Vanilla is a flavor that is derived from an orchid of the genus “Vanilla.” In Spanish, vanilla means “sheath or pod”. First cultivated by the Aztecs and Spanish Conquistadors, it was introduced along with chocolate to Europe in the 1520’s.
The vanilla orchid was not cultivated outside of Mexico and Central America until 1841 when a 12 year old slave living on a French island discovered how to duplicate the natural pollination process with his hands.
Apart from saffron, vanilla is the most expensive spice in the world. That being said, making your own vanilla sugar is the best way to stretch your buck and still get the vanilla flavor and look you want. Vanilla beans can be bought at most grocery or specialty stores in the spice isle.
If you are able to get your hands on fresh vanilla beans, just split the pod in half, scrape out the seeds with a knife and drop into a mixing bowl with your sugar, along with the pods. I use about two quarts of sugar per vanilla bean. If you are using a dried vanilla bean, rehydrate quickly with a little bit of hot water then repeat the same process as the fresh. Using a whisk or mixer with the whisk attachment, mix aggressively to break up and disperse all the seeds throughout the sugar.
Once you finish mixing, place the sugar in an air tight container to keep moisture out and keep it from clumping. Let the sugar sit for a week to get the full amount of flavor distribution.
Vanilla sugar can be used in anything that you add sugar to, from French toast batter to tomato soup. I use this mostly in my baking and pastries, usually in cake batters, vanilla ice creams, and crème brulee.
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