Posting for later consideration

[minoanmiss]

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2021/12/10/10-holiday-ingredients-you-can-make-yourself

Ten Ingredients To Make Yourself This Holiday Season

Comments

[purlewe]

The only thing I have a comment on is candied peel. For some unknown reason mine never turns out right and I end up throwing it away.

On the other hand. I have not used store bought vanilla in almost 2 decades.

[minoanmiss]

Heh, I have the opposite results. I love candying peel, but my homemade vanilla is always weak and pale. What happens when the peel "doesn't turn out right"? Does it all turn into a big sticky mess? I find that a pinch of baking soda added at the start of cooking 1) softens the peel faster and 2) prevents the pectin from forming and producing a big blob of jelly around the peel. I usually neutralize it with some citric acid when I add the sugar.

[purlewe]

well it is ALWAYS sticky. No matter how much sugar I coat it with. So perhaps it has smol blobs of jelly around it I had not thought about.

I will look up my vanilla recipe.. but if I remember, it's good bourbon and good beans split open. I just top off with new bourbon, but one year I got 6 bottles from friends and it took me about 6 years to get it down to the last bottle I have that I topped off at the end of December. Most people use vodka and I did as well at the beginning, But I find I prefer bourbon instead.

[purlewe]

single fold vanilla is about 4 beans per 8 oz of vodka.

double fold (extra strength) vanilla is 6-8 beans per 8 oz.

And like I said I prefer decent bourbon instead of vodka. gives it a nicer rounder finish.

Also... wait longer. 3 months minimum. 6-12 months is even better. Make it NOW for next Winter baking.

last note. when decanting into individual containers (bc really when I make this I make it in a HUGE bottle and then pour it out to give away into smaller containers) I put 1 bean in the new bottle that is the smaller gift and leave the bigger bottle with the older used beans. I sometimes take those beans out and dry then and use them for other things. (scrape them down etc) but when I give them as gifts I often put a new bean in a small bottle. if you are only doing small bottles leave the beans in even when you use it so you can just top it off occassionally.

OH dear god I feel like I have edited this a billion times. I feel like a fool. But I am sure I don't have to tell you to split the beans (I cut them from the bottom and leave them partially attached neat the top of the pod) I am 100% sure you knew this and if I am sounding like I am coddling you it's be I am not sure how much info to give. sorry.

[oracne]

I read this whole thing making mental notes.

[corvidology]

Growing up, we always made our own lemon curd. It wouldn't have occurred to buy it. It's actually lovely just spread on buttered toast for breakfast.

[clevermanka]

Oh you bet I'm gonna make some of that boiled cider, thank you.

[musesfool]

Interesting! I just recently read a thing that said homemade vanilla is not the same at all and for better depth of flavor to use real/professionally made extract. The only other one I might quibble with is caramel, but only because I always find it terrifying even though I've done it successfully.

[minoanmiss]

Yeah, that was my experience of homemade vanilla -- we need to ask purlewefor advice. :)

[oracne]

I MUST try that homemade lemon curd recipe; hopefully it will work with concentrate, since I just bought both lemon and lime concentrate.

[purlewe]

Lemon curd is easy and it *should* work with lemon juice concentrate. One of the things about concentrate is that it is done to standardize the amount of acidity. Each lemon being unique and all. One recommendation.. definitely strain your curd thru a sieve to get out the smaller bits of egg that do cook. (also that stringy part that is always attached to the yolk) it give you a better smoother curd than if you don't.

[oracne]

Excellent tip! Thank you!

[sabotabby]

I make my own caramel sauce because the commercial stuff is almost never vegan. I've decided that I like my own better anyway.

[goss]

I have always been curious about making caramel sauce. Also, I love the idea of giving decadent specialty ingredients as gifts, as opposed to the end product like baked goods, especially for things that may be hard to find in my country, given the problems with importing/shipment that are sure to continue.

[minoanmiss]

Caramel is adrenaline-raising to make. This can be fun. It can also produce palpitations.

offtopic

[med_cat]

Maya Angelou to become the first Black woman to appear on U.S. quarter as Treasury rollout begins

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/01/11/maya-angelou-us-quarter-coin-mint/

:)

Re: offtopic

[minoanmiss]

EEE YAY

[anna_wing]

I've successfully candied peel (citron and limes), and ginger as well. Lemon curd is also straightforward. I've never tried vanilla extract, but vanilla sugar is easy (pod, sugar, airtight jar). I spread the peel out when I'm done and dry it either in the oven or in the air depending on the season. That might help with the stickiness.

I'm a bit doubtful about candying commercial maraschino cherries; surely further sugar is redundant. Dried or fresh cherries in brandy, on the other hand, are also easy (cherries, brandy, airtight jar), and fabulous in clafoutis, with ice-cream, or in fruitcake.

[minoanmiss]

I was definitely disappointed to see that the recipe involved maraschino cherries. I wonder if fresh cherries could be pitted and the holes packed in sugar before they're left to cure in more sugar and then candied. I will have to try it during cherry season.

[anna_wing]

I wouldn't bother with regular dessert cherries, which are sweet enough to eat fresh, but if you had morello or other sour cherries, I don't see why that wouldn't work. You could also try candying dried cherries, if you can find some that don't have sugar already added.

[minoanmiss]

Nuts.com will definitely provide me with sutiable dried cherries. goes to shop