The other day I bought some vanilla beans from Amadeus Vanilla Beans—1/4 pound of beautiful, extra-long Madagascar bourbon beans. Amadeus has excellent quality vanilla beans at great prices. The first thing I decided to do with my gorgeous new beans was to make some homemade vanilla extract. I took about eight of the beans, split them lengthwise with a paring knife, and scraped out
the seeds. Then I cut the pods into 1-inch pieces, and added the seeds and pod pieces to about 12 ounces of vodka in a Mason jar. I put the lid on the jar, shook it really well, and stored it in the cupboard. I’ll give it a good shake every day, and, after about 4 months or so, it should be ready. I’ll just strain out the pod pieces before using it. I stored the remaining beans in a bottle of Mount Gay
dark rum, making sure they were completely covered by rum. This will keep them plump and moist, and will perfume the rum with vanilla flavor (I learned this trick from Sarabeth Levine of Sarabeth’s Kitchen). To satisfy my immediate need to make something vanilla flavored with the beans, I settled on a Whipped Vanilla Bean Cheesecake, topped with Candied Kumquats and served
with a fragrant Blueberry Rosemary Sauce. It’s a no-bake cheesecake with a very light texture, ideal for late spring and summer, and it pairs perfectly with the sweet-tart flavor of kumquats and blueberries.
