Tea Infused Crème Anglaise Dessert Sauce
Any tea will lend intriguing flavor to custard sauce. I especially love using Great Falls Grey, our creative take on a traditional Earl Grey. The sauce needs no additional flavoring. Be adventurous and try other flavors of tea for infusing and flavoring. Just another way to add more antioxidants to your day!
1 heaping tsp. Great Falls Grey dry tea leaves (or tea of your choice)
1 1/4 cup milk
2 or 3 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
Put dry tea leaves in milk, stir, heat to just below boiling, let steep 10 - 15 minutes, strain. (This will yield 1 cup of infused milk.)
While the tea is steeping in the milk, beat the egg yolks well. Add the sugar and beat well - until the mixture turns light in color and thick enough to "form a ribbon" as you lift the beater.
Reheat the strained, infused milk briefly if it has cooled. Pour a small amount of the heated milk into the egg/sugar mixture and blend well. Repeat. This will "temper" the eggs and warm them up slowly. (If all the hot milk were added at once it could curdle or cook the eggs into lumps.)
Pour this blended mixture into a saucepan and over low heat stir constantly with a wooden spoon. As steam starts to rise pay close attention that it does not boil. To test for proper thickness - lift the wooden spoon and run your finger through the sauce. If the "trail" holds its shape and the sauce does not run together, the sauce is done. Pour it through a strainer into a clean bowl. Stir briefly to help it cool a bit. Refrigerate until cold.
Serve this tea infused sauce over pound cake, fruit, brownies, or your choice.
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Tea Brined Pork Tenderloin
This luscious recipe comes from Chef Monica Thomas – owner of Tailored Taste Personal Chef Service (see the Links page for her website) and a colleague of mine in Women Chefs and Restaurateurs. It is a wonderful dish any time of the year. As spring approaches and fresh mint begins to pop up in local gardens, try adding that optional ingredient for an additional bright flavor note.
For the Brine:
1 Tbsp Great Falls Lemon Ginger Green Tea – dry leaves
2 Tbsp kosher salt
3 Tbsp sugar
1 cup hot water – just off the boil
A few ice cubes plus cold water
2 Pork Tenderloins (approximately 2 pounds)
For the Rub:
1 Tbsp Great Falls Lemon Ginger Green Tea – dry leaves
1 tsp dried whole leaf thyme
Zest of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp fresh chopped mint (optional)
1 cup chicken stock
Directions:
To make Brine: Combine 1 Tbsp Great Falls Lemon Ginger Green Tea leaves, salt, and sugar in a two cup Pyrex measuring cup. Add the 1 cup of just boiled water. Stir to dissolve salt and sugar, then infuse for 5 minutes. Add a few ice cubes to cool the brine quickly, then add additional cold water to bring total brine amount to 2 cups.
Trim all fat and silver skin from the 2 pork tenderloins and place in a one gallon zip lock bag. Add the brine, zip closed and place on a platter or shallow pan in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours. Flip bag once or twice while brining. After brining, remove pork tenderloins to a flame proof roasting pan and discard the brine.
To make Rub: Place 1 Tbsp Great Falls Lemon Ginger Green Tea leaves and the thyme in a spice grinder and grind finely. Add this to the lemon zest (and mint, if using) and mix well. Rub this mixture all over the pork.
Roast in a preheated 375° oven 25 – 30 minutes. Using an instant-read meat thermometer, ensure that the pork reaches an internal temperature of 150°. Pork will be slightly pink in the middle. Remove from oven, transfer pork to a platter and tent with foil to rest 5-10 minutes to settle the juices in the meat. Place roasting pan on burner over medium heat, add chicken stock and stir, scraping up the small bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook for several minutes to reduce slightly and blend flavors.
To serve - slice pork and arrange on plate or platter. Nap with pan sauce or serve sauce on the side.
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Perfect Peach Tea Bread – Perfect for Gift Giving!
