Gourmet Premium "matured" Madagascan Bourbon Vanilla sugar..
(the Kobe beef of vanilla sugars, ...well not quite ..but close)* *imho
Did You Know?
One measured tablespoon of vanilla sugar, typically has the flavouring power of 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla
extract.
One measured tablespoon of vanilla sugar, typically has the flavouring power of 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla
extract.
The title alone is a mouthful
...but the flavour is "a mouthful of heaven" to lovers of proper vanilla
Infused sugars are perfect for saying “you make my life better, richer, sweeter.” ..and bear a shelf-life far greater than a bouquet of fresh flowers (which have their place, too!). vanilla sugar, using one of the most expensive spices second only to saffron, not surprising really, it's the seed / bean pod of an orchid.
We have a "Small" batch of 55 x 1 Lb bags of
Flavour Matured, flavour infused Premium Gourmet Madagascan Bourbon Vanilla Sugar
Ideal for all you Bakers, Cereal Sprinklers, Porridge Gobblers, Muffin makers, Pancake fans, for Luxury Hot chocolate, Your favourite premium Tea or Coffee, Sweet baked goods, Savouries & believe it or not as a base ingredient for bbq sauce marinades such as sticky ribs
When we say "Premium Gourmet" we mean it! ..did you know that unless you go looking specifically for a Madagascan Vanilla pod then chances are you'll be fobbed off with indian pods (really bad by comparison, imho 3x indian pods =1 Madagascan).
We've used the Biggest & the best Pods available ..Our Premium Gourmet Madagascan Bourbon Planifolia Vanilla Pods (Vanilla Beans) from the Sambava region of Madagascar are approximately 17-20 cm in length when bought in.
These pods are graded First Quality NFN (Non Fendues Noires) - Non Split Black are deemed to be the cream of the crop! With the classic aroma of Madagascan Bourbon Vanilla, these pods are supple, moist, plump and have a distinctly black colour without blemishes.
As such they have a high Vanillin content (typically 2.1% & weigh 4-5grams (approx)
We have a "Small" batch of 55 x 1 Lb bags of
Flavour Matured, flavour infused Premium Gourmet Madagascan Bourbon Vanilla Sugar
Ideal for all you Bakers, Cereal Sprinklers, Porridge Gobblers, Muffin makers, Pancake fans, for Luxury Hot chocolate, Your favourite premium Tea or Coffee, Sweet baked goods, Savouries & believe it or not as a base ingredient for bbq sauce marinades such as sticky ribs
When we say "Premium Gourmet" we mean it! ..did you know that unless you go looking specifically for a Madagascan Vanilla pod then chances are you'll be fobbed off with indian pods (really bad by comparison, imho 3x indian pods =1 Madagascan).
We've used the Biggest & the best Pods available ..Our Premium Gourmet Madagascan Bourbon Planifolia Vanilla Pods (Vanilla Beans) from the Sambava region of Madagascar are approximately 17-20 cm in length when bought in.
These pods are graded First Quality NFN (Non Fendues Noires) - Non Split Black are deemed to be the cream of the crop! With the classic aroma of Madagascan Bourbon Vanilla, these pods are supple, moist, plump and have a distinctly black colour without blemishes.
As such they have a high Vanillin content (typically 2.1% & weigh 4-5grams (approx)
Every single penny of profit is to be ploughed back to our group ..we're not asking for a cash handout ...(however nice a suitcase of cash is)
money is tight for all of us, so a decent product discounted compared to shop prices can't be bad!
We made 1lb bags (actually a little over) using locally grown caster sugar, We split the bean, scrape out the seed & mix thoroughly..
Using tough Food grade vacuum bags, the seed & sugar are mixed together, re-introduce the split pod, heat seal ..then massaged & turned every day (this sugar probably gets treatment on par with kobe beef).
After 4-6 weeks it's ready, however we simply keep on turning it & massaging it some more!
The advantage of this? .. pronounced, even flavour develops as the sugar is mixed & mixed again... something you don't get in a supermarket vanilla sugar! ..this way we are certain it's the best Vanilla sugar you've tasted!
Ask for a sample "wrap" ..(we come prepared).
Try it on Pancakes, your All-Bran, Ready-Brek, Weetabix, Porridge etc,
Cake & muffin mixes, on fresh fruit salad ...strawberries & cream ...Mmmm!
