Shel_B]

I'm finally making the move from Vanilla Extract to real beans, which I've rarely used. So, what should I look for when buying beans? Do beans spoil, or lose flavor over time? How should they be stored? I know the beans offer a lot of flavor, but what about the pods? How can they be used? Any suggestions would be helpful and appreciated. Thanks!

[BeeZee]

Shel, I had good luck storing my beans tightly wrapped in a couple of layers of plastic wrap and stored in a screw-top glass container. Kept them fresh and fragrant. When I scraped the beans for a recipe that didn't require steeping the pod, I buried the used up pod in another glass jar with sugar, for vanilla scented sugar.

If you like poached pears, they are really nice when made with a vanilla bean poaching liquid.

I had bought my beans online from someone on Ebay that was recommended by several people in the "make your own extract" topic. The beans were plump and moist.

[thayes1c]

Can't offer any suggestions on storage or use as I myself am just starting to use the fresh beans, but I can tell you that Costco is selling 10 beans for 11.50 right now. They're moist and I can smell them right through the little glass vials they came in. Gonna have to start baking up a storm, I guess!

[Shel_B]

[...] Costco is selling 10 beans for 11.50 right now. They're moist and I can smell them right through the little glass vials they came in.

Do youknow what kind of beans they are? In any case, the price seems good enough that they may be a good place to start experimenting. Thanks for the tip!

[Shel_B]

When I scraped the beans for a recipe that didn't require steeping the pod, I buried the used up pod in another glass jar with sugar, for vanilla scented sugar.

Yeah, one of the reasons I want to start using beans is to make, and experiment with, vanilla sugar. Thanks for the other tips.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

We keep them for years. I put them in a tall screw top jar and add a half inch of rum or bourbon before closing them up. We don't bother to make extract, just scrape some of the seeds into whatever we're making. I bury the "empty" pods in sugar. I suppose I could also put them in bourbon for a faux extract.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

I can smell them right through the little glass vials they came in.

I would get them out of the little glass vials and into something hermetically sealed. What you are smelling is flavor escaping into the room!

[merstar]

Shel, I had good luck storing my beans tightly wrapped in a couple of layers of plastic wrap and stored in a screw-top glass container. Kept them fresh and fragrant.

Ditto.

[Lisa Shock]

I vacuum seal mine. I am still using ones I bought 4 years ago on ebay, they are still moist. I've got Tahitian and Mexican, paid about $10/lb at the time.

[FrogPrincesse]

I vacuum seal mine. I am still using ones I bought 4 years ago on ebay, they are still moist. I've got Tahitian and Mexican, paid about $10/lb at the time.

Lisa - can you describe the differences between Tahitian and Mexican vanilla beans and do you have a preference? I have Tahitian vanilla beans that are wonderful but have never used the Mexican variety.

[Shel_B]

I found this site that offers vanilla beans: http://www.beanilla.com/vanilla/vanilla-beans?gclid=CMvJlfWJ8rICFYdxQgodyjIAfQ

[ElsieD]

I have ordered from beanilla and have been very happy with them. I have also purchased the Costco ones. I just checked and the vials don't say what their origin is but if I recall correctly, they are from Magagascar. They too, are good.