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Basic Vanilla Bean Syrup

From A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider (Artisan, 2001). © 2001 by Sally Schneider.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Total time: 15 minutes

Yield: Makes 1 cup, serves 4

Vanilla is one of the prime movers in fruit desserts because it heightens the natural flavors of fruits as it sweetens. This syrup has the sweet, rather floral flavor of vanilla beans that complements just about any fruit. You can add other flavors to the basic syrup, such as 1 tablespoon of an eau-de-vie such as Poire William or Calvados, strips of lemon or orange zest, spices, or herbs such as basil or rosemary.

Categories:
  • Christmas
  • Dessert
  • Dressings/Sauces
  • Holidays
Print
Ingredients
  • 1-1/2 cups water
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 moist vanilla bean, preferably Mexican or Bourbon (Madagascar)
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Instructions
  • 1. In a small saucepan, combine the water and sugar. With a thin sharp paring knife, split the vanilla bean lengthwise in half. Scrape out the seeds and add the seeds and bean to the pan. Simmer over moderate heat until reduced to 1 cup, about 10 minutes. Let cool, then discard the bean.
  • 2. You can make the syrup up to 1 week ahead; cover and refrigerate.
  • Note: Even after they have been cooked, scraped vanilla bean pods have a lot of flavor. To make vanilla sugar, dry them well and place in a jar of sugar for at least 2 weeks, adding more as you have them.
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About The Show

Lynne Rossetto Kasper, Host

In 1994, acclaimed food writer and cooking teacher Lynne Rossetto Kasper was receiving accolades for her debut book, The Splendid Table, which at that time was the only book to have won both the James Beard and Julia Child Cookbook of the Year awards. Among the many people enchanted by the book was producer and foodie Sally Swift, who thought the time could be right for a radio program on food.

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