I have seen tons of posts on here about homemade vanilla, but I can't find anything about making your own paste. In fact, I only found 1 blog with a recipe for it, and they used 3-4 beans split and scraped, 1/2 cup simple syrup, and 1/2 cup vodka.

Is there a reason there are no recipes and you should buy it? Or does the above recipe sound like it would be alright?

Vanilla bean paste, is not really a paste. It's just a concentrated vanilla syrup. I buy it, but I thought I would make my own. I once saw this recipe:

http://www.injennieskitchen.com/2011/01/homemade-vanilla-bean-yogurt.html

It's about the same thing as your recipe. But I do think that I would make it with vanilla extract (even if it's homemade) because that vanilla extract would have been there for a while, getting the flavor from the beans, and it's concentrated.

Vanilla bean paste is just a thicker vanilla extract (that's how I see it).

In the book Desserts by Gordon Ramsey, he's got recipes for all kinds of flavored syrups; they all come from a base sugar stock, and he's got a vanilla one in there. About the same thing as the paste. I'm thinking of making a reduced brandy syrup and also putting vanilla seeds in there with some vanilla extract.

That's kind of what I was trying to figure out. The recipe I had calls for vodka, and the one you posted does not. It didn't seem quite right to me that the only difference between extract and paste would be sugar. But then again, I haven't used the paste before. I've got a package of beans coming in this week, and want to expand to more than just extract and vanilla sugar.

I saw one website where they said they put their beans in a dehydrator then ground them up to have ground vanilla, but I wondered if that didn't take a bit of the flavor out.

I've seen that too, but I don't like the idea. They do sell vanilla powder out there. I have it just to have an extra something in case too much liquid can't go in a recipe, but don't use it much.

The paste is really thick and syrupy. I know there are brands that have glucose, or corn syrup. I was discussing this with a friend, making it, and I wrote the ingredients somewhere. Have to look for the email. Really, the difference is sugar/syrup, and the seeds. And on the bottle it says that 1 tsp replaces 1 tsp of the other. It's not concentrated or anything.

Gordon's book is gone from everywhere but one place (at a decent price), but here are the links so that you can check in the page where he's got the syrups.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1571457011/?tag=cakecentral-20

http://www.bookdepository.com/Gordon-Ramsay-Desserts-Gordon-Ramsay/9781844008742

And you can only find it here. I was looking for it for months.

http://www.alibris.com/search/books/qwork/15181740/used/Gordon%20Ramsay%20Desserts

Thanks for the links, I will have to sic my husband on it. He can actually find the needle in the haystack. It's insane how well he can hunt things down.

The book is available on that alibris link for some reason at a decent price. I already got two of the UK version since it was reprinted in 2010 twice. The US version is gone and I don't want to buy it used for more than $50. Amazon and the Book Depository looked for me for three months...lol...they just sent me letters saying that they give up. But I have it already.

Another thread for you.

http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=731069&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=0

I just ordered his book from Amazon, used in like new condition, with shipping, for $21.86. It's being shipped from a seller here in CA so I should get it fairly soon. Can't wait to get it and check it out. I'm gonna have to stop buying books, though....I'm getting too many!! But there's always something out there I wanna try!!

Mine were new, from Alibris, for the same amount, don't remember if they charged me for shipping, but it came to $22 each, I think. Weird but I had to google to find it; inside Alibris you won't find it. So many books out there, lol.

I ordered mine from Alibris on 9/24 and it's not here yet. So don't be in a hurry.

Just a thought:

I actually like the taste that NM VBP adds to baked goods. My offerings aren't overly sweet, so the VBP adds another flavor. I usually use both VBP and homemade. In ganache, if you want to sweeten it or just make it slightly thinner, VBP is perfect. I will still be making my own when the book comes in.

I used Paypal, so I'm not worried... I just want it! Paypal reports that the status is not complete. I just don't have much faith in USPS.