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Nothing flavors your desserts better than homemade extracts and scented sugars.
Vanilla SugarVanilla is one of Earth’s most pleasing scents. Aside from being used to flavor everything from tobacco to chocolate, vanilla beans can also be used to flavor granulated sugar. To make vanilla sugar, fill a one-quart glass jar with sugar and two split vanilla beans. Store in a dark place. The sugar will be ready to use after 24 hours. Continue to top off the jar with sugar for up to one year. Afterwards, replace the old vanilla beans with freshly split beans. Vanilla ExtractTo make your own vanilla extract, combine vodka, bourbon, or brandy with 5 split vanilla beans in a one-quart glass jar. Close the jar tightly and store in a dark cupboard. The vanilla extract will be ready to use after two months. Top off the jar for up to one year with the same alcohol you originally used to make the extract. After a year, replace the old vanilla beans with five new split beans. Rose SugarWhen using roses for flavoring ingredients, make certain that you are using unsprayed fragrant petals and leaves. You don’t want poisonous chemicals to get into your food and, inevitably, into your body. To make rose sugar, gather a fistful of fragrant rose petals in the early morning. Spread the petals out on a large non-metal dish and let set until the afternoon. This allows any moisture on the petals to dry off. Combine the rose petals with two cups of granulated sugar in a glass one-quart jar. Close lid tightly and set the jar in a sunny window. Give the rose sugar a shake each day for 3 weeks. After three weeks, sift the sugar to remove the petals and store the rose sugar in a jar. Rose BrandyTo make a rose brandy for flavoring desserts and icings, fill a jar with freshly picked, unsprayed damask rose leaves. Cover the leaves with brandy and close the jar tightly. Store the jar in a dark cupboard. After 6 weeks, remove the leaves and store the rose brandy back in its glass jar. It’s now ready to use for special desserts. Just use it in place of vanilla extract. Lavender SugarLavender sugar gives vanilla icing and angel food cake an aromatic punch that can’t be beat. To make lavender sugar, combine one large fistful of dried lavender flowers with two cups of sugar in a one-quart glass jar. Close the lid tightly. Keep the jar in the sun, shaking it once each day, for one month. Sift the sugar, removing the lavender flowers, and store the sugar in its jar until needed. Lemon or Orange ExtractThe best way to make either lemon or orange extract (great for flavoring icing and angel food cake) is to keep a wide-mouth bottle or jar filled 3-quarters full with either brandy or vodka. Whenever you use a lemon or orange, pare off the peel (potato skinners work well) and drop the peel into its own bottle. Do not combine lemon and orange peels in the same bottle because the flavoring is awful when mixed. Also, be sure to remove the white from the peel because the white will give the extract a bitter taste. The lemon or orange extract will be ready for use after one month. Continue to add fresh peels and top off with alcohol for up to six months. Afterwards, remove the old peels and begin again.
The copyright of the article Extracts and Flavorings in Baking & Desserts is owned by Elizabeth Yetter. Permission to republish Extracts and Flavorings in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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