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.

Chai Tea Ice Cream – No Cook Recipe

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Chai Tea Ice Cream – Perfect for Summer

Chai Tea Ice Cream takes advantage of coconut cream for its fat content, making it super easy to make without having to turn on the cooktop. While we used Masala Chai Tea for this recipe, it can be replaced with other teas that play well with coconut. So feel free to play with the tea you use in this recipe until you find one you enjoy. Humans are not very good at tasting flavors when eating cold foods, so the focus is intensifying the tea flavor while balancing the fat and sugar content of the ice cream so it can come out smooth.

Chai Tea Ice Cream

3 Tablespoons of Masala Chai Tea (Feel free to substitute your favorite tea)

8 oz of water

1 package of Silken Tofu (Silken is critical for this recipe, if you use firm or extra firm you will get lumpy ice cream)

1/2 cup of coconut cream*

1/2 cup of brown rice syrup**

1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract

* You can find canned coconut cream in the Asian section of your grocery store. If they do not carry the coconut cream, get a can of coconut milk (skip the low fat version) and put it in the refrigerator over night. The cream will rise to the top of the can of coconut milk, allowing you to scoop it out. It is also recommended that you put the can of coconut cream in the refrigerator overnight as well to cool the contents and harden the fat. You will not use the entire can in this recipe but any thing left over can be used in all sorts of other recipes or drunk straight if you like coconut milk.

** Since this is a no-cook recipe, the sugar content needs to be in liquid form. I prefer the brown rice syrup over corn syrup, but you can use corn syrup or agave nectar here as a replacement.

Start by heating up your water to make the tea concentrate. Since we are using black tea here, we need to get the water to a boil, if you opt for another type of tea just follow the proper brewing instructions as if you were making a cup to drink. While the water heats up, take out your blender and put in the tofu, coconut cream, brown rice syrup and vanilla extract. Return to your boiling water and add the tea and allow to steep for 5 minutes. At the end of the 5 minutes, strain out the tea leaves and pour the tea concentrate into the blender. Next, run the blender until everything is blended together and smooth. You may need to stop the blender and scrap the sides to get all the brown rice syrup to properly mix in. Once the mixture is smooth, you will need to refrigerate it for at least 4 hours to get the temperature to drop enough for it to work properly in an ice cream machine. Once the mixture has cooled, follow the instructions on your ice cream machine and pour in the mixture and allow it to churn for the appropriate amount of time. It will come out with a soft serve consistence but will harden in the freezer. You will want to allow the ice cream to thaw for about 10 minutes to allow you to serve it easily.

Sweet Tea Recipe – An American Classic

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Popular throughout the American south, Sweet Tea can be a great way to beat the summer heat. Photo by liz west (Flickr) – CC BY 2.0 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/calliope/641462022/

Sweet tea has been around since the 1800’s in the United States. It has had many variations in a wide variety of cookbooks. Generally speaking it is tea, sugar and lemon. It is the ratio’s of those ingredients that provide this variety and allow this drink to become a family recipe. The big headache with sweet tea is getting the sugar to dissolve in the cold tea. The recipe below takes care of this by using a tea infused simple syrup.

Sweet Tea (1/2 gallon)

4 cups of water

4 tablespoons of loose tea (Originally this was green tea since that was what was available in the 1800s, but now it is usually black. English Breakfast or Irish Breakfast make a great base.)

1 lemon

1 cup of simple syrup

4-5 cups of ice

Start by making the simple syrup from the recipe below. You can use the same tea you are using for the base of the sweet tea or change it up to add a hint of something else. Moroccan Mint or Earl Grey with Lavender make interesting twists to the flavor of sweet tea. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add the tea. Allow to steep for 5 minutes if a black tea and 3 minutes for a green tea. While the tea is steeping. Take out a 1/2 gallon pitcher and fill half-way up with ice. If you have a larger pitcher, just add 4 mounded cups of ice. Then pour in the simple syrup over the ice. If your simple syrup just came off the stove, it will melt some of the ice. Add more ice to get your ice back up to half way up your pitcher. When your timer goes off, put a strainer on the top of the pitcher to catch the loose tea and pour the hot tea into the pitcher over the ice. You are using the ice partly as water and partly to cool this down quickly to ice tea.

