I Bought VODKA Today!
Wow! I can hear the sharp gasps and shocked exclamations all the way over here! But believe it or not, by the end of this blog you just may be running out to buy a bottle for yourself. Trust me. ;)
Living overseas, specifically in the Balkans, you learn to live without a lot of things: live Christmas trees that don’t come in a planter pot, 3-hole punches and molasses for instance. You also learn how to work with what’s available, improvise, or, when all else fails, to (ahem) make something from scratch like, say, tortillas. Though, sometimes, if you wait long enough the coveted item just may show up on the local grocer’s shelf. Just a few of the items to wondrously appear in the last five years are: tortillas, brown sugar (both light and dark), dried cranberries, M&M’s, sweet potatoes (a must for Thanksgiving), and FRESH cilantro (yesssss!).
Now at this point you may be catching on to the fact that I’m talking about cooking or baking, but you may still be asking yourself, “What in the world does that have to do with Carolyn buying vodka??”
Oh, I’m so glad you asked. Would you believe me if I told you that you might already be using this ingredient in your baking? (Shocker!)
Well, believe it or not, vodka is the key ingredient in vanilla extract, which you can’t get here. Vanilla sugar is available, however because it’s sugar it alters the chemistry of what you’re baking. Unless you adjust the recipe you may end up with an ooy-gooey mess of melted chocolate chip cookies like I did when I made my first batch here 5 years ago. The only real option for us expats who use vanilla extract in just about every dessert has been to bring a bottle with us or have someone send us one.
Living overseas, specifically in the Balkans, you learn to live without a lot of things: live Christmas trees that don’t come in a planter pot, 3-hole punches and molasses for instance. You also learn how to work with what’s available, improvise, or, when all else fails, to (ahem) make something from scratch like, say, tortillas. Though, sometimes, if you wait long enough the coveted item just may show up on the local grocer’s shelf. Just a few of the items to wondrously appear in the last five years are: tortillas, brown sugar (both light and dark), dried cranberries, M&M’s, sweet potatoes (a must for Thanksgiving), and FRESH cilantro (yesssss!).
Now at this point you may be catching on to the fact that I’m talking about cooking or baking, but you may still be asking yourself, “What in the world does that have to do with Carolyn buying vodka??”
Oh, I’m so glad you asked. Would you believe me if I told you that you might already be using this ingredient in your baking? (Shocker!)
Well, believe it or not, vodka is the key ingredient in vanilla extract, which you can’t get here. Vanilla sugar is available, however because it’s sugar it alters the chemistry of what you’re baking. Unless you adjust the recipe you may end up with an ooy-gooey mess of melted chocolate chip cookies like I did when I made my first batch here 5 years ago. The only real option for us expats who use vanilla extract in just about every dessert has been to bring a bottle with us or have someone send us one.
Then I learned a little secret: you can make your own vanilla extract with just a vanilla bean, vodka and time! Vanilla beans are easy. They actually can be found here AND they’re about 1/3 the cost of buying them in the US. In fact, when I saw how cheap they were I bought a couple, though I didn’t have a clue what to do with them… until now, that is. Then there’s the vodka, well that’s a plenty and not so expensive either (100ml was just over $1).So on the way home from work today I bought some vodka. (!) My imitation vanilla extract is almost gone and so I’m really looking forward to having some real vanilla extract available in just a few weeks, and it cost me only about $5. J
Now if I’ve piqued your interest and you’d like to try to make your own, here’s the skinny on how to do it:
What you need:Vanilla beans, which can be found cheap online
Vodka
Glass containers that can seal airtight
Smaller glass containers for the finished product.
The Process:
Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise, leaving a portion still attached at the end, and place in glass container. Pour in vodka, completely covering the vanilla bean. Seal and store on a shelf for about 8 weeks. A couple of times each week shake the jar gently to mix things up.
The extract will be ready to use in eight weeks. The longer you leave it, the stronger it will get. When desired potency is achieved, strain and re-bottle in smaller containers, leaving a piece of vanilla bean in each jar.
The really cool thing about this is that by leaving a bit a bean in you can have a perpetual source of homemade vanilla extract simply by adding more vodka when the extract gets low. It will be diluted for a few days but will quickly get back to potency. Don’t throw away the remaining vanilla beans either. Store them for future use (though not in the fridge cause they can get moldy).
So there you go. Oh, what was that? Did I just hear someone grab their keys and head out the door to the store? ;)
