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Quick Tip for Rubs

The season for adding a little rub to some meat and then grilling it for a tasty barbecued dinner is gone, mostly. But that doesn't mean those yummy savory Steeped Tea rubs have to hide in the back of the spice shelf until next spring.

Use them to flavour any meats you are preparing for roasts. And why not add them to meats you are browning too? I was making a crockpot chili yesterday. While I browned the ground turkey meat in the frying pan, I added a couple of teaspoons of the Smoky Tea-aki rub (thanks, Kim, for the sample!) It added a delicious aroma and flavour to the meat that complemented the rest of the chili ingredients.

So get a little adventurous with your rubs - they aren't just for barbecues!

You can find the rubs on page 27 of the catalogue or online here.

It's a Green Christmas!

Well, the weather outside has not been frightful here in Ontario, and it could very well be a green Christmas this year.

I know regardless what the weather does, it will be a green Christmas for me as I enjoy some wonderful Steeped Tea green teas this month!

I placed an order recently (it arrived as I prepared this post - how cool is that?) and I am looking forward to restocking a favourite green tea, Snow Cap, as well as the classic standby Japanese Sencha. That's the Snow Cap in the picture - isn't it gorgeous?

I'm also going to be trying a blended green/rooibos when Holiday Treat arrives. This tea also incorporates the tastes of caramel, coconut and vanilla. Dessert in a cup! In fact, I bet you could add a bit of this tea to whipping cream as you are making whipped cream and it would be just dreamy!

 What teas are you looking forward to savouring over the Christmas season?

I'll leave you with a song about a green Christmas. This is a live performance a few years ago - Green Christmas by the Barenaked Ladies. (Canadian tea company, Canadian band, Canadian performance site.)

Gingerbread-Brandy Trifle recipe

The Christmas season is often a season for lovely, rich desserts, like trifle.

These are a feast for the eyes and the lavishness of them are well-suited for seasonal gatherings. This recipe was found at the finecooking website and it marries layers of gingerbread cake, chopped crystallized ginger, and a creamy filling spiked with brandy, sparkling wine, and black tea.

For the cake
3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened; more for the pan
6-3/4 oz. (1-1/2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour 
1-1/2 tsp. ground ginger  
1 tsp. baking soda 
1/2 tsp. kosher salt 
1/4 tsp. ground allspice 
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon 
Pinch finely ground white pepper 
3/4 cup granulated sugar 
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest 
2 large eggs, at room temperature 
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses 
1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature 

For the ginger-tea syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
1 4-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped (1/2 cup)  
1 tsp black tea, such as English or Irish breakfast 
2 Tbs. brandy, such as Cognac 

For the filling
2/3 cup sparkling wine, such as Asti Spumante
8 large egg yolks  
6 Tbs. granulated sugar 
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract  
8 oz. mascarpone, at room temperature 

For assembly
6 Tbs. coarsely chopped candied ginger 

Make the cake

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9x13-inch baking pan and line the bottom with parchment. 

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, ginger, baking soda, salt, allspice, cinnamon, and white pepper. 

Beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer), on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the molasses. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Add half of the milk and mix to combine. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and milk. 

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake until the center of the cake bounces back when lightly pressed and a cake tester comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes; then carefully invert the cake onto the rack and let it cool completely.

Make the ginger-tea syrup

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and ginger with 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain the syrup through a fine sieve set over a small bowl, pressing on the ginger to extract all of the syrup. Add the tea leaves to the hot syrup and cool completely. Remove the infuser and add the brandy. 

Make the filling

Pour 2 to 3 inches of water into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. In a medium stainless-steel bowl, whisk the sparkling wine, egg yolks, sugar, and 2 Tbs. of the ginger syrup. 

Set the bowl over the simmering water, making sure the bottom doesn’t touch the water. Whisk constantly until you can see the bottom of the bowl when you scrape the whisk across it, and the mixture is the consistency of pudding, about 8 minutes. Immediately remove from the heat and whisk frequently until cool. 

Meanwhile, beat the heavy cream in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer on medium high speed until it just starts to thicken. With the mixer still running, add the vanilla and 1 Tbs. of the ginger syrup. Continue beating until medium peaks form, about 2 minutes. 

Whisk the mascarpone into the cooled egg mixture. With a spatula, gently fold the egg mixture into the whipped cream. 

Assemble the trifle

Cut the cake into 1-inch cubes. Spoon a rounded cup of the filling into the bottom of a 7-1/2-inch-diameter, 14-cup (or similar) trifle dish. Arrange a third of the cake on top of the filling in an even layer. Drizzle 1/4 cup of the ginger syrup over the cake. Scatter 1 Tbs. of the candied ginger over the cake. 

Repeat this layering 2 more times. Spoon the remaining filling over the final layer and smooth with the spoon. Sprinkle the remaining 3 Tbs. candied ginger over the top.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least a day.

Serve

Remove the trifle from the refrigerator 1 to 2 hours prior to serving. Use a large spoon to scoop servings into individual dishes.

Make Ahead Tips

The syrup may be made up to 3 days before assembly; cover and refrigerate. You can also bake the cake up uo 2 days before; once cooled, wrap it well in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature. In fact, the entire trifle can be assembled up to 2 days ahead; keep it well wrapped and refrigerated.

photo: Scott Phillips

From Fine Cooking 114 , pp. 50-51

October 27, 2011

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If you love tea recipes, you need to be visiting the Steeped Tea facebook page, where Tonia has been posting delicious beverage and food recipes using Steeped Tea!

Tea Spiced Pecans

These will add a festive touch to your seasonal gatherings this Christmas, and offer a healthy alternative to the rich foods that often grace the table this time of year. The recipe comes from the Mele Cotte website, and you could use any Steeped Fine loose tea you're presently favouring.

 

Tea Spiced Pecans

1 lb pecans
¼ cup raw sugar (regular, granular sugar would work)
2 Tbsp. loose tea (or preferred flavor/blend) - how about Strawberry Shortcