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!
No comments:
Post a Comment