This traditional pound cake like recipe was developed in collaboration with Chef Bev Bates for publication in 2009’s Women Chefs and Restaurateurs Crowning Cuisine Calendar. It can be flavored many ways with premium tea leaves which add valuable antioxidants. For this recipe we’ve chosen a fragrant peach infused sencha so you can enjoy the fresh orchard taste of peaches all year long. Try the Fennel Chai for its winter spiciness, the Great Falls Grey if you love bergamot or whatever type of tea pleases your taste buds.
Sliced thin as is, this tea bread is wonderful any time of day. Dress it up by serving it with fresh or tea poached fruit, ice cream or classic anglaise. To bake in a bundt pan, just double the recipe. This tea bread holds well for several days and freezes beautifully.
4 oz soft butter
1 ½ cups (11oz) granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 2/3 cups (8oz) all purpose flour
2 - 3 tsp. dry tea leaves – finely ground (use spice grinder or mortar & pestle) of -
Great Falls Tea Garden Peachy Green Tea
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup (4oz) sour cream
* Grease and dust with flour, 1 standard loaf pan, or several small ones.
* Sift flour, ground dry tea, baking soda and salt together and set aside.
* Cream butter well, add sugar, beat till fluffy, scrape bottom and sides of bowl.
* Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
* Fold dry ingredients and sour cream into mixture and mix gently till smooth. Do not over mix as this can toughen the finished cake.
* Pour batter into prepared pan(s), bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 35 – 55 minutes, depending on size of pan(s) being used. Tea bread is done when golden on top, sides have come away from sides of pan slightly and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool about ten minutes before removing from pan to cooling rack. When completely cool wrap well. The texture is best when this tea bread is allowed to “set up” overnight. It seems to improve with age.
* Variations:
Lemon Ginger – Add 2- 3 tsp. of Great Falls Tea Garden’s Lemon/Ginger Green tea leaves (ground) to dry ingredients and the zest of 1 lemon to the creamed butter and sugar.
Chocolate Spice – Substitute 1/3 cup cocoa powder for 1/3 cup flour and add 2 - 3 tsp. of Fennel Chai (ground) to dry ingredients. Fold ½ cup chocolate chips into batter if desired.
Orange Vanilla Poppy Seed – Add 2 tsp. of Great Falls Tea Garden’s Creamy Orange tea leaves (ground) and 1 Tbsp. of poppy seeds to dry ingredients and zest of one small orange to the creamed butter and sugar.
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Summertime or anytime - these cocktails are always TEA-licious!
Moroccan Mint MoTEAto or Moroccan Mint MarTEAni
Brew some gunpowder green tea with a few mint leaves infused at the same time. (Avoid the thick stems of the mint as they can add a bit of unwanted bitterness.) Strain and chill.
Mix -
1 part rum
1 part frozen limeade concentrate (it can be defrosted, but not diluted)
2 parts Moroccan mint tea
2 parts lemon/lime flavor sparkling water
Mix well and taste. Adjust to your taste preference, if necessary
Pour over ice and garnish with mint leaves or
shake in cocktail shaker and pour into a martini glass, garnish with mint leaves and enjoy!!
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Genmai Vegetable Soup
Have you ever used brewed tea as a base for soup? It's convenient, easy and a perfect answer for vegetarians looking for a tasty but meat free stock. Use your imagination and culinary creativity to develop your own signature soup. But to get you started, here is one of my favorite combos -
6 cups brewed Japanese Genmai Tea
1 package fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
about 8 oz corn, frozen is fine
fresh baby spinach - about a 6oz bag
1 -2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 -2 tsp vinegar (I use rice wine vinegar but cider vinegar or other is fine)
a few grinds pepper (Szechwan, if you have it)
salt, if it needs it
Strain the tea before putting it in a stockpot, but save the leaves in case you want to add some at the end for interest. Keep your "tea stock" on a medium heat as you add the rest of the ingredients. (If you haven't already tried using your egg slicer to slice the mushrooms - try it. The slices come out nice and even.) Let everything heat through, taste and adjust seasonings and it's ready to serve!
