Sweet Panacea: Vanilla Sugar
First, complete disclosure. I did not come up with the brilliant idea of vanilla sugar. Full credit goes to the domestic goddess herself, Nigella Lawson, who advocates its usage in her cookbooks, which I admittedly purchase with the devotion of a religious follower. Okay, so I exaggerate. But she is pretty cool.
A couple of weeks ago here on Sugar Savvy, I wrote about the white chocolate-blueberry meringues I made with organic vanilla beans that I had acquired through a friend-of-a-friend who managed to obtain them wholesale at some ridiculously low price. After I used the beans for that recipe, I took the spent pods and put them in a plastic container with about two or three cups of sugar. After that recipe, I used a couple more beans for a vanilla shortbread recipe (again, thanks Nigella–Forever Summer, to be precise), and saved a couple more pods. I now have in my possession an incredibly fragrant container of vanilla sugar. And the longer it sits, the better it smells.
By now maybe you’re asking, what’s the big deal with vanilla sugar?
Well, prior to making my own, I bought jars of it from Penzey’s, but other spice and herb companies peddle them, too. In the winter and fall, I sprinkle it on top of oatmeal, along with cinnamon. In the summer, I sprinkle it on fresh strawberries and fresh peaches. You can also use it to flavor homemade iced tea (herbal or otherwise), or in coffee or tea, or substitute vanilla sugar in recipes where you want to accentuate the sweetness of a baked good, but not overpower it. It would also be lovely in a vanilla pound cake and I can’t even wait to make some homemade vanilla bean ice cream. Little jars of vanilla sugar work well as gifts to foodie friends at Christmas and birthdays and other special occasions — or just because. Or if you are like me, you can make some shortbread with vanilla bean in the dough and then dip the little fingers in vanilla sugar after they come out of the oven. If you have a suggestion or use for vanilla sugar, please share it with readers here. Inquiring minds, as they say, want to know.
