Bringing Back Tea Time

I have been a tea drinker for as long as I can remember.  One of my fondest memories of my Grammy is when she would wake me, as a child at 6am and wrap me up in a blanket and take me out onto the breezeway, just the two of us, for pink tea, a sweetened concoction of strongly brewed Red Rose tea and just enough milk to give the tea in my bone china teacup a pinkish hue.

Nowadays, I usually drink my tea strong and straight up...no milk, lemon or sugar.  I love it iced...and yes in this case, I'll take some lemon...but no sugar.  Much like wine, I enjoy sniffing the tea first, detecting floral, smoky or herbal notes.  I don't swirl my tea, but I do sip and savor the flavors as they hit the various taste centers on my tongue. 

I have a store house of loose leaf and bagged teas in one of my cupboards.  White tea, green tea, black tea, herbal tea, spiced tea....it is all in there.  I have tea caddies, tea trays, tea chests and teapots galore...I even have a silver tea service...which is coming out of storage as soon as I finish this post!  Guests who request tea at my home are presented with an array that would make the Dutch East India Tea Company proud!

In Paris, we adopted the habit of popping into a cafe' late in the afternoon for an espresso or glass of wine, but now that we are back in the States, I think I will revive teatime...especially with the price of coffee these days! There is something so civilized in slowing down in the afternoon, regrouping over a cup a tea before the second shift begins....dinner, dishes, dashing from point a to point b with this errand or that...teatime is me-time.

One of my favorite tea purveyors is Tea Forte'.  I first discovered this brand about five years ago on a family outing to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem.  After a full morning and afternoon of culture and art, Bill, Emily and I were a bit peaked and lo and behold, the museum was offering afternoon tea.  Perfect!  Bill ordered Earl Grey.  Em tried Raspberry Nectar, and I, the Forte'.  Wow!  Aside from the stunning little silk pyramids that held the leaves, the perfectly brewed tea was aromatic and full flavored.  I was hooked.  Lucky for me, they had samplers of the tea in the museum gift shop...and lucky for them, they have a website which I frequent often... http://www.teaforte.com/ !

A while back, I went on a sugar purge...and at first, drinking black tea was fine...but then the afternoon hungry horrors, complete with sweet fangs would hit.  Gosh, although I was never a big sweet freak, the minute you cut added sugars from your diet, don't you just crave the stuff?...this is why I do a regular sugar purge...if your body gets so crazy that you experience withdrawal, then maybe there is too much of a good thing in your food!  Anyway...back to the tea...I was getting bored with my current assortment and that nagging sweet thing was pecking away at my brain, so I visited Tea Forte and discovered Vienna Cinnamon, a naturally sweet tea flavored with cinnamon and clove...no sugar, just the sweetness from the spices...can I just say singingly, AWESOME!

Brewing the proper pot of tea isn't difficult, but there are a few things you should consider:
1.  Use fresh cold water...if your tap water has a strong or unusual taste, use spring water
2.  Never boil  or microwave water, bring the water just to the boil and shut it off...for black tea, herbal tea or oolong, heat the water in a kettle to about 208* F.  For green and white teas, to 175*F.
3.  Steep black tea for 3-5 minutes, green and white teas for 2-3 minutes, and herbal or oolong for 5 minutes.
4. Warm your tea pot and tea cups with very hot water while your tea is steeping.  Remember to discard the water!
5.  Take a taste of your tea before adding sugar,  honey,milk, lemon or mint...never add cream to tea. Save the cream for scones!
6.  Tea should NEVER, EVER be served in styrofoam cups...styrofoam is evil.

In the past few months, I have started cooking and baking with tea.  Tossing some black tea leaves in the smoker, with the wood chips while smoking meats adds a warm, exotic twist to the flavor.  Steeping tea in milk for cakes and quick breads leaves the consumer with a nuance of flavor that makes one go...hmmm...yummmm.  And using tea in addition to broth when making the sauce for stir fries is unusual, calorie conscious and a neat way to add depth of flavor to the sauces.

I am still working on those recipes and methods...but I'd like to share with you a recipe for a perfect little morsel for four o'clock tea...Sweet Potato Muffins.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup cooked sweet potato
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup unbleached AP flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon clove
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup milk
1 Chai tea bag
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup chopped raisins
Minced candied ginger or cinnamon sugar

Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 *F
Line mini-muffin pans with paper muffin cups

In a small sauce pan, warm the milk to simmer.
Add the tea bag and turn off the heat.
Steep for 5 minutes, then remove the tea bag and discard.
Allow milk to cool.

Puree sweet potatoes in a food processor or run them through a potato ricer.

In a mixer, cream the butter and sugars. 
Beat in the eggs and pureed sweet potatoes.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and spices onto a paper plate.
Add the dry ingredients alternately by hand, with the cooled milk, chopped nuts and raisins, mixing until just blended. 
Do not over mix.

Spoon the batter into muffin cups, filling to the top. 
Sprinkle tops with minced candied ginger or cinnamon sugar.

