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How to use a vanilla pod effectively

Vanilla pods are used in many recipes, but they need to treated in a particular way to be effective, detailed here.

383 K 3.6/5 (80 reviews)

35 min.

Easy

2.65 €

1 pod

1 Ingredient

Last modified on: February 21^th 2011

For 1 pod, you will need:

1 1 vanilla pod
Total weight: 3 grams

Change these quantities to make:

1 pod 2 pods 3 pods

Change measures:

Metric

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Times for this recipe

Preparation: 9 min.

Resting: 15 min.

Cooking: 10 min.

All in all: 35 min.

When should you start or finish this recipe?

If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time

To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time

Step by step recipe

Stage 1 - 2 min.

Cut vanilla pod in two, then split each part in two lengthways.

Stage 2 - 2 min.

With the back, not the sharp edge, of a knife blade, scrape out all the small black seeds which contain the essence of the vanilla flavour.

Stage 3 - 2 min.

Add these small black seeds to the liquid of your recipe, here milk for custard sauce (crème anglaise).

Stage 4 - 10 min.

Add pod too, to get the whole flavour.

Bring to the boil, then remove from heat, cover and leave to stand for about 15 minutes, so that the milk absorbes the taste.

Stage 5 - 15 min.

It's important to strain the milk afterwards to remove all the bits, especially the small brown fibres of vanilla pod.

To do this, pour the milk throught a strainer...

Stage 6 - 3 min.

... to remove them, but use a strainer that is not too fine to allow the small black seeds to pass through.

See in this photo what's left after filtering: skins and brown fibres which would spoil your dish.

Source: Home made.

Nutritional information

	Proteins (gr)	Carbohydrates (gr)	Fats (gr)	Energy value (in k-calories)	Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe	0	0	0	1 RDI=0 %	7 RDI: 0 %
Per 100 g	0	10 RDI=1 %	0	50 RDI=2 %	220 RDI: 2 %

The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,700 k-calories (or 11,300 k-joules) per day for a man Change to a woman

How much will it cost?

For 1 pod : 2.65 €

Change currency:

Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.

This recipe uses (among others)

Vanilla pod

Like these other recipes: Lemon Confectioner's Custard, Crème caramel, Mousse with two chocolates, 4 pears salad with vanilla, Real custard sauce (crème anglaise), ... See them all 35

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