COOKING WITH TEA
Savoury ideas
You can use brewed tea as ■ a braising liquid, a seasoning for marinades or a base for sauces.
Cook rice or other grains ■ using prepared tea in place of water or stock for delicate tea flavours.
Try topping a salad with ■ mint tea leaves for added flavour and crunch.
Perk up gravies, soups and ■ stews by adding strong black tea.
Combine loose tea with a ■ favourite spice mixture to make a hearty tea rub for meats and poultry.
Sweet ideas
Create a refreshing tea ■ sorbet using Jasmine, Masala Chai or Moroccan Mint.
Mix 1 tbsp (15 mL) of ■ ground loose tea into your favourite cookie or shortbread recipe.
Kick up a basic whipped ■ cream with 1 tbsp (15 mL) of your favourite loose tea.
Enhance your favourite ■ truffle recipe by infusing loose tea in cream.
Instead of rolling truffles ■ in cocoa, try rolling them in a mixture of powdered green tea and sugar. Foodnetwork.ca PEPPERMINT CUCUMBER SALAD Serves: 2-4 2 bags peppermint ■ herbal tea
1/3 cup (80 mL) white vinegar ■ 1 tbsp (15 mL) sugar ■
1/2 cup (125 mL) low-fat ■ or non-fat yogurt
2 large cucumbers, peeled ■ and sliced
1. Pour 1/4 cup (60 mL) boiling water over tea bags in a heatresistant bowl or container. Steep 5 minutes and remove tea bags. Add vinegar, sugar and yogurt and mix well. Pour mixture over sliced cucumbers. Toss and chill for 10 minutes.
2. To enjoy these same ingredients as a chilled cucumber soup, simply remove seeds from the cucumbers and prepare salad as above. Purée mixture in a blender, chill and serve. Celestial Tea, Celestialseasonings.com BENGAL SPICE MUSHROOM SOUP This recipe uses Bengal spice (an aromatic herbal tea with hints of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and cloves) for the soup. You can use any tea with the same herbs.
Serves: 4 1 shallot, finely diced ■
2 tbsp (30 mL) butter ■
2 large Portobello mushrooms, ■ cubed
2 cups (500 mL) sliced button ■ mushrooms
4 cups (1 L) water ■
4 bags spicy tea (Bengal spice ■ suggested)
1 cup (250 mL) heavy cream ■ 2 tbsp (30 mL) cornstarch ■ Salt and pepper to taste ■
1. Heat butter in large frying pan and sauté shallot 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté until tender.
2. Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in another saucepan and add tea bags. Lower to a simmer and steep for 5 minutes. Remove and discard tea bags.
3. Add cream to tea; then whisk in cornstarch. Return to a boil over medium heat until thickened.
4. Add cooked mushrooms and shallots and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour into heated bowls and serve. Celestial Tea, Celestialseasoning.com JASMINE TEA PUDDING Serves: 4 1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream ■ 2 cups (500 mL) 2% milk ■
2 tbsp (30 mL) jasmine flower tea ■ 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds ■ scraped
1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar ■
1/2 cup (125 mL) semolina flour ■ Store-bought tuile cookies ■
(or favourite cookie with lacy texture)
Fresh berries ■
1. Lightly oil 4 6-oz (170-g) ramekins with vegetable oil or food release spray and set aside.
2. Heat cream and milk with tea, scraped seeds and pod of vanilla. Keep just below a simmer for 10 minutes to infuse flavours.
3. Strain out tea and vanilla pod, and return milk to heat. Bring up to a simmer and whisking rapidly, pour semolina in an even stream.
4. Whisk for another minute, then, as it thickens, switch to a wooden spoon. Continue cooking while stirring about 3-5 minutes, until mixture is thick, and semolina is tender.
5. Remove pudding from heat and pour into ramekins. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
6. Loosen sides of ramekin with a knife and invert pudding onto a plate. Serve with tuile and fresh berries. Anna Olson, Food Network Canada