Last year, we bought our first house, and excitedly moved in on the Ides of March. The inside of the house was absolutely beautiful, with a brand new kitchen that we were the first to use, beautiful hardwood floors, new carpets. The backyard, however, was another story. Holly trees on the side of the house had grown up so much that a fugitive car thief ran through them and smack into the house that hadn't noticed. The Weber grill that conveyed with the house had a tree growing up through the middle. But we had a vision of a backyard retreat, and slowly, it came to pass. While still in progress, this year's birthday brought with it a beautiful brick patio, finished just in time for my birthday dinner.
Being a wonderful cook and a good husband, Mr. Tea Scoop recreated the wildly successful Valentine's Day Tea Dinner. This time, dinner was accompanied by Mighty Leaf's Red Tea Sangrias.
The Menu
Chinese Tea Eggs
Green Tea Poached Chicken
Green Tea Pasta Salad
Jasmine Creme Brulee
Red Tea Sangrias
Dinner was once again, quite successful, this time shared with good friends. The Sangria made a great summer accompaniment to the meal.We made it with Riesling, and I think next time I might go with a Chardonnay to cut the sweetness a bit, and cut back on the sugar in the recipe. All in all though, it was quite refreshing and festive, great for an early August in Virginia.
Unfortunately, it was dark by the time we started brulee-ing our cremes, but it was quite a hit with our guests, all of whom wanted a turn with the blow torch.
Here is a picture of the eggs before we shelled them. The cracked shells create a beautiful pattern when the eggs are steeped in tea.
This is the pasta salad, prepared with fresh basil from the garden. Once again, we used Sencha to cook with, both for the chicken and the pasta.
Here you can see what the eggs look like with shells removed, as well as our green-tea poached chicken. All in all, the birthday could not have been any better.
