Category Archives: Cooking with Tea

Cooking with loose tea provides many ways to incorporate the taste and aroma of tea and tisanes into your cooking. From seasoning to ice cream and cocktails.

5 Additions to Iced Tea

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Last week, we talked about how to brew up simple syrup, which is a wonderful (and easy!) way to add sweetness and flavor to your iced teas. But syrups alone aren’t the only way to jazz up an iced tea. Throughout June, we’ve been experimenting with fun flavor combinations for our favorite teas, and we’ve put together a list of our top five things to try. The best part? They’re no-fuss and easily accessible – some of them might be in your garden right now.

Try a different citrus! Iced black tea and lemon is a classic combination, but other citrus fruits are a great way to add a zesty brightness and tartness to your tea. Try pairing Nilgiri or other black teas with fresh orange slices, or add a few dashes of lime juice to Coconut Oolong for a beautifully tropical combination.

Mint is a must-have for food and beverage recipes alike, and with good reason! This hardy herb is easily grown in the backyard and can’t be beat for its refreshing, cooling flavor. Try adding a few sprigs to your favorite fruit teas – we especially love pairing mint with our Georgia’s Peach and Pear Raspberry Green. For an additional boost of flavor, try muddling a few leaves at the bottom of your glass before adding tea.

Lavender makes a sweet and soothing addition to many teas, with its heavenly aromas and calming properties. We especially love it with our Strawberry Oolong. As always, when harvesting flowers and herbs yourself, take care to ensure that the plants are grown free of any pesticides or other chemicals.

Fresh lemongrass has a flavor profile very similar to many citrus fruits, but with less tartness and a subtle ginger spiciness. Add a few stalks to Japanese Sencha or Vietnamese Green to add a herbal complexity to these fresh green tea flavors.

Basil is a culinary heavyweight with a lot of versatility – a little sweet, a little savory, with a wonderful minty freshness and peppery finish. Try adding a few bruised leaves to our New World Vanilla for a sweet, rich, and earthy experience, or, if you’re feeling adventurous, to Earl Grey to bring out the bergamot’s bright pepper notes.

We hope that these ideas inspire you to try out some flavor combinations of your own! Start small with your additions, as a little bit of flavor can go a long way, and don’t be afraid to get creative and experiment. You never know what unexpected flavor combinations might surprise you.

By: Jen Coate

Simple Syrups for Iced Tea

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Have you ever experimented with simple syrup? Although most widely used in the world of cocktails, simple syrup is an easy way to add flavor to your iced tea without relying on expensive artificial sweeteners. Because the sugar is completely liquefied during cooking, it is perfect for mixing with cold beverages, and there are limitless ways to customize it. Here are a few of our favorite recipes to make your own simple and flavored syrups at home.

Simple Syrup

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

In a saucepan on the stovetop, combine water and sugar and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low, stirring gently until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and pour into a heat-resistant container. Cover and store in fridge for up to two weeks.

Mint Syrup

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

5-6 sprigs fresh mint leaves

Combine water, sugar, and mint sprigs in a saucepan on the stovetop and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring gently until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and allow mint to infuse for thirty minutes or longer, tasting for preference, then strain. Try with our Lemon Drop or Betsy Ross White Tea.

Peppery Ginger Syrup

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 knob of ginger (approx. 6”)

1 ½ tsp whole black peppercorns

Peel ginger and slice finely; combine in saucepan on the stovetop with water, sugar, and peppercorns. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, stirring gently until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and allow pepper and ginger to infuse in refrigerator overnight before straining. Try with our Georgia’s Peach Tea or Strawberry Oolong Tea.

Rose Syrup

½ cup water

½ cup rose water

1 cup sugar

Combine water, rose water, and sugar in a saucepan on the stovetop and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, stirring gently until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and pour into a heat-resistant container. Try with our Moroccan Mint or Japanese Sencha Green Tea.

Earl Grey Tea Cake

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It is an adventure to cook with tea because sometimes you just don’t know what you will get or if the person making the recipe understands how to use loose leaf tea well . Below is a recipe by Samantha Seneviratne that ran recently in the The New York Times Cooking section. One of the Dominion Tea staff, Anngelica Soto, took on this recipe and has included in her notes on how to use the tea better and what she learned in the process

Ingredients

For Frosting:

¾ cup/180 milliliters heavy cream

2 teaspoons loose Earl Grey tea

¼ cup/30 grams confectioners’ sugar

For Cake:

½ cup/115 grams mascarpone or softened cream cheese

½ cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan

1 ½ cups/190 grams all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon loose leaf Earl Grey tea (I recommend you put through a grinder to turn into powder, the tea leaves are big and chewy.)