In drinks
A teaspoon of vanilla sugar in a cup of coffee provides a comforting and warming sweetness. Its heady aroma works very well in warm milk or hot chocolate too, making a change from regular sugar. Along with your morning cup of coffee, vanilla sugar is also delicious when used to sweeten porridge.
Desserts
Vanilla infused sugar can be sprinkled onto warm fruits as they cook, or substituted for regular sugar when making crumble mixtures. A little extra sugar may be sprinkled on top of the crumble before baking to provide a slightly caramelised top to the crumble. When making up custard from its powder form, a little vanilla sugar can be used to give it that extra vanilla flavour and sweetness. It can also be used when making meringues for that beautiful sweet taste, or added to cream when whipping ..or simply when a recipe calls for sugar.
Using tough Food grade vacuum bags, the seed & sugar are mixed together, re-introduce the split pod, heat seal ..then massaged & turned every day (this sugar probably gets treatment on par with kobe beef).
After 4-6 weeks it's ready, however we simply keep on turning it & massaging it some more!
The advantage of this? .. pronounced, even flavour develops as the sugar is mixed & mixed again... something you don't get in a supermarket vanilla sugar! ..this way we are certain it's the best Vanilla sugar you've tasted!
Ask for a sample "wrap" ..(we come prepared).
Try it on Pancakes, your All-Bran, Ready-Brek, Weetabix, Porridge etc,
Cake & muffin mixes, on fresh fruit salad ...strawberries & cream ...Mmmm!
In drinks
A teaspoon of vanilla sugar in a cup of coffee provides a comforting and warming sweetness. Its heady aroma works very well in warm milk or hot chocolate too, making a change from regular sugar. Along with your morning cup of coffee, vanilla sugar is also delicious when used to sweeten porridge.
Desserts
Vanilla infused sugar can be sprinkled onto warm fruits as they cook, or substituted for regular sugar when making crumble mixtures. A little extra sugar may be sprinkled on top of the crumble before baking to provide a slightly caramelised top to the crumble. When making up custard from its powder form, a little vanilla sugar can be used to give it that extra vanilla flavour and sweetness. It can also be used when making meringues for that beautiful sweet taste, or added to cream when whipping ..or simply when a recipe calls for sugar.
All profits to our fund totaliser
For a premium product ..(we're not kidding), this stuff would be sold as "Artisan crafted" & " Individually hand-made" marketing speil (think of an M&S advert taken to the next level)! & over-priced in a posh supermarket!
If you've never had proper vanilla sugar you are missing a treat! ..seriously addictive, seriously loaded with taste, the scent of vanilla seed oil wafts it's way through the packaging!
If you wander into Waitrose (like we did) ..a stumpy, non country specific Vanilla pod (typically meaning a weak, cheap, short, low vanillin Indian pod) rammed into a 297g of granulated sugar (doesn't absorb flavour so well) ..costs you £3.99
that's £3.99 for a plastic jar that costs more than the sugar & vanilla combined, ..the weak pod is left to leach out weak flavour if you are lucky!, the jar clumps the sugar so not much actually gets covered in vanilla!
That's just wrong!
If you've never had proper vanilla sugar you are missing a treat! ..seriously addictive, seriously loaded with taste, the scent of vanilla seed oil wafts it's way through the packaging!
If you wander into Waitrose (like we did) ..a stumpy, non country specific Vanilla pod (typically meaning a weak, cheap, short, low vanillin Indian pod) rammed into a 297g of granulated sugar (doesn't absorb flavour so well) ..costs you £3.99
that's £3.99 for a plastic jar that costs more than the sugar & vanilla combined, ..the weak pod is left to leach out weak flavour if you are lucky!, the jar clumps the sugar so not much actually gets covered in vanilla!
That's just wrong!
We massage ours in the bag so it blends & infuses each & every day...
The vanilla seeds are distributed evenly making it more of an eye-pleaser, as well as having micro-balls of concentrated vanilla flavour in each & every spoonful!
Ours is £3.99 too BUT you get a full 1lb of matured sugar, in fact, compared to the Waitrose Sugar you are getting an extra 50% for the same price = Quality AND Value ..not to mention all profits fund our much needed cause!