You can slice the lemon and add it to the pitcher. It will cloud the tea, but I find that it cuts the sweetness nicely. (Sorry I love my tea straight up.) Or you put the lemon in the glass and pour the tea over it.

The ratio of simple of syrup to tea used above is borrowed from older recipes, but what you generally find is that it is a personal preference so feel free to adjust accordingly.

Tea Infused Simple Syrup

1 cup water

1 cup of sugar

1 tsp of tea

Simple syrup for sweet tea simmering on the stove.

Preparing simple syrup for sweet tea.

On the stove top, put 1 cup of sugar into 1 cup of water in a sauce pan and hit over medium-high to high heat to get to boil. It is recommended that your stir, it will not take long for the sugar to dissolve into the warming water. As soon as bubbles start to appear, put in the tea and set a timer for 5 minutes. It is easiest if you stir for the next 5 minutes, you will want the water at a low rolling boil. Once it is there drop the temperature so you do not turn your simple syrup into a caramel sauce. At the end of the 5 minutes, remove from the heat and strain out the tea. Simple syrup can be made in larger batches and kept in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks, so feel free to make a large batch so you have them at your disposal anytime (It works nicely in tea infused cocktails).

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Chocolate Mint Tea Popsicles

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Chocolate Mint Pop

We love cooking with our tea and who doesn’t love a popsicle to cool down on a hot summer day? These tea popsicles are a great way to cool down and enjoy your favorite beverage and better still are made with our Chocolate Mint rooibos tea so they are a caffeine free, kid friendly, option.

Chocolate Mint Tea Popsicles (Makes 6)

3 Tablespoons of Chocolate Mint Tea

2 cups water

1 cup whole milk (You can use a lowfat milk, it will make the popsicles more icy and less creamy.)

3 teaspoons agave nectar

3 teaspoons tsp vanilla

Chocolate chips, optional

Bring the water to a boil and steep the tea in the water for 7 minutes. Strain off the tea and allow to cool. Whisk together the tea, milk agave nectar and vanilla. If the mixture is at room temperature, the popsicles will freeze faster if you put the mixture in the refrigerator for a few hours to cool down. Then pour the mixture into your popsicle molds and freeze per manufacturers instructions. If you want to use the chocolate chips the trick is to wet the bottom of the chips with a little bit of the popsicle mixture and stick them to the sides of the mold. If that doesn’t work, you can drop them in after pouring in most of the mixture. However, they will sink to what will become the top of the popsicle. If you used the tried and true paper cup and tongue depressor method, you will need about 4 hours for these to freeze, but the safer bet is over night.

The Chocolate Mint rooibos tea can be replaced easily with South Africian Chai, Masala Chai or Chocolate Chai in this recipe to spice it up even more.

Earl Lavender Tea Muffins

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Mug of tea and three muffins drizzled in earl lavender glaze.

Earl Lavender Muffins — fresh from the oven with tea.

Earl Lavender tea muffins are easy to make and a tasty breakfast treat. I have prepared these in miniature muffin tins but they can be done in a full sized one, just add about 7-10 minutes to the cooking time on these muffins. If you do not have Earl Grey with Lavender tea, don’t sweat it. It works just as well with your favorite black tea.

Earl Lavender Tea Muffins

Prepares 12 muffins in a regular sized pan & 24 in a miniature pan

1 1/2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons of Earl Grey with Lavender tea
16 ounces of water
1 stick of butter
1 2/3 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Optional: 1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers, chopped

Earl Grey with Lavender Glaze

1/2 cup of confectioners sugar
2 Tablespoons of brewed Earl Grey with Lavender (You may want additional if you want a thinner glaze on the muffins)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Next, you will need to melt the butter with 2 tsp of the Earl Grey with Lavender tea in it. Start by putting the stick of butter in a pan with the tea.

