Madagascar – Francois et Moi https://francoisetmoi.com Making a Handmade Modern Home one DIY project at a time. Wed, 18 Dec 2013 13:58:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 https://i0.wp.com/francoisetmoi.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Untitled-2-2.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Madagascar – Francois et Moi https://francoisetmoi.com 32 32 76357554 Aged Vanilla https://francoisetmoi.com/uncategorized/aged-vanilla/ Wed, 18 Dec 2013 13:58:31 +0000 http://francoisetmoi.com/?p=2539 Remember way back in October when I began brewing vanilla extract for Christmas gifts? If not, you can check it out here! Two months later, the vanilla is richly potent, and it’s time to get the bottles ready for gifting. This year I’m doing things a bit differently. Instead of sticky labels, I’m adding hang tags with the initial brew date marked on them, and I also plan to leave the vanilla beans in the bottles (rather than straining out the beans and seeds), so the extract can be topped off with more vodka as it’s depleted, thus becoming a bottomless bottle of vanilla extract. Imagine never having to buy vanilla extract ever again. It’s a crazy thought! Materials List: Bottles of Brewed Vanilla Extract Hole-punched Hang Tags like these. Snowflake Punch Red Pen Bakers Twine Scissors Step 1. Fold the hang tags in roughly 1/2, leaving the hole punched end slightly longer. Step 2. Center the snowflake punch on the opposite end from hole punch, and punch the tag! Step 3. Hand write “Vanilla Extract” along with the date that you began brewing on the inside of the tag. Step 4. Thread the tag with baker’s twine, and tie onto […]

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]]> 2539 Homemade Vanilla Extract https://francoisetmoi.com/uncategorized/homemade-vanilla-extract/ Wed, 23 Oct 2013 12:43:41 +0000 http://francoisetmoi.com/?p=777 It’s hard to believe the Holidays are just around the corner, and it’s already time to start brewing up another batch of vanilla extract for Christmas gifts. Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook first introduced me to homemade vanilla extract using simply vanilla beans and vodka several years ago, and I hadn’t actually tried it for myself until last year when I was researching homemade Christmas gifts and decided to seize the day. The process is simple and involves very few ingredients. The only trick is that you need to start a few months before Holiday festivities begin. There’s no procrastinating with this gift! I followed the Vanilla Extract Tutorial from Alexandra’s Kitchen precisely last year, right down to the bottles and labels she suggests in her post. This year I am using different bottles (and will also be using different labels), but am still following her awesome, detailed recipe. In a few months after the extract has had time to mature, I’ll top each off with a bit of Kahlua liqueur and adhere a label to each bottle before giving to family and friends.  If you prefer, you can remove the beans and strain out the seeds, but I prefer to leave […]

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