No middlemen, not bought in in return for a measly % ..made in 1lb batches, by us, for you ..every penny made ploughed back into funds to help keep a roof over our heads & modernise the building!
Ours is £3.99 too BUT you get a full 1lb of matured sugar, in fact, compared to the Waitrose Sugar you are getting an extra 50% for the same price = Quality AND Value ..not to mention all profits fund our much needed cause!
No middlemen, not bought in in return for a measly % ..made in 1lb batches, by us, for you ..every penny made ploughed back into funds to help keep a roof over our heads & modernise the building!
Q's & A's
Why Caster sugar?
..Caster sugar is finer than granulated sugar but not quite Icing sugar, so being finer granules it absorbs / melts / bakes infinitely better than larger crystallised sugar, the taste is more even (compared to strong cane sugar) allowing the full bodied flavour of the premium gourmet vanilla to make itself known, caster is super in Tea's Coffee & anywhere you use regular granulated sugar.
Why not use Fairtrade Sugar?
...Food-miles, air-freight, compared to locally grown beet sugar which comes from all around the Ramsey area, plus supporting our own local farmers , our local economy & our local countryside.
But what about the Vanilla pod's, they've come from abroad!?
..Yes, but a single pound of Vanilla pods could make up several hundred bags of local sugar, in terms of overall percentage the beans are light, small & can be packed in small pockets of empty hold space, or slow shipped via the sea, ..way less bulky & we don't have the climate to grow them here!
You need to sell 55 bags ..how do you intend to do that!?
The parent makers & "massagers" of Scout-fund Vanilla Sugar don't wish to massage this stuff forever (though it'll taste even better) ..we need your help, that means ..you sample it, & hopefully sell via word of mouth & quality alone!
However we will be selling at various fetes this summer (Weather allowing) ..potential for funds raised (fully subscribed) could be around 18% of our required total.
Hopefully once you taste it you'll be able to vouch for it's quality, value & sell some to your friends & families, (or baking mad work colleagues)..
So is this just sugar in a plastic bag?
...No, we use commercial grade heat-seal vacuum bags which are made for products such as this, food safe, pretty tough & durable, by allowing a controlled amount of air within the packaging it allows us to massage the oily seeds & let the now split pod release all it's vanilla goodness
Isn't the Packaging a bit "cheap looking" ?
Not really, it's simple & well thought out, light strong & recyclable, ..it's easy to pour "just the right amount" & clip-seal.
The packaging also facilitates simple break down of any clumps that occur, (which sugar does naturally) & to shake the pod & seeds around, ....We do recommend decanting your sugar into a clean tight lidded jam / Kilner or parfait jar or two though.(to prevent diffusion* which may occur over time).
(small glass containers are infinitely better for keeping flavours long term ((after maturation)) I generally recommend not to use plastic for storing extracts, spices, or ingredients. Plastic lets the flavor molecules pass through via diffusion over time. This results in less flavorsome ingredients. For my vanilla infused sugar I use one of my many parfait jars ..this is just my personal ideal! (The foodsafe packaging we also use for marinades, oils, smoked cheeses, & all sorts)
when it get's low, eke out the last of the sugar by topping it up with more sugar, whilst it may not be as strongly flavoured it'll certainly be heavily scented if left a while in a dark cupboard & shaken from time to time! (then decant as before).
Under correct conditions (a cool dark storage place) The vanilla pod itself will be usable after opening a year on (but we think you'll have enjoyed it all long before then)!
Why doesn't it come in a fancy jar?
...Simply because a jar is expensive, & unnecessary, ..it's really about the taste, besides you've probably already squirreled away a nice jar in your kitchen somewhere. As we've said elsewhere (having done our research), the Waitrose cooks essential plastic "product jars" work out more expensive than the product they hold!
..we think you'd prefer more of the good stuff! ..the Vanilla Sugar!
..Caster sugar is finer than granulated sugar but not quite Icing sugar, so being finer granules it absorbs / melts / bakes infinitely better than larger crystallised sugar, the taste is more even (compared to strong cane sugar) allowing the full bodied flavour of the premium gourmet vanilla to make itself known, caster is super in Tea's Coffee & anywhere you use regular granulated sugar.
