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An introduction to flavoring your food
Extracts
Through the ages we have found very creative ways to flavor our foods. Through the use of spices, herbs, extracts and infused food items we make our food taste great and we can make ourselves healthy as well. Here we have an assortment of extracts and infused foods that are easy to make and inexpensive as well. Some are a bit time consuming as you have to let them sit and let nature do the job. However, it is well worth the wait! The tastes are richer and deeper than store bought in many instances and there are no additives to contend with. So let's look at the recipes and you decide what you need and like.
How to make an extract with vegetable glycerin
Fill a mason jar 3/4 of the with vegetable glycerin. Take the fresh or dried herbs you want to extract and put it into the vegetable glycerin. Seal, label and date it. Soak the plant matter for a couple of weeks. Stirring daily, this extracts and preserves the soluble phytonutrients contained within the plants.
extracts
Almond Extract
Put 2 cups of almonds in your food processor add 1 tablespoon of vodka. Add more vodka till its ground down to a paste. Then pour this into a clean mason jar and fill the rest with vodka. Wait 30-60 days. You can substitute any nut. Glycerites are also known as glyco-extracts. They are made by soaking fresh or dried herbs in the glycerine-menstruum in a sealed vessel for a couple of weeks. With daily stirring, this extracts and preserves the soluble phytonutrients contained within the plants.
Cherry Extract
Fill a clean mason jar 3/4 full of vodka. Fill the rest up with cherries. Place in the dark recesses of your cupboard for 30-60 days.
Lemon or Orange Extract
The 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 vodka. Whenever you use a lemon or orange, use a lemon zester and peel off only the colored part. The white part will produce a bitter flavoring and we don’t want that. Don’t combine the flavors either because it tastes nasty (ask me how I know this).
The lemon or orange extract will be ready for use after 30 days. You may continue to add the zest for up to 6 months and then you should start over.
Vanilla Extract
To make your own vanilla extract, combine vodka, with 5 split vanilla beans in a one-quart mason jar. Close the jar tightly and store in a dark place the back of your cupboard would do nicely. The vanilla extract will be ready to use after 30-60 days.
You may top off the jar for up to one year with the vodka. After a year, replace the old vanilla beans with five new split beans.
infused sugar
For infused sugar you may use any type of sugar you want to. If you are going to add a wet ingredient the courser sugars are suggested.
granulated sugar, turbinado sugar, palm sugar, date sugar are among the most popular for making an infused sugar. Just add your ingredient and make sure you shake the jar so that it doesn't clump. If it does you can always fix that later by tapping the jar, or use a spoon to
break it all up. 1 cup of sugar, additional ingredient, shake the jar. It's that simple! I do use a blender most of the time, but when using zests and whole
vanilla beans it's not a good idea.
Vanilla Sugar
1 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean.
Place vanilla bean in sugar. If you have vanilla extract you can use that if you wish. just use course sugar and make sure you watch the clumping.
The taste will take a bit to flow through the entire cup of sugar. So give it a day or so.
Coffee Sugar
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon crushed instant coffee granules. ( you can use espresso as well)
put the coffee through a blender add the sugar and turn it on high. This will combine the 2 ingredients thoroughly.
Orange Vanilla Sugar
2 cup large grain sugar
The zest of 1 orange
1 vanilla bean
Place the zest into the sugar. Make sure the zest is covered by the sugar. Add the vanilla bean and again make sure it is covered by the sugar.
You can use vanilla extract as well. Just make sure you shake it well so clumping is not much of an issue.
Lavender or any culinary flower bud
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon dried culinary flower buds.
Place it in a blender and pour that into a mason jar. Let the flavors combine for a few days. it is worth the wait.
Coconut sugar
1 cup of white granulated sugar
1/2 cup finely ground unsweetened coconut flakes
combine them in a blender then leave it sit for a few days in a mason jar.
Cocoa sugar
2 cups of white granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
combine them in a blender then leave it sit for a few days in a mason jar.
Cinnamon sugar
1 cup of sugar
2 whole cinnamon sticks
place the cinnamon sticks in the sugar. it might take a few days but if you like cinnamon it's worth the wait
compound butters
Compound butters
Making compound butters at home is both easy and tasty. you can roll it in parchment paper or you can purchase butter molds online. They are very inexpensive and much easier then molding by hand. In case you don't want to bother with butter molds here we go. Leave the butter out a few hours until it softens. Place it in your mixing bowl and add your herbs and spices. Using a wand mixer or hand mixer mix it until it is well combined. Place a large piece of parchment paper on your counter and spoon your butter mixture into the center. it's kind of like making a burrito. fold the paper over and roll the butter into a log shape. Twist the ends of the paper so that the log has a flat end. freeze this for 1/2 hour to an hour so that the log gets hard. Slice it into 8 round pieces. This can be used for bread, steak, chicken or seafood. You can skip the roll part and just put it in a small decorative bowl. Refrigerate and you are ready to use it. There are so many different ingredients you can use. There are ones for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks. You can use different spice mixes or cinnamon and sugar if you want it for your toast in the morning.
Apple spice compound butter
1/2 cup homemade butter, softened
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
a pinch of nutmeg
1/4 cup chopped apple
Cajun spice blend
1/2 cup homemade unsalted butter, softened
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
creole spice blend
1/2 cup homemade unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Mexican spice blend
2 cups homemade unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Italian spice blend
1/2 cup homemade unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon marjoram
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoon sage
Pumpkin spice blend
1/2 cup homemade unsalted butter, softened
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie filling
Lemon pepper spice blend
1/2 cup homemade unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
Strawberry compound butter
1/2 cup homemade unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons strawberry jam
