I've just bought 1.25 pounds of vanilla beans to make my own vanilla extract and then learned that I should have bought the Grade B beans for extract rather than the Grade A that I purchased. I'm trying to come up with other uses for the beans (although I'll still try making the extract) and I thought I'd try to make vanilla paste. The problem is that I haven't been able to find any decent-looking recipes. The ones I've found say just to add xylitol or glycerin to ground up vanilla beans but the ingredients on at least one commercially-sold vanilla paste include water, sugar, vanilla beans and tragacanth. One vanilla paste has even won awards so I doubt that it's just xylitol and vanilla beans. Is there anyone out there who makes their own vanilla paste and would be willing to share some instructions? Thanks!

I don't post copyrighted recipes, but Gordon Ramsey has a recipe in his desserts book.

Edit: This recipe requires some modification, but will do the job without the other ingredients, even though I think the gum is necessary.

I'm glad you decided to wait on the correct beans to make your extract. But I do have an option if you still would like to make the extract. Extract is 70 proof by FDA law. I personally use an 80 proof vodka for my extract. Some manufacturers use a higher proof alcohol and add water to bring it to 70 proof (35%). Your plump beans contain moisture that will bring a 70 proof alcohol below the standard. But the higher proof will offset the moisture.

I have been offered to market my extract nationally. I think my bakery is slowly becoming a manufacturing company as I already have one national account in addition to the extract. The quality of your extract is what you put into it. The tastes of the beans differ and the alcohol greatly affects the outcome. If this is for home or use in your baking business, you could try the grade A. The paste is a whole different product as it is not regulated by the FDA. I have not made the paste yet. I just have a mathematic formula for the desired outcome. I think it comes down to research, an understanding of sugar work, and trial and error... and taste.

I have that book SCP, it's fabulous. Are you saying you'd make the stock syrup with vanilla, then add some gum tragacanth at some stage?

I just checked my jar of paste (it's an Australian brand), and the ingredients say: vanilla bean extract with vanilla seeds, sugar, natural thickeners, inulin, tragaganth (yes, that's how it's spelt on the jar, with a G, not a C)

Thanks, Susan! I was actually thinking about contacting you directly since you were the only person I could think of who might have experience making the paste. I'll take a look at the book--just to clarify, is it a recipe for vanilla paste or were you talking about the stock syrup referenced by the last poster before me?
The vanilla extract is just for me; I don't have a business. I was thinking, though, that if moisture is the problem wih the Grade A beans perhaps leaving the beans out for a couple days might dry them out and make them suitable for extracting? If not, what does one use Grade A beans for that makes them better than Grade B beans? Is the caviar better?

Can you not use your grade A beans in making cakes and cookies, bittercreasm, custards, curds, icecream, coffee flavouring...etc etc. Thats what I use mine for!

I was just a the end of a very detailed recipe for vbp and my computer shut down, which it does about once a week. I usually put these recipe posts in my blog draft just because of this quirky computer, but I didn't this time. So give me a day and I will send it via a pm. This is just my recipe on paper, but it will work. Anyone unfamiliar with sugar work may not want to attempt this.

You know when you almost complete something and you have to start again, it just isn't as much fun the second time around.

Susan

oh no.... how frustrating! Time for a new computer?

Thank you for going to the effort of re-writing it, looking forward to it. And Gordon has lots of other suggestions for syrups in there, I guess the theory could be applied to any of those flavours.

Thank you so much, Susan! I can't believe you're going to all that trouble. I look forward to trying out the recipe!

Susan...may I also have that recipe if you are happy to share. I need to use up a bunch of beans - simply bought too many last time!

You said you're looking for ways to use your vanilla beans. You can get vanilla bean recipes at Vanilla.COMpany. They have recipes using paste too, but they're not categorized. And if you make anything there, they're having a recipe photo contest. You can win some vanilla product. 

A

Hi Evoir. I was just reading this thread and figured I would ask, did Susan ever give you the recipe for the Vanilla Bean paste? If so, do you mind sharing?

I would ask her myself but she's been off CC for a while now.

Thank you. V.