Why not use Fairtrade Sugar?
...Food-miles, air-freight, compared to locally grown beet sugar which comes from all around the Ramsey area, plus supporting our own local farmers , our local economy & our local countryside.
But what about the Vanilla pod's, they've come from abroad!?
..Yes, but a single pound of Vanilla pods could make up several hundred bags of local sugar, in terms of overall percentage the beans are light, small & can be packed in small pockets of empty hold space, or slow shipped via the sea, ..way less bulky & we don't have the climate to grow them here!
You need to sell 55 bags ..how do you intend to do that!?
The parent makers & "massagers" of Scout-fund Vanilla Sugar don't wish to massage this stuff forever (though it'll taste even better) ..we need your help, that means ..you sample it, & hopefully sell via word of mouth & quality alone!
However we will be selling at various fetes this summer (Weather allowing) ..potential for funds raised (fully subscribed) could be around 18% of our required total.
Hopefully once you taste it you'll be able to vouch for it's quality, value & sell some to your friends & families, (or baking mad work colleagues)..
So is this just sugar in a plastic bag?
...No, we use commercial grade heat-seal vacuum bags which are made for products such as this, food safe, pretty tough & durable, by allowing a controlled amount of air within the packaging it allows us to massage the oily seeds & let the now split pod release all it's vanilla goodness
Isn't the Packaging a bit "cheap looking" ?
Not really, it's simple & well thought out, light strong & recyclable, ..it's easy to pour "just the right amount" & clip-seal.
The packaging also facilitates simple break down of any clumps that occur, (which sugar does naturally) & to shake the pod & seeds around, ....We do recommend decanting your sugar into a clean tight lidded jam / Kilner or parfait jar or two though.(to prevent diffusion* which may occur over time).
(small glass containers are infinitely better for keeping flavours long term ((after maturation)) I generally recommend not to use plastic for storing extracts, spices, or ingredients. Plastic lets the flavor molecules pass through via diffusion over time. This results in less flavorsome ingredients. For my vanilla infused sugar I use one of my many parfait jars ..this is just my personal ideal! (The foodsafe packaging we also use for marinades, oils, smoked cheeses, & all sorts)
when it get's low, eke out the last of the sugar by topping it up with more sugar, whilst it may not be as strongly flavoured it'll certainly be heavily scented if left a while in a dark cupboard & shaken from time to time! (then decant as before).
Under correct conditions (a cool dark storage place) The vanilla pod itself will be usable after opening a year on (but we think you'll have enjoyed it all long before then)!
Why doesn't it come in a fancy jar?
...Simply because a jar is expensive, & unnecessary, ..it's really about the taste, besides you've probably already squirreled away a nice jar in your kitchen somewhere. As we've said elsewhere (having done our research), the Waitrose cooks essential plastic "product jars" work out more expensive than the product they hold!
..we think you'd prefer more of the good stuff! ..the Vanilla Sugar!
Ok... i'll try some,
how do I get hold of "the sugar"?
Correct, & we'd love you to buy a bag from us & for us, orders can be taken online ( on the comments part of the blog) & we can arrange for local delivery or drop off within Ramsey, OR leave it with Judith (Akela) for you to collect.
We are sure this will be well received once sampled, & anticipate making some more for xmas (maybe some epicurean smoked / flavoured salts too), so please let us know if there's anyone asking for a repeat order!
All prepared under carefully controlled conditions with due diligence & food hygiene awareness!
SEE OUR ORDERING PAGE FOR DETAILS ( ACTIVE LINK)....
We are sure this will be well received once sampled, & anticipate making some more for xmas (maybe some epicurean smoked / flavoured salts too), so please let us know if there's anyone asking for a repeat order!
All prepared under carefully controlled conditions with due diligence & food hygiene awareness!
SEE OUR ORDERING PAGE FOR DETAILS ( ACTIVE LINK)....
P.S. we also sell vanilla pods (vacuum sealed)
|
latest prices for supermarket vanilla pods (you'll be surprised)
http://www.ocado.com/webshop/getSearchProducts.do?clearTabs=yes&isFreshSearch=true&entry=Vanilla+Pods
http://www.ocado.com/webshop/getSearchProducts.do?clearTabs=yes&isFreshSearch=true&entry=Vanilla+Pods