On Mon, 25 Jun 2012 09:53:13 -0400, "Steve Freides" >
wrote:

>My sister describes the following procedure for making her own vanilla
>extract; I'm curious as to what folks here think and if anyone else has
>tried this or similar.
>
>Ingredients - 750ml bottle of inexpensive brandy, 2 vanilla beans.
>
>Procedure - split but do not scrape both vanilla beans, place them whole
>into the bottle of brandy and just leave them there, waiting at least
>one full day before using.
>
>She says she doesn't remove the vanilla beans until all the liquor is
>gone which is usually a matter of at least a few months, and then she
>puts them in the freezer for future use. That future includes homemade
>ice cream wherein she uses a scissors to cut the vanilla beans into
>small pieces, places them in a mini food processor or spice grinder, and
>uses that to flavor her ice cream - that's pod, seeds, and all. She
>also uses the ground beans in baking.
>
>She observes that, ounce for ounce, her extract is more vanilla-y than
>store bought but that she doesn't change recipes to allow for this since
>she and her family like the flavor.
>
>My own thought is that brandy is too sweet and I'm thinking of trying a
>straight bourbon or other whiskey instead of brandy, especially since my
>main use will be adding my homemade extract to simple syrup to make
>flavored syrups.
>
>Thanks, folks.
>
>-S-
>

I started a batch of vanilla extract in October 2010 but it used a lot
more vanilla beans and took a lot longer than your sister's version.
I don't think 1 day is near long enough to allow any amount of
extraction.
I don't remember where I found the recipe but, here's my version:

1.14 liter bottle of Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Bourbon
12 Madagascar vanilla beans

Split beans lengthwise, open and scrape out and reserve the seeds and
paste.
Cut scraped beans into pieces about 1 inch long.
Pour off and reserve about 1/2 cup from the bottle of bourbon.
Put vanilla bean pieces, seeds and paste into the bottle of bourbon.
Top up bottle with reserved bourbon. Drink the bit that's left.
Now the waiting part. Shake bottle vigorously and regularly for six
months.
After 6 months, strain out bean pieces and seeds. I used a funnel
lined with a paper coffee filter.
It is excellent stuff and will last us a long time.

Ross.
Southern Ontario, Canada