You can add any veggie you like along with rice, or pasta, or beans and turn this simple soup into a filling, complete protein meal. You can also add shrimp, chicken, beef. pork, etc (unless, of course, you want to keep it vegetarian). Or you can keep it simple like this recipe and serve it as an Asian style soup.
Altering the tea and other ingredients can change the flavor dramatically. Have fun experimenting!
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Smoky Tea Spiced Pecans
For each pound of pecans (or other nuts of your choice) -
2 Tbsp Lapsang Souchong tea leaves (dry)
1/2 tsp smoked sea salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
6 Tbsp sugar
1 egg white
1 Tbsp water
Finely grind the dry tea leaves in a spice grinder. Once powdered the yield will be just over 1 Tbsp.
Mix ground tea leaves with all the other dry ingredients.
Whisk egg white in bowl until it looks like soap suds. Add the water. Whisk to incorporate. Add the dry ingredients to this mixture. Whisk well. Let rest for 15 minutes to allow the sugar to dissolve and the flavors to blend together.
Set oven temperature to 300°, line baking sheet with parchment paper.
When 15 minutes is up (do not wait longer than that or the mixture can separate) whisk mixture again briefly then pour over nuts. Coat as evenly as possible. Pour onto baking sheet. Put into preheated oven and immediately turn oven temperature down to 250°. Bake for about 1 hour.
To test doneness, remove a few nuts from oven and let cool 3-4 minutes. Taste to see if nut is crisp. If not, test every 5 minutes until desired texture is achieved. After removing tray from oven, let nuts cool completely before attempting to remove from sheet and break into pieces. Store in airtight container.
Variations - substitute any flavor tea and/or spices to suit your taste.
For Example -
Use Great Falls Peachy Green Tea, plain salt and omit the cayenne.
Use Great Falls Fennel Chai, plain salt, omit the cayenne but add ground cardamom.
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Great Falls Tea Garden Shortbread Cookies
2 Tbsp. Great Falls Tea Garden Fennel Chai, dry
2 oz. slivered almonds
1 cup flour
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
4 oz. unsalted butter, softened to cool room temp.
1/3 cup sugar
Finely grind the dry tea in a spice grinder.
Finely grind the almonds in a spice grinder or food processor. (Be careful not to overprocess or it will turn into almond butter.)
Combine ground tea, ground almonds, flour, baking powder and salt in bowl. Set aside.
In food processor, beat butter briefly. Add sugar and beat to mix well. Add dry ingredients and blend til just mixed and has somewhat formed a ball.
Turn out onto a piece of wax paper. Shape into a round to prepare for rolling.
Cover with another piece of wax paper and roll to desired thickness.
Cut into desired shape/s, place on baking sheet lined with parchment and bake in preheated 325° oven and bake 20 - 30 minutes, depending on size and thickness. Remove from oven. Let cool on baking sheet. Eat and enjoy!
Substitute your favorite flavor of tea and /or nuts in this recipe. You may also substitute ¼ cup cocoa powder for ¼ cup flour to make a chocolate chai or other chocolate flavored shortbread.
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Sweet Heat Green Tea Spice Rub
This dry rub that I make with green tea is available for sale at my classes. I most often use this on salmon but have also enjoyed it on grilled chicken, pork tenderloin and flank steak.
For appetizer salmon bites, cut the raw salmon filets into bite size cubes or pieces. Put them in a bowl and toss with one to two Tablespoons dry rub per pound of salmon. Place on a foil lined baking sheet and place in a preheated 425° oven for 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
To prepare a salmon filet - cut into serving size pieces ( 4 - 6 oz each), place on foil lined baking sheet, coat with the dry rub and bake at 425° 12 - 15 minutes until cooked to desired doneness. I prefer the salmon to be moist in the middle.
A whole salmon filet with the skin side left on, can be coated with the dry rub then grilled.
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