Roberta Chong Kee and Paula Ho‘opai remember their mother “curing” vanilla beans in rum in a dark kitchen cupboard.

“It was her thing,” said Chong Kee. “She would give away the homemade vanilla extract as presents for the holidays and use it for cooking and baking.”

Now Chong Kee continues the tradition as a way of remembering the generous nature of their late mother, Nancy “Gladys” Teixeira.

“It’s very easy to do,” Chong Kee explained. She starts by using the freshest, best vanilla beans she can find – Tahitian vanilla is preferred. She cuts each bean vertically and then drops them into a bottle of dark rum. She says vodka is also an option, but rum results in a sweeter extract.

After two months in a dark, cool location, plus occasional shaking, the extract is ready. And there are many uses. Ho‘opai remembers her mother making old-fashioned vanilla pudding for the grandchildren. Chong Kee remembers the delicious cakes.

“How did she learn how to do this extract, we wonder now,” she said.

Teixeira had a hard life as the ninth of 11 children. When she was 7, her mother died, and she grew up in numerous foster homes. Her later years were more comfortable. After marrying Robert Luke, the couple settled in Maunalani Heights and had five children: Gloria Oshiro, Michael Luke, Christina Goh, Chong Kee and Ho‘opai.

Chong Kee says the vanilla beans can be pulled out of the extract and scraped with a knife. The granules are called vanilla “caviar” and can be used in baking. You’ll see them in good quality vanilla ice cream — the brown tiny dots. Unscraped beans can be re-used to make another batch of extract by adding more rum.

Chong Kee and her husband, Kevin, are growing a vanilla plant in their Kalama Valley yard in the hopes of harvesting their own beans.

“The flower looks like an orchid and I believe it only blooms once a year,” she says.

The sweet Teixeira tradition continues with vanilla extract, vanilla sugar, bundt cake and old-fashioned pudding.

MOM’S VANILLA EXTRACT

By Roberta Chong Kee

• 8 ounces rum, dark preferred, or vodka
• 2 vanilla beans or more
• Place rum in clean glass jar. Split vanilla beans lengthwise, add to rum. Store in a dark, cool place for at least two months, shaking periodically. Use extract in baking.
• Scrape caviar from bean pods to use in baking. Or re-use the beans in another batch with more rum.
• Vanilla Sugar
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 to 2 vanilla beans

Fill a container with sugar. Split the vanilla beans lengthwise and bury them in the sugar. Shake and store for at least 2 days. Use for baking or for flavoring coffee and tea.

OLD-FASHIONED VANILLA CORNSTARCH PUDDING

By Roberta Chong Kee

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 heaping tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2-1/2 cups whole milk
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract, plus more for garnish

In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened, 3-4 minutes.

Remove from stove and add extract. Return to stove, and continue to cook on low 2-3 minutes.

Pour into individual cups and chill until firm, at least 3 hours. Garnish with a dash of vanilla extract before serving. Serves 6.

VANILLA BUNDT CAKE

By Roberta Chong Kee

• Nonstick cooking oil spray
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose or cake flour
• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs, plus 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

>> Glaze

• 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
• Caviar from 1/2 vanilla bean
• 1 to 3 tablespoons buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, very soft

Position rack in lower third of oven and heat oven to 325 degrees. Coat a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and dust lightly with 2 tablespoons flour.

In large bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder and salt. Sift again, 1-2 more times. Set aside.

In a standing mixer or using a hand beater, beat butter and vanilla on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and beat until evenly mixed, about 1 minute. Slowly add oil and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating thoroughly after every addition. (Roberta notes: the longer you mix, the lighter the cake.)

Stir in flour mixture and buttermilk in three alternating additions, ending with buttermilk. Continue to mix on low speed until batter is smooth and no lumps remain. Turn off mixer. Fold batter by hand several times to ensure everything is well incorporated, then pour into prepared pan.

Bake 60-70 minutes, until cake is golden, the top springs back when lightly pressed and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Place pan on wire rack and cool completely, about 2 hours.

To make glaze: Whisk together sugar, vanilla caviar and buttermilk. Add butter and whisk until smooth.

Place cooled cake on a wire rack over a large baking sheet covered with foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup. Alternatively, place cake on a serving platter. Slowly pour glaze over cake, using an offset spatula to smooth and spread over the top and along the sides as you pour. Let set 10 minutes.

Glaze a second time and let stand at least an hour, until cake has cooled completely and glaze has set. Slice and serve. Serves 12 or more.

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Nutritional information unavailable.

Lynette Lo Tom, author of “The Chinese Kitchen,” is fascinated by old-fashioned foods. Contact her at 275-3004 or via Instagram at brightlightcookery. Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.