Drowning in Vanilla

In the past, I've made vanilla extract to give as gifts to my extended family. The process is fairly simple: just let a few vanilla beans soak in some vodka/bourbon/frangelico* for about 6 months, shaking once a week or so. Over time the liquor will darken and smell strongly of vanilla. One large jug of booze = 3 - 4 vanilla beans.



This time though, I've got LOADS of vanilla beans (about 21). I've placed 18 in a glass container half-filled with vodka. This process keeps the beans plump. I should note that you can still use the beans that have been soaking in vodka. Simply pull one out, snip off an end, and the delicious vanilla beans come right out.



The remaining 3 vanilla beans have found their way into another jar filled with sugar that will, naturally, become vanilla sugar. I'm immensely excited about all of these vanilla beans. I think my first order of business is to make some crema di limoncello liquor and share some with my friends.



*I've personally tried vodka and bourbon. Vodka, in my opinion, is the best because it doesn't have such a strong flavor for the vanilla to compete against. My friend Mallory, the one who procured the vanilla beans, mentioned that her fiance (who has been to culinary school) highly recommends using frangelico.