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup/200 grams granulated sugar

2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest (from 1 large orange) (Feel free to substitute a Blood Orange- very aromatic)

2 large eggs, at room temperature

½ cup/120 milliliters whole milk, at room temperature

¼ cup/45 grams chopped dark chocolate (70% added a good depth of flavor)

Steps to Prepare Cake

Prepare the frosting: In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup/120 milliliters heavy cream to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in the tea, remove from the heat, cover and let stand for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Strain the tea through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the solids, and chill the remaining cream until completely cold, at least 1 hour.
Prepare the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, tea, baking powder and salt.
In large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the orange zest and beat to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the flour mixture on low, until just combined, then beat in the milk. (Don’t overmix.) Add the chocolate and fold it in using a spatula. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake just until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Then tip the cake out onto the rack to cool completely.
To finish the frosting, add the remaining 1/4 cup/60 milliliters cream and the confectioners’ sugar to the tea cream. With an electric mixer on medium, beat the cream mixture until medium-stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mascarpone and beat just until stiff peaks form. (Do not overmix.) Top the cake with the frosting to serve. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days; let come to room temperature before serving.

This is a great recipe that I plan on making again.

By: Anngelica Soto

Hojicha Latte

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Hojicha Latte

Have you ever tried a hojicha latte? This roasted Japanese green tea boasts a nutty, lightly caramel flavor, which pairs beautifully with the creamy richness of steamed milk. Due to the roasting process, hojicha is also very low in caffeine – perfect for curling up with a book and blanket on a chilly winter night.

Hojicha Latte Ingredients:

2-3 tablespoons loose-leaf hojicha

6 oz water

½ teaspoon brown sugar

6 oz whole milk or milk substitute

3-4 dashes vanilla extract

Ground nutmeg (optional)

Preparing Your Hojicha Latte

Heat water to 175º F, then pour over hojicha leaves and allow to steep for seven minutes. Strain and discard used leaves.
In a separate vessel, combine milk, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Heat on stovetop or in microwave until milk is starting to steam.
Froth milk using a frother or handheld whisk until surface is light and foamy. Alternatively, pour heated milk into a screw-top jar, seal lid, and shake vigorously until preferred consistency is reached.
Pour frothed milk over steeped hojicha. Top with ground nutmeg.

By: Jen Coate

Holiday Cookies with Tea: Maple Chai Cookies & White Chocolate Frosted Matcha Cookies

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Holiday season is upon us! With Thanksgiving just around the corner and holiday parties not far behind, we thought we’d share a couple of our favorite recipes for cookies that are made with tea. These treats are a delightful way to show off your love of tea to friends and family – or maybe try out a new flavor for yourself! We find that maple chai cookies offers a wonderful contrast to darker, smoky teas like Dominion Caravan, while the matcha cookies pair excellently with Japanese greens like Shincha.

Maple Chai Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup real maple syrup (Grade B syrup will give you a darker, richer flavor. We sourced ours from a local producer, Vale of the Blue Ridge Maple)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons maple chai tea

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease baking sheets or line with silicone baking mat.
Grind maple chai tea to a fine powder in a spice grinder or food processer and sift out any remaining large particles.
In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together. Add egg, syrup, and vanilla. Mix until blended.
Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and powdered chai. Stir into wet mixture until well combined.
Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop, form dough into 1-inch balls. Place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart and flatten slightly.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool on wire rack.

Matcha Cookies with White Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons matcha
1 large egg
1½ cup bleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1-2 cups white chocolate pieces or chips, as needed
Red sprinkles or decorative sugar

In a small bowl, sift matcha until smooth and free of clumps.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together softened butter, sugar, and matcha about three minutes until smooth. Add egg and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed throughout.
In a separate bowl, whisk or sift together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Add dry mixture to wet and mix until a uniform dough forms, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
Cover dough and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease baking sheets or line with silicone baking mat.
Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop, form dough into 1-inch balls. Place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart and flatten slightly.
Bake 13-15 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are set, but not brown. Rest on baking sheet for 3-5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Melt white chocolate in a double boiler, then generously dollop over each cookie, smoothing with the back of a spoon. Top with sprinkles or decorative sugar as desired.

By Jen Coate