All Tea-ed Up

Brent grew up drinking well-sweetened tea, brewed over hours in the hot Southern sun.  Josh spent a few of his college years brewing tea in a coffee shop (a long, long time before anyone knew what a barista was). 

On a recent trip to Madison, Wisconsin, we had the pleasure of meeting another small business owner as passionate about her product as we are about ours.

"I like to think outside the teapot whenever possible. Tea should be an easy affordable luxury. High quality tea allows for multiple steepings, stretching the cost per serving. Some of the following recipes should look familiar and all of them should feel approachable. I've added tea like you would add a spice or wine in a recipe. The possibiliti-teas are endless."

–Maleah Moskoff tea enthusiast at Cha Cha Tea: where east meets west.

 

 

Tea-infused Rice or Quinoa

Done drinking that pot of tea? Steep another pot and replace the liquid called for in any rice or quinoa recipe with steeped tea. Usually a 2:1 ratio. Jasmine green tea with a basmati rice works very well.

 

Simple Poached Salmon with Green Tea

Ingredients

1 cup steeped Genmaicha  (roasted Japanese rice tea) or Organic Jasmine Green Tea
1/2 cup white wine
½ cup chopped green onion
1 lemon or orange slice
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets skinned, preferably wild

Instructions

Combine the tea and wine in a medium saucepot and heat on low for 20 to 30 minutes. Add the green onion, lemon or orange, ginger, salt, and salmon.

Cover and cook on high for about 20 minutes, until the salmon is opaque and cooked through according to taste. Serve hot or cold

 

Classic Party Mix

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. onion powder
3 cups corn or rice cereal
2 cups wheat cereal
1 cup Oaties cereal
1 cup organic peanuts
1 cup pretzel sticks
½ cup Organic Houjicha green tea, loose

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Melt butter in large roasting pan in oven (5 minutes). Stir in seasonings and tea. Add remaining ingredients and mix until coated. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool and store in airtight container if you don't just eat it all at once.

 

Poached Pears

We've made this simple by replacing all the spices with our herbal tisane blend.  Fewer ingredients to shop for. Serve with a fresh whipped cream and gingerbread cake.

Ingredients

4 firm, medium-size pears, such as Anjou, Bartlett, or Bosc
1 bottle robust red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, or Merlot
1/2 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise
½ cup Organic Cha Cha Tea "Celebration" Herbal Tisane

Instructions

Peel the pears, and place in medium saucepan. Add wine, sugar, vanilla bean, tea, and just enough water to cover pears.
Set saucepan over high heat, and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook, occasionally stirring gently, over medium-low heat, until a paring knife easily pierces pears, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat; let pears cool in liquid.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer pears to a plate. Pour poaching liquid through a sieve set over a bowl. Discard solids, and return liquid to saucepan. Place over medium-high heat, and cook until liquid has been reduced to syrup that coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 45 minutes. Let cool; store pears in an airtight container until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, arrange pears on a platter or on individual plates, and drizzle poaching liquid over them.

Cook's Note

Peel the pears carefully, leaving the stems intact. Cut a small amount off the bottom so the pear can stand upright. If you're peeling many pears at once, immerse them in a large bowl of cold water with lemon juice. The acidulated water will keep the pears from discoloring until they are ready to be poached

 

Tea Infused Whipped Cream

Open a half pint of heavy whipping cream and add 3-4 teaspoons of loose tea like an Organic Earl Grey, French Breakfast or Lychee black. Close and shake. Leave the cream in the fridge 6 hours–overnight to allow the tea and cream to infuse. Strain the tea out and whip the cream with a hand mixer (or whatever method you normally use). You can add a teaspoon of sugar if you like your cream sweet.

 

 

Shortbread with Cha Cha Chai Tea

This recipe makes two logs of dough. The logs can be refrigerated for up to four days or frozen for up to three months (thaw before slicing and baking).

Ingredients

Makes 36

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling
1 tablespoon ground Cha Cha Chai black tea. We use a clean coffee grinder or mortar and pestle.

Instructions

With an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth. With mixer on low speed, add flour and tea, mixing just until a dough forms.
Divide dough in half; place each half on a piece of floured waxed or parchment paper. With floured hands, gently roll each into a 1 1/2-inch-diameter log. Wrap logs tightly in the paper, and refrigerate until firm, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap logs; with a serrated knife, slice dough 3/8 inch thick (if dough crumbles, leave at room temperature 5 to 10 minutes). Arrange slices, about 1 inch apart, on baking sheets.
Bake until lightly golden around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

Green Tea Frosting

No food coloring here! Add color and flavor naturally with powdered green tea called Matcha. A little goes a long way.  Fantastic on cakes, cupcakes and brownies. Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,166,150190-2...

Ingredients

1 tsp Matcha

2 T milk (if needed)

1/3 c. soft butter

3 c. confectioners' sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

About 2 tbsp. milk if needed

 

Instructions

Blend butter and sugar. Stir in vanilla and milk. Beat until frosting is smooth and spreadable.

 

No stock? No Problem Vegetable Soup

This recipe is really about using up what you have and feeding your soul at the same time. Swap out any veggies for what you have on hand.

Ingredients

Shredded chicken- optional
4 carrots, washed and chopped
4-6 celery stalks
1 large yellow or white onion
1 cup quartered mushrooms
1 bunch kale chopped
Unblended tea like Organic Bancha (common Japanese green tea)
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

Cut the carrots mushrooms and the celery stalks into 1-inch pieces. Dice the onion. Add the cut vegetables to the pot with the salt, pepper, and enough steeped tea to cover (about 8 cups). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.
If desired, shred the meat and add it to the soup. Ladle into individual bowls.

Note: steep the tea per company directions. Re-infuse the leaves multiple times for the recipe and add the leaves to the pot. You can eat tea!

 

Tea Sparkler

Need an easy brunch cocktail? Steep a colorful tea like Organic Blueberry Rooibos or Plum Berry black.  Heat the liquid in a small saucepan on low until the liquid reduces by half. Store or use when cooled.  Add ½ ounce of the concentrate in a champagne flute and then fill with your favorite Proseco or sparkling wine. The tea adds color and flavor without ant artificiality or sugar.

Mocktail version: use sparkling water instead of proseco.

 

Oolong infused vodka

Tea is such a sensory experience and this recipe honors tea in many ways.

Choose good tasting vodka and remove about an ounce. Add 2 tablespoons of loose Yuzu, Strawberry or Grape Oolong. Let the tea infuse the vodka for 24-48 hours. Serve this tea infusion on the rocks straight or with a splash of Italian soda that would compliment each flavor of tea.

*Use tea to make ice cubes.