Vanilla Sugar
INGREDIENTS:
6 cups granulated white sugar
1 vanilla bean
DIRECTIONS:
Add the sugar to a glass jar or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid.
Slice the vanilla bean length-wise, piercing only the top layer of the skin. Press the back of the knife against the bean and up lengthwise, squeezing the oily, miniscule black seeds out.
Add the seeds and the bean to the sugar. Place the lid on the container and shake it up.
Store for a week, until the vanilla infuses the sugar. Use in place of regular sugar wherever you desire.
Whenever you use a vanilla bean in a recipe, just add the seeded or discarded bean to the sugar.