Vanilla essence

Undoubtedly, one of the most popular flavors that pastry chefs add to dough is vanilla. Just a couple of drops of vanilla essence can give any culinary masterpiece an extraordinary taste and smell. For the first time, the Aztecs came up with this aromatic substance, and today vanilla essence is one of the most sought-after exquisite aromas, doing without which is sometimes simply unrealistic in the kitchen.

By the way, in Latin, the word essence means substance or essence. In culinary affairs, food essence is used, which is a concentrated extract, diluted with water before consumption.

Both natural vanilla and vanillin based on this aromatic spice are considered an important component of numerous sweet foods - cookies, ice cream, cakes, chocolate and sweets. In addition, it is often used in aromatherapy - in creams, candles, perfumes, salt and incense.

The vanilla plant belongs to one of the orchid varieties. Vanilla beans, which grow on Reunion Island off the east coast of South Africa and Madagascar, are rightfully considered the most valuable. The best replacement for vanilla or its pod is vanilla essence. Probably many of you are surprised: why use the extract if there are fresh vanilla pods? The fact is that both of these products do not serve the same purpose.

Fresh vanilla pods must be immersed in liquid (cream, milk or syrup) so that they give their unique aroma. In this regard, they are used exclusively in those recipes where such ingredients are indicated (ice cream, sauces and creams). And vanilla essence is completely ready for use directly, it does not need to be soaked beforehand. Moreover, the shelf life of this product is much longer than that of the pods.

Vanilla essence can also be made at home - it is prepared on the basis of vanilla stick, ethyl alcohol or high-quality vodka. By the way, you can use liqueurs or other strong drinks that contain at least 40% alcohol. Vodka is usually used in view of its neutral taste, due to which the delicate aroma of vanilla is especially noticeable. The ideal would be a hard enough vanilla pod, but one that bends with ease.

One hundred milliliters of alcohol base is mainly taken by one vanilla pod, which is cut lengthwise and cut into small pieces. The contents of the dark glass bottle are shaken from time to time - ideally the vanilla essence is ready in two months. However, the longer the aging of the product, the more fragrant the vanilla essence is.