Author: Karen Solomon
Recipe Type: Beverage
From Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It by Karen Solomon. Be advised: Homemade almond milk is a little grainier than you’ll be used to if you’re a processed almond milk drinker. It grows on you though and is virtually unnoticeable in a smoothie.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 4 cups of water, plus more for soaking
Instructions
- Put the almonds in a mixing bowl and cover with water. Let sit for at least 6 hours.
- Strain the almonds and put in a blender with 4 cups of water. (It must be a blender, not a food processor – trust my previous experience on this one.) Blend for a full 2 minutes.
- Strain the blended mixture into a quart-size canning jar using a fine sieve. Press the solids through with a rubber spatula.
- Periodically, scrape the solids from the sieve (save them for smoothies) and rinse the sieve to enable more liquid to pass through.
- Strain the first liquid through the sieve again, this time without pushing the mixture through. What you end up with in that jar is your finished product – DIY Almond Milk!
- Enjoy within 5 days.
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Why make extracts instead of buying them?
It takes two months for almond extract to steep, and all of that waiting can seem like a pain, so why not just pick some up at the store instead? For the same reason you cook anything! It’s cheaper to make it yourself, and you have total control over the ingredients. This recipe uses just two ingredients: organic almonds and booze. They’re ingredients you can buy at the store and that you recognize. No benzaldehyde (aka artificial almond flavor) here!
Homemade Almond Extract
Ingredients:
1/2c vodka
1 1/2T raw, organic slivered almond
Equipment
funnel
small, clean glass bottle
another small, clean bottle to strain your extract into
strainer or cheesecloth
sticky labels and a pen or marker
Directions
1. Spoon your almonds into your bottle.
2. Grab your funnel, and measure the vodka into the bottle.
3. Give your bottle a shake, then stick it in a cool, dark place to steep. Once or twice a week, shake the bottle.
4. In two months, your almond extract will be all finished. Strain it into a fresh glass container, label and date it, and store it in a cool dark place–like the pantry–until you’re ready to use it.
-- Waiting two months for your extract to steep might test your patience, but once you have it this stuff lasts for a long time. If you hate waiting, you can just start a new batch when your first one is ready, so you’ll never run out!
---
Vanilla Extract Facts
Vanilla Extract is one of those ingredients that I initially thought about as a whole. It is such a basic ingredient that I didn’t really think about where it came from or what it was made of. As if it was just pulverized vanilla bean somehow made liquid. But I’ve learned the error of my ways. Just try to buy some vanilla extract in a conventional store (as opposed to a health food store), and you’ll find pretty quickly that vanilla extract is more complicated than you thought.
So here are the basics:
1. The cheap stuff tends to have sweetener in it which is gross and unnecessary. So buyer beware!
It’s mostly alcohol.
2. The distilling process removes the gluten from alcohol, but I’m paranoid, so I only buy vanilla extract that states clearly that it is gluten-free.
3. It’s crazy-easy to make, it just takes a long time. Which may be why I haven’t made any yet. But it’s on my list.
Get Extracting:
Start with vanilla beans. These grow in a few tropical climates as part of an orchid plant, then are dried and shipped worldwide. There are three common types of vanilla bean, any of which can be used for vanilla extract, according to your preference:
Madagascar or Bourbon vanilla. This is the bean with the smooth, sweet flavor that’s typically available as extract in the United States.
Mexican vanilla. This has a very full flavor that’s often described as creamy and spicy.
Tahitian vanilla. These beans are known for their intense floral aroma.
The beans are long and thin and dried, but should be pliable, and the best quality ones are plump and moist with natural oils. They can be found at many gourmet and spice stores. I buy mine online from Saffron.com or Beanilla.
Using a sharp knife, slice the vanilla bean lengthwise. Spread the two halves apart to reveal the vanilla seeds. These give the extract its flavor.
Place the split beans in a large mason jar, fill the jar with vodka, and store at room temperature. I use 3-4 beans for about 750mL vodka, but I’ll refill my jar and add a fresh bean or two when I get low. After about two weeks, the vodka will have colored (who needs caramel color?) and, if you wish, you can decant the vanilla into smaller bottles for ease of use or gift-giving. This is a great holiday gift for anyone who loves to bake or just loves vanilla.
Given the ease and cost-effectiveness of making your own vanilla, there’s simply no need to subject yourself to processed vanilla extract ever again.
Ingredients:
1/2c vodka
1 1/2T raw, organic slivered almond
Equipment
funnel
small, clean glass bottle
another small, clean bottle to strain your extract into
strainer or cheesecloth
sticky labels and a pen or marker
Directions
1. Spoon your almonds into your bottle.
2. Grab your funnel, and measure the vodka into the bottle.
3. Give your bottle a shake, then stick it in a cool, dark place to steep. Once or twice a week, shake the bottle.
4. In two months, your almond extract will be all finished. Strain it into a fresh glass container, label and date it, and store it in a cool dark place–like the pantry–until you’re ready to use it.
-- Waiting two months for your extract to steep might test your patience, but once you have it this stuff lasts for a long time. If you hate waiting, you can just start a new batch when your first one is ready, so you’ll never run out!
---
Vanilla Extract Facts
Vanilla Extract is one of those ingredients that I initially thought about as a whole. It is such a basic ingredient that I didn’t really think about where it came from or what it was made of. As if it was just pulverized vanilla bean somehow made liquid. But I’ve learned the error of my ways. Just try to buy some vanilla extract in a conventional store (as opposed to a health food store), and you’ll find pretty quickly that vanilla extract is more complicated than you thought.
So here are the basics:
1. The cheap stuff tends to have sweetener in it which is gross and unnecessary. So buyer beware!
It’s mostly alcohol.
2. The distilling process removes the gluten from alcohol, but I’m paranoid, so I only buy vanilla extract that states clearly that it is gluten-free.
3. It’s crazy-easy to make, it just takes a long time. Which may be why I haven’t made any yet. But it’s on my list.
Get Extracting:
Start with vanilla beans. These grow in a few tropical climates as part of an orchid plant, then are dried and shipped worldwide. There are three common types of vanilla bean, any of which can be used for vanilla extract, according to your preference:
Madagascar or Bourbon vanilla. This is the bean with the smooth, sweet flavor that’s typically available as extract in the United States.
Mexican vanilla. This has a very full flavor that’s often described as creamy and spicy.
Tahitian vanilla. These beans are known for their intense floral aroma.
The beans are long and thin and dried, but should be pliable, and the best quality ones are plump and moist with natural oils. They can be found at many gourmet and spice stores. I buy mine online from Saffron.com or Beanilla.
Using a sharp knife, slice the vanilla bean lengthwise. Spread the two halves apart to reveal the vanilla seeds. These give the extract its flavor.
Place the split beans in a large mason jar, fill the jar with vodka, and store at room temperature. I use 3-4 beans for about 750mL vodka, but I’ll refill my jar and add a fresh bean or two when I get low. After about two weeks, the vodka will have colored (who needs caramel color?) and, if you wish, you can decant the vanilla into smaller bottles for ease of use or gift-giving. This is a great holiday gift for anyone who loves to bake or just loves vanilla.
Given the ease and cost-effectiveness of making your own vanilla, there’s simply no need to subject yourself to processed vanilla extract ever again.
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