Well, I will make my case by saying that chocolate to be what is today, has been modify from its original form. Some chocolate companies add vanilla flavouring into the chocolate mass to make it a confiture. They are not wrong, Mexican Vanilla has a cocoa note on the nose. It does enhance the flavour in a sweet balance way.
Some people say Sugar and Vanilla is the Salt and Pepper of a Pastry Kitchen. I agree! What I love about Vanilla, it does enhance other flavours like pepper does in the kitchen. If you think of any ingredient: mango, pear, apricot, coffee, caramel, pineapple, tobacco, apple, passion fruit.... You have seen them, taste them with Vanilla.
So to inspire you, here is some recommendations:
- Make your own Vanilla liquor: in a flavourless Vodka or white rum add 3 whole Vanilla pods. Use 3 whole vanilla pods, that haven't been opened or previously infused. Leave the pods for at least a month, and shake now and then. Make cocktails, syrups for cakes or add to sauces for desserts.
- Make your own Vanilla Extract: for 300 ml of vodka add 12 Vanilla pods, cut them into small pieces. Shake every day. Keep it in a cool and dark place. 4 to 8 weeks later, pass it through a fine sieve. If you want to add consistency add 150 g of sugar syrup. To 130 g of sugar add 100 ml of water, cook the sugar until it reaches 118C. Let it cool down and mix with extract.
- Make a Vanilla sea salt seasoning: to 250 g of sea salt, add the seeds from two vanilla pods. Shake it for a few minutes, until the seeds mixed with the salt.
- Make Vanilla Sugar: best way is use new vanilla pods, let the oils be absorbed by the sugar. Let the vanilla pod get dried. My yield would be for one kg of sugar add 10 Vanilla pods. Seal the container or vacuum pack it. 4 weeks later blitz it in a food processor with a tsp of corn starch. Pass it through a fine sieve and keep in an air tight container. The left pieces of Vanilla skin. From the sieve turn it into a smoke scent. (Read next)
- Make a Vanilla smoke scent: use dried vanilla pods, add it to your smoke wood chips, the small particles of sugar will add a sweet caramel scent.
Here are a few golden rules:
- Keep always your Vanilla pods in a seal air tight container, preferably vacuum packed
- Never put them in the fridge (you will lose the moisture and quality)
- Never boiled them, you are just burning out the flavour
- Avoid bacteria growth by using clean equipment. Sterilise any bottles, knives or scissor to make extract or infusions.
I hope this information is helpful and you enjoy playing around with this techniques.
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