Home Made Vanilla Extract

Home Made Vanilla Extract

The fragrance of vanilla generally connects with pleasant childhood memories.  Vanilla is the basic of all flavour it not only has such a wonderful flavour of its own it also has a tendency to  enhance other   flavours in   product no wonder it such a huge favourite of mine .  It has a very calming effect on hence this flavour is dominant not only in my cakes but also in my beauty products.

You will see 90% of my recipes have a mention of vanilla extract.  Off course you can always buy the cheap synthetic vanilla essence which you can easily find everywhere but that vanilla flavour is a ssynthetic as its content it is basically a by-product of paper industry it also has a tendency to leave a bitter after taste.

Making vanilla extract is super easy and takes almost no effort at all. Vanilla beans are easily found in supermarkets.  Though it’s advisable to use good quality organic vanilla beans.  I have got these beans from my trip to Pondicherry, South India produces quiet good quality vanilla bean but If you can lay your hand on Tahitian  or Madagascar Vanilla bean then nothing like it.  As they are the best quality found but also they tend to be a little on a expensive side but believe me it totally worth it.

I found some good quality beans at a organic store in Pondicherry.   You just require two ingredients Vanilla beans and clear alcohol.  Vodka would be the best option as it’s a flavourless alcohol.  Now don't you worry about the alcohol content.  Once the spirit gets in contact with heat that is during baking all the alcohol gets evaporated and you are only left with the flavour.

Ingredients

500 ml Vodka

12 Vanilla beans

Method 

Split the bean n half and scrape out the tiny seeds inside.

In a glass bottle add the ingredients together

Now just store this bottle in a cool dark place for 48 days

Initially you see the liquid is clear but as and when the vanilla flavour is seeped inside it turns in to amber colour.

After 48 days just strain the liquid in a cheese cloth and, voila! vanilla extract is ready.

Mango Jam

Indian summer, a particularly unpleasant season of the year .  It’s a million degrees here.  The only good thing about summer is that this is the Mango season . Mangoes to India is what Olive oil is to Italy.   For most Indian Families Mango is not just a fruit , eating them is almost a sacred ritual  which every Indian loves to  indulge in every summer.   

India is a biggest exporter of Mangoes.   Alphonso , of course being the king of  fruit is the most savoured one but apart from that there are a variety of different mangoes which are equally delicious Kesari, Badami, langda etc.

Did you know that Mangoes are fruits with low glycemic  index and also rich in Vitamin C And Vitamin A .  Also this fruit is laden with Anti-Oxidants.  So even if you go a little over board with this delicious fruit during season its okay

Like in every Indian Home my kitchen is also flooded with too many mangoes.  That’s why I thought of making Mango Jam.  Okay I know it’s way too easier and cheaper to buy Jams from the nearest grocery store.  But preserving fruit is not only such a  fulfilling and homely thing to do, you can also be guaranteed to have a fantastic tasting jam which is just not filled with artificial colours, preservatives and sugar.

 

Making Jams require hardly any ingredients . Basically it’s just Mangoes , sugar and lemons.  I have used the Badami variety they are quiet a sweet variety of Mangoes grown in the South of India.  They I find are the ideal mangoes for making jams , not only are they every cheap , they cost Rs 50 a kilo in local market, but  also very fleshy and naturally sweet therefore you can reduce the sugar content in the jam considerably.

 
Ingredients for  making Mango Jam

1kg of Mangoes (Badami)

500 gms of Sugar

2 large lemons
 

Method
 
 First sterilize  glass jars..  The process is explained in this following link. http://veena-cakesbakes.blogspot.in/2011/10/applepear-jam.html
 

Peel the Mango and Deseed them.  After which you need to make a puree of this.  Add together all
the ingredients in a thick bottomed vessel . 

 

Cook  this mixture together.  Mangoes have natural pectin therefore it will start gelatinizing as an when it gets cooked.
 

Go on stirring the mixture while cooking and cook on a slow flame.  This process should take 25 mins . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  When the consistency  starts thickening  to a jammy consistency.

Let this mixture sit of 10 mins . pour this in glass jars you can use a funnel to do that as it is lot more easier that way. Tighten the lid and  store  it in a cool dark place