Summer is almost here! Can you even call it summer without a lick of ice cream? On a hot summer afternoon, there’s simply nothing more refreshing than a scoop of tasty vanilla ice cream. It takes me back to my childhood when eating ice cream was a quintessential part of summer days as the bright sun. The strong smell of vanilla ice cream is indeed a gift to my sweet tooth. The legacy of passing secret recipes and spices from one generation to another has been a custom for many families. What my grandmother preserves in her spice rack, was imparted to my mother.
Home-Made Vanilla Extract
My first introduction to vanilla was the vanilla essence that my mother and grandmother used religiously, to spice up the sweet treats that were made then. I remember when I first saw flavor-rich long, dark Vanilla Beans that I would bend, play with and inhale the aroma. That was the beginning of my love affair with vanilla. For a baker, there’s nothing like good vanilla. And it’s undeniably true that vanilla takes the number one spot on most bakers’ list.
When ice cream activates your pleasuring senses, you know how great it feels to have all homemade goodies. You make everything from scratch, even your vanilla extract; your homemade vanilla extract. Just like my mother and grandmother, I also take pleasure in making my vanilla extract. FITNCLEAN VANILLA provides me with top-quality vanilla bean pods from which the alcohol-vanilla extract is made. With the homemade vanilla extract ready, the ice cream is about halfway done.
Vanilla- Uses are Seemingly Endless
One of the interesting uses of this flavorful spice is vanilla-jam. The goodness of vanilla beans with cherries and peaches immersed in hot water can produce a super delicious jam. For this, take a sharp edge knife and simply cut the bean on either end, then make an incision and scrape down to get the required amount of pure vanilla caviar, infuse into the making jam and letting it stand overnight.
After scrapping off the vanilla seed-caviar, the remaining pod can be incubated with a jar of sugar to make vanilla sugar. The leftover pod can also be dried and ground into a powder, which in turn can be sprinkled over French toast, cakes, ice creams, cookies, or even your morning coffee. The application of vanilla powder is endless. Think of vanilla powder-cinnamon mix as garnishing for cakes, or even as part of the cake batter.
Is it the same as store-bought vanilla?
Well, you will find that properly aged homemade vanilla extract will be more aromatic than store-bought vanilla extract. Your baked goods using homemade vanilla extract will have a better flavor. If you aren’t looking to overpower any recipe with a strong vanilla flavor, you can use about one-half of the recommended amount for the preparation. Using homemade vanilla extract comes with some fulfillment and pride. It’s the result of the care, attention, and effort that go into the making of a homemade extract. No wonder that homemade vanilla extract is often proudly preserved or sent off as a gift to the special ones. Home-made vanilla extract is indeed better quality and cost-efficient than anything you can buy at the store.
So, there is evidence that eating ice cream produces serotonin in the body. This is the feel-good hormone that helps to boost mood. Whether you are having a bad day, heavily stressed with a workload, or your loved ones are acting up, ice cream can make you feel better. If you are craving delicious ice cream, go get some good recipes and try making it at home. Nothing beats homemade!!