Bake at 400* F for 25 minutes.
Cool in pans for 10 minutes then remove to a wire. 
Makes 2 1/2 dozen mini-muffins.  Store in a covered container.

Bon appetit!

Food tastes soo good outdoors!

I am pleased to report that I have a bit of a culinary reputation in town...a very wee bit, but I'll take it.  Recently my daughter was asked to write an article about things folks  can do in and around Groton during the summer for the local newspaper.  She featured some of our great trails and conservation properties and suggested that I write up a menu for a picnic!  I hope you get to read her article in the Groton Herald and I hope the menu inspires you to eat, drink and be merry in the great outdoors!

Main Streets and Back Roads of Groton Picnic

Featuring:

BLAST Sandwiches (Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado and Sundried Tomato):  Makes 2 hearty sandwiches

Ingredients:

½ pound Bacon or 8 thick slices (bake on a broiler pan in a 400* oven for 15-18 minutes, turning the rack half way through cooking time

A large handful of Red or Green Leaf lettuce or Arugula (if you prefer a peppery note to your greens)

1 Ripe Avocado, peeled and sliced (about 6-8 slices)

½ cup julienned Sundried Tomatoes packed in Olive Oil (reserve some of the oil for dressing the sandwich)

 2 tablespoons light mayonnaise

Sliced beefsteak tomatoes (optional…but highly recommended!)

4 slices sourdough or multigrain bread, toasted

Dill pickle spear, garnish

Method:

                Cook bacon as directed above. Allow to cool.

On  two of the slices of toasted bread, drizzle a small amount of the reserved sun-dried tomato oil.  On each of the other two slices,  spread one tablespoon of light mayo. 

On the oiled bread, layer the sundried tomatoes evenly over both slices.  Top with arugula (or your lettuce preference).

Next, layer on the bacon, evenly dividing between the two sandwiches.

Top this layer with the sliced avocados.

Add another layer of greens and top this with optional fresh tomato slices. 

Place remaining bread, with mayo side on the lettuce or tomatoes.

Slice sandwich in half and secure with a long food pick, if necessary.

Serve with dill pickle spears and your favorite chips!

For a healthier crunch to go along with your sandwich, try Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato Chips. Available at Donelan’s and other area grocers.

Beverage:  Lavender Lemonade

Ingredients

½ to 1 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you like your lemonade)

¼ cup lavender (stems and buds), plus additional for garnish*

1  cup  fresh lemon juice (from about 6 lemons)

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)

Fresh mint for garnish

Method

In a large saucepan, bring one gallon of water and the sugar to a boil. Remove from heat; add lavender buds and lemon and lime juices. Cool to room temperature, strain, and chill. Serve on ice, with additional lavender and mint for garnish.

Apple, Cucumber, Carrot and Radish Slaw with Honey- Poppy Seed Dressing (serves 2-4)

Ingredients

                2 large Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into match stick sized pieces (julienned)

                Juice of ½ lemon                  1 large carrot, peeled and grated

                1 large English  cucumber, halved, seeded and julienned

                3 large radishes, grated

                Pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Method:

In a large bowl, combine all the slaw ingredients and toss with lemon juice to prevent browning. Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Lightly drizzle  1/2 cup of the honey-poppy seed dressing over slaw, adding more to your taste, if desired.

Honey-Poppy Seed Dressing:  In a mason jar, mix the following and shake vigorously before drizzling over the slaw.

¼ cup apple cider dressing                                ½ cup safflower oil

¼ cup honey                                         1 tablespoon poppy seeds

½ shallot minced                                  ¼ tsp. fresh ground pepper

½ tsp. mint minced (optional)

Zucchini Spice Cake with Cinnamon Icing

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour                           ¾ cup whole wheat flour

1 ½ tsp. baking powder                          ½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. ground cinnamon, ½ tsp. ground cloves, ½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

¼ tsp. freshly grated black pepper, ½ tsp. salt

¾ cup unsalted butter                             ½ cup sugar                             ½ cup packed dark brown sugar

1 whole egg                                            2 egg whites                           ¼ cup  unsweetened applesauce

1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract                           2 cups unpeeled shredded zucchini

1 cup flaked coconut                               ½ cup chopped pecans (optional)

Method

                Preheat the oven to 350*.  Sift together flour, baking powder, soda and spices and set aside.  Cream butter in a large bowl with a mixer.  Beat in the sugars.  Add eggs, applesauce, and vanilla.  On low speed, add the flour mixture and mix until smooth.  Remove bowl from mixer and by hand mix in the zucchini, coconut, and nuts, blending well.  Spread in a buttered, parchment lined  9”x13” baking pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool completely and frost with Cinnamon icing (recipe below).

Cinnamon Icing

2 cups confectioners’ sugar                                    3 tbsp. milk                                             1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 ½ tbsp. softened butter                                       2 tsp. ground cinnamon

                Beat all the ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. 

Bon appetite!