Bring the 16 oz of water to a boil and put in the tablespoon and half of the Earl Grey with Lavender tea. Allow to steep for 5 minutes and strain off the tea. You will need to reserve 8 ounces for the recipe and possibly as much as 1/4 cup for the icing. So the remaining 3/4 cup is for you to enjoy while you cook.

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, salt, and baking powder.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg and slowly add the sugar making sure to incorporate the sugar fully into the egg. Then mix in the vanilla extract. Pour the cooled butter through a strainer, to remove the tea leaves, into the bowl and stir until combined. Then pour in the cooled cup of Earl Grey with Lavender tea and stir. Next pour the wet ingredients into the bowl full of flour. Mix until fully combined.

Next pour the batter into the muffin tins just shy of the top of the tin.

When using a miniature muffin pan, cook for 20-25 minutes and test the center of the muffin with a tooth pick before removing. For a full size muffin tin, start with 30 minutes but you may need as long as 40 minutes to make sure they are done.

Fresh Glazed Earl Lavender Muffins

While the muffins are cooking, it is time to make your glaze. In a bowl, put the half cup of confectioners sugar and pour in the first tablespoon of tea and stir. Then pour in the second tablespoon of tea and stir completely to make sure there are no clumps of sugar. If you end up with clumps, use a fork to break them apart. If you would like a thinner batter, add additional tea 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach the consistency you want.

When the muffins are done, allow them to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then remove. To glaze, put the muffins on top of a cooling rack on wax paper. Brush the glaze over the top of the muffins. The glaze will drip off, which is why you want the wax paper below the cooling rack. It will take a few minutes for the glaze to set. The muffins are then ready to serve. They can also be put in the refrigerator and will be good for about 4 days.

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3 Tea Cocktails for Spring

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Hibiscus Isle Margarita

Longer days mean dinner outside and provides the opportunity to create some tea cocktails with a spring flare. Each recipe provides a fun way to mix your tea addiction with a bit of evening fun.

Hibiscus Isle Margarita (Serves 4)

16 ounces of brewed Hibiscus Isle tea
4 oz tequila
Juice from a lime
1 tablespoon Agave Nectar

To brew the tea, use 1 tablespoon of the Hibiscus Isle tea and steep in water at 185 degrees for 3 minutes. Strain off the leaves and refrigerate the tea to cool it down. If you do not have time to allow to cool in the refrigerator, brew the same 1 tablespoon in 8 ounces of water at 185 degrees for 3 minutes and then strain out the tea leaves pouring the tea over 1 cup of mounded ice. The ice will melt, getting you the full 16 ounces of tea and the tea will be cold. In a pitcher combine the tea, tequila, line and agave nectar and stir. Serve over ice.

Adirondack Beer Cooler (Serves 3)

12 ounces of brewed Adirondack Berries Tea
12 ounces of your favorite IPA beer (this can be substituted with a malty black tea like Yunnan Sunrise or Colonial Breakfast)
Juice from 3/4 of a lemon
3 tsp of Agave Nectar

To brew the tea, put 2 tsp of the Adirondack Berries tea into 12 ounces of boiling water and allow to steep for 5 minutes and strain off the tea. Put in the refrigerator to cool. If you do not have time to cool in the refrigerator, brew the 2 teaspoons of tea in 6 ounces or 2/3 cup of boiling water and then strain out the tea over a mounded 1/2 cup of ice. This will cause the ice to melt and cool the tea down immediately.

In a pitcher, pour in the tea, and then add the remaining ingredients and stir. Assuming the beer and tea where both cold, you will not need ice cubes.

Darjeeling Gin (Serves 4)

3 grams (2 teaspoons) of 2nd Flush Darjeeling, Makabari Estate
8 oz of dry Gin
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
3 tsp Agave Nectar

Pour the gin into a container with a lid. Put the tea directly into the gin and put the lid on the container. You can leave the container out on the counter or put it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, but it gets stronger if you allow it to go over night before removing the tea leaves. In a pitcher, mix together the gin, lemon juice and Agave Nectar and stir. This is a perfect drink to use the tea ice cubes with (Link).

There are plenty of other teas that can be substituted in these recipes, so feel free to play and enjoy.