The Tea Scoop

9 Things You Should Unlearn About Tea

The Chicago Tribune published an article on nine tea myths and the increased popularity of tea in America.  Some we have discussed on this blog, such as the idea that only infusions made with the camellia sinesis plant are actually tea, and all others are herbal tisanes or infusions.  Some of the myths address the debates about tea and health.

My favorite myth? Restaurants know how to serve tea.  That one made me giggle a little bit.  

Go on. Take a peek.  See what you might need to unlearn. 

Teaism

So the Art Teacher at my school has been recommending that I visit Teaism in D.C. and in fact, I had been planning on making a visit there for awhile myself.  So, when last weekend brought sunshine and warm weather, I thought nothing would be more fun that a visit to the city with a stop at Teaism and a visit to the newly renovated American History Museum.  

As excited as I was to immerse myself in history, part of me was itching to satisfy my tea addiction, so after a few hours in the museum, we wandered over the the Teaism location closes to the National Archives Metro stop.  Stepping in, I admired the tea menu while Dear Husband examined the list of five specialty beers.  Ladies, if you are looking for a place to go to tea with your man, this is it.  There are no lacy doilies, but they do have a mean bison burger and beer.  They also have quite a selection of Asian-influenced cuisine, as well as traditional afternoon tea far such as scones.  I deliberated over the menu for quite awhile before going with a handrolled Bento box and a jasmine creme brulee.  To accompany my meal, I requested Golden Monkey.  My bento box came with the lid on, as did the tea, and I excitedly carried my tray downstairs and past the koi pond to find an empty table.  

Yes. Koi pond.

I opened up my bento box, and found a large stack of nori (seaweed sheets), a pile of sticky rice, and some marinated salmon.  So, apparently hand-rolled meant hand-rolled by me.  Luckily, I had forayed into sushi making before, and was not intimidated although I am far from a master.  Unfortunately, the salmon was extremely disappointing, tasting rather fishier than salmon should be. As in, not quite as fresh as I would like.  So, I ended up making plain rice rolls, a very sticky business.  

The tea was oversteeped, and so too tannic for me to taste any real subtlety.  This could perhaps be because the shop was extremely busy, but I would have liked for them to have taken more care.  They also neglected to give me a spoon for my creme brulee and various utensil dispensers were empty of spoons. It took me awhile to track one down, but it was worth it.

The jasmine creme brulee was delicious.  If I had not been in public, I would have been tempted to lick the bowl. As it was, I could hardly help myself.  At first bite, it was just your average vanilla creme brulee (still one of my favorite desserts since I discovered it during my Amelie phase).  Then the jasmine flavor slowly bloomed on my tongue, flirtatious little thing.  If Dear Husband hadn't learned to make it, I would be tempted to return often just for that taste.

After lunch, I was excited to go next door and check out the teawares.  The proprietor was on the phone, hopefully with a vendor, and neglected to greet us or acknowledge us until we were ready to walk out the door.  I was disappointed to see mostly the same merchandise offered at Teavana, at similar prices.  I would have been interested in examining some of the teas more closely if the service had been better, but alas.  

I have heard such good things about Teaism that I don't quite want to give up on them, so I plan on making visits to the other two locations with hopes of redemption, and perhaps ordering something different.  As well as the creme brulee.

Bon Appetea!

As promised, I am reporting on my Valentine's tea themed dinner.  

Menu

Tea Eggs

Green Tea Chicken

Whole Grain Penne with Green Tea

Spiced Jasmine Creme Brulee

Dinner was absolutely delicious.  I'd had tea eggs before, so I was prepared for the light flavor of the tea.  They were a treat well revisited.  The chicken was incredibly moist and tender, but it was the pasta that was the real star of the dinner plate.  The flavor just popped, weaving in and out with balsamic here, Sencha there...mmm. Just writing about it makes me want to go downstairs for leftovers.  

The jasmine creme brulee was inspired by my favorite part of a recent visit to Teaism.  Aside from pleasing me, it gave the husband a good excuse to go pick up that culinary blow torch he's been wanting for ages (that was part of our Valentine's day date).  The jasmine lent a barely kissed flavor to its dish, giving the custard something a little extra above vanilla.  

And our house still smells like tea.

The Recipes

Tea Eggs

6-12 eggs

4 cups water

6 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce (Dear Husband left this out, and I think benefited for it.)

3 tablespoons pu-erh tea (He used Rishi's Ginger Pu-erh)

1 star anise (look at international markets for a great price)

3 cloves

1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder (he also omitted this, and I did not miss it from my previous experimentation.  I think the star anise was able to shine more)

1 teaspoon sugar

Add 4 cups of water to a medium pot and add eggs, making sure they are covered.  Bring the water to a boil and let boil for about 10 minutes.  

