more vanilla!

i have been hearing that some of you are planning on making your own vanilla extract for christmas presents. my first batch is done and ready for a trip with me to israel, i am leaving for the holidays and my second batch is in the making.
i thought of sharing few great ways of how to use your vanilla beans.

vanilla sugar:
scrape vanilla seeds into an airtight container with sugar. seal tightly with lid and let sit for 1 to 2 weeks. use as regular.



vanilla syrup:
place a split vanilla bean in a saucepan with 1 cup of sugar and 1 1/2 cups of water. stir over low heat till the sugar dissolved and then simmer until well flavored. store in the fridge.



warm vanilla milk (my favorite):
heat up milk in a saucepan over low heat with some of your vanilla syrup. you can also warm the milk with a tsp of vanilla extract and 1 tbs of your vanilla sugar.



vanilla maple syrup:
heat 10 fl oz (300ml) of real pure maple syrup and two split vanilla beans in a saucepan. simmer gently for few minutes until fragrant. store in the fridge.

do not forget, after you used your vanilla beans, wash them with water and throw them into your vodka filled bottle.

* וניל