How to Make Essences to Flavor Food
Herb, spice, and flower essences sold in stores are usually made by distilling. But the instructions below from 1800s cookbooks say to use alcohol to dissolve the plant oils and resins. Although not mentioned in these old cookbooks, you can also make essences with food grade liquid glycerine
, although the process takes longer than using alcohol.
, although the process takes longer than using alcohol.INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS
ON ESSENCES
The essences or essential oils sold for general use are, or ought to be, obtained by distillation. But for many purposes they may be obtained equally as good, and in some cases superior, without.
Rectified spirits of wine* dissolve the volatile oil and resin of vegetables (their taste and smell most frequently reside in these), whilst water acts on the saline and mucilaginous parts. Proof spirit, which is a mixture of both these, extracts all their virtues, and through this we are enabled to obtain the essence or tincture of any vegetable, of superior quality to that generally sold, and at considerably less expense.
*rectified spirits of wine – at least 95% alcohol by volume
ALLSPICE, CLOVES, CINNAMON
Bruise two ounces of spice and put it in a bottle with one pint of proof spirit. Stop it close, let it remain fourteen days, and filter for use.
ESSENCE OF CELERY
Steep in one-fourth pint of brandy or proof spirit, half an ounce of celery seed bruised, and let it stand a fortnight. A few drops will immediately flavor a pint of broth, and are an excellent addition to other soups.
ESSENCE OF VANILLA
Cut two ounces of vanilla bean in small pieces and pound it fine in a marble mortar, with about a pound of loaf sugar,* adding the white of an egg and one ounce rectified spirit. Put it into a glazed pot, tie a piece of writing paper over it, and make a hole in it with a pin. Stand the pot in warm water, keeping it at that heat for twenty-four hours, then strain for use. One drachm* of this is equal to an ounce of vanilla, and is excellent for flavoring ices, creams, puddings, liqueurs, etc.
*loaf sugar – sugar sold in a hard block, which has to be broken and then pounded into sugar granules.
*drachm/dram – a unit of weight formerly used by apothecaries, equivalent to 60 grains or one eighth of an ounce.
ESSENCE OF GINGER
Take three ounces of fresh ginger—grate and put it into a quart of French brandy, together with the rind of a fresh lemon—none of the white part of the peel should be put in. Shake the whole up well every day, for eight or ten days. At the end of that time, it will be fit for use. A little of this, mixed with water, or put on a lump of sugar, answers all the purposes of ginger tea, and is much more palatable. It is also nice to flavor many kinds of sweetmeats.*
*sweetmeats – sweet delicacies made with sugar, fruit, and/or nuts and usually eaten by hand.
ESSENCE OF LEMON
Pare or grate off the yellow rind of lemons very thin; weigh it to make eight ounces. Put it into a bottle and pour on ten ounces of rectified spirits of wine. Stop it close and let it steep for fourteen days, when it is fit for use. This is excellent for ices, creams, lemonade, etc. In many establishments, where quantities of peel are thrown away, the cost of this would be comparatively trifling, compared with the price of the inferior oil generally sold.
ESSENCE OF ORANGE PEEL
Make as lemon, using only four ounces of the orange rind.
ESSENCE OF CAYENNE
Put half an ounce of cayenne pepper into half a pint of wine or brandy. Let it steep a fortnight* and then pour off the clear liquor. This article is very convenient for quick seasoning and finishing of soups and sauces, its flavor being instantly and equally diffused.
*fortnight – a period of two weeks.
ESSENCE OF MUSHROOMS
This delicate relish is made by sprinkling a little salt over some mushrooms and mashing them three hours after. Next day, strain off the liquor, put it into a stew-pan, and boil it till reduced one half. It will not keep long, but is preferable to any of the ketchups. An artificial bed of mushrooms would supply this article all the year round.
ESSENCE OF OYSTERS
Take fine fresh oysters, wash them in their own liquor, skim it, and pound them in a marble mortar. To a pint of oysters, add a pint of sherry, boil them up, and add an ounce of salt, two drams of pounded mace, and one of cayenne. Let it just boil up again, skim it, and rub it through a sieve. When cold, bottle and cork it well, and seal it down. This composition very agreeably heightens the flavor of white sauces and white made-dishes. If a glass of brandy be added to the essence, it will keep a considerable time longer when oysters are out of season.
ESSENCE OF ANCHOVY
Put into a marble mortar ten or twelve fine mellow anchovies that have been well pickled. Pound them to a pulp and put this into a clean well-tinned saucepan. Put a tablespoon of cold water into the mortar, shake it round, and pour it to the pounded anchovies. Set them by the side of a slow fire, frequently stirring them together till they are melted, which they will be in the course of five minutes.
Now stir in one-fourth dram of good cayenne, and let it remain by the fire a few minutes longer. Rub it through a hair sieve* with the back of a wooden spoon, and keep it stopped very closely: if the air gets to it, it is spoiled directly. Essence of anchovy is made sometimes with sherry or Madeira instead of water, or with the addition of mushroom ketchup.
*hair sieve – a strainer with a wiry fabric bottom usually woven from horsehair.
ESSENCE OF COFFEE
To every one-fourth pound of ground coffee, allow one teaspoon of powdered chicory and one pint of water. Let the coffee be freshly ground and if possible, freshly roasted. Put it into a percolator or filter, with the chicory, and slowly pour a pint of boiling water over it. When it has all filtered through, warm the coffee sufficiently to bring it to the simmering-point, but do not allow it to boil; then filter it a second time.
Put it into a clean and dry bottle, cork it well, and it will remain good for several days. Two tablespoons of this essence are quite sufficient for a cup of hot milk. This essence will be found particularly useful to those persons who have to rise extremely early, and having only to boil the milk, is very easily and quickly prepared.
When the essence is bottled, pour another three teacups* of boiling water slowly on the grounds, which, when filtered through, will be a very weak coffee. The next time there is essence to be prepared, make this weak coffee boiling, and pour it on the ground coffee instead of plain water: by this means a better coffee will be obtained. Never throw away the grounds without having made use of them in this manner.
*teacup – same as a jill or gill; four ounces in the U.S. and five ounces in the U.K.
Image from Deposit Photos
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To make your non-alcoholic extracts, just substitute the alcohol called for in any extract recipe with three parts food-grade liquid glycerin and one part water. Read more at The Spruce Eats website.
Glycerin Vegetable Kosher USP 43 oz
Pure Vegetable Based
Clear Sweet
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3 thoughts on “How to Make Essences to Flavor Food”
We are so spoiled. I never thought about the need for making essences. I use essential oils now and probably won’t make essences either.
This is interesting information, but I think I’m too lazy to make these. I’ve never yet had occasions to use anything like this. I hardly even use extracts anymore since I’ve all but stopped baking. I mostly use fresh herbs for seasoning.
I’d like to try making lemon, orange, and grapefruit extract to flavor water, and you only need a drop or two because it’s so concentrated. A bottle of alcohol or food grade liquid glycerine would cost at first, but it would last a long time.
Vegetable extracts would flavor soups, but powdered spices work well, too.