Take the eggs out of the hot water and rinse them with cold water. Gently tap the eggshell with the back of a spoon to crack it. Return the eggs to the water and add in the remaining ingredients.  Bring the tea mixture to a boil and turn the heat to low. Allow to simmer for at least two hours, adding more water if needed. 

Green Tea Chicken (from Gary Hess on Yumtio)

Iced green tea (he used Sencha)

Chicken breast, sliced in half

Pinch of pepper

In a skillet, place the chicken and pour tea over it until the bottom of the pan is covered and barely over the chicken. 

Sprinkle a pinch of pepper around the chicken. 

Place the lid on the skillet and let simmer at medium heat until the bottom of the chicken is no longer pink and turn, simmering until no longer pink. 

Whole-Grain Penne with Green Tea

(Adapted from Shape's Whole-Grain Penne with Broccoli and Kale recipe)

6 green tea bags (he used 6 teaspoons of Sencha)

2 1/2 cups dry multigrain or whole grain penne

2 cups small broccoli florets

1 1/2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes

3/4 cup part-skim ricotta

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup julienned fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1/2 teasopon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan.  Add the tea and turn off heat to let steep for five minutes. Discard the leaves.  Bring the tea to a boil, add pasta and cook according to the package directions, adding broccoli during the last 3 minutes of cooking.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine tomatoes, ricotta, oil, vinegar, and garlic, mixing well.  Drain pasta and broccoli then add to bowl and toss well.  Top with basil and cheese, sprinkling with salt and pepper. Serves four. 

Spiced Jasmine Creme Brulee (from Cooking.com)

2 1/4 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup sugar

2 jasmine tea bags (he used two teaspoons of loose jasmine tea)

1 whole star anise

1/2 cinnamon stick

1/2 vanilla bean (he substituted a capful of vanilla extract)

5 large egg yolks

8 teaspoons superfine sugar  (we experimented with raw sugar as well, but put too much on and it didn't melt as well as we would have liked.)

Place cream, sugar, tea, anise, vanilla and cinnamon in a heavy medium saucepan.  Simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat, then cover and steep for half an hour.  Preheat oven to 235 degrees.  Pour cream mixture through a strainer, pressing gently on solids. Return cream mixture to saucepan and bring to a simmer. 

Beat egg yolks in a 4 cup glass measuring cup until smooth. Gradually whisk in hot cream mixture.  Divide among six 6-ounce ramekins or souffle cups. Place cups in a large baking pan, then pour in enough water to come half way up sides of cups.  

Bake until just edges are set and 90% of custard jiggles but is not too fluid, about 45 minutes.  Remove from water and let come to room temperature.  Cover and refrigerate at least 5 hours of overnight. 

Sprinkle 2 teaspoons superfine sugar evenly over each custard.  Use torch to melt and caramelize sugar or broil 2 minutes, watching carefully and rotating cups. Let stand until sugar hardens or chill for 15 minutes to 2 hours.  

Bon Appetea!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day is a tricky subject. People either love it or hate it, and it's not always dependent on what their Facebook Relationship Status says.  I fall in the love it category, but I don't expect my husband to take me out for an expensive dinner and bring me a dozen roses.  He doesn't have to support Hallmark in any way shape or form.  I just think it's a great day to show a little extra appreciation and take a break from our every day lives to focus on why we are together. Valentine's celebrations should be personal to your relationship and not what a greeting card company dictates.  Last year, we went hiking and had a picnic on the rocks at Great Falls National Park and then he made me dinner.  

This year, food is once again the theme of the day. My first surprise was my favorite breakfast: sour cherry pancakes.  Today they were shaped like hearts.  As soon as I found out what we were having, I dashed into my sample box, knowing it was the perfect time to try Kalahari's Cherry Vanilla Chocolatte Red Tea. I was hoping for something like a chocolate covered cherry from the name, and thought it would be perfect for a Valentine's Day breakfast featuring cherries.  

In addition to rooibos, this tea includes cinnamon, licorice, cardamom, chicory, ginger, cloves, dark roasted cacao, vanilla, and natural cherry flavor.  When steeped, the chocolate flavor dominated the aroma, but with a spiciness that indicated the other flavors waiting inside.  A chocolate-covered cherry this was not. The cherry flavor, last on the list of ingredients, was barely there at all.  The cacao was overwhelmed by the long list of spices.  Don't discount this tea yet, for it was still incredibly delicious.  Rooibos takes well to almost any flavoring, and the spices were no exception. This was a spicy, complex tea that was full-bodied enough for breakfast.  But since it's caffeine free, it would also taste great with dessert, especially a chocolate dessert.  

My Valentine's Day is not quite over, however.  I'm not sure what is going to be next on the menu. I only know that ingredients are going to include Sencha green tea, Rishi's Ginger Pu-Erh, and jasmine tea.  There are going to be four tea-infused foods on the table tonight, including dessert.  Clearly, this man knows how to please me.  I am quite excited and will report back soon with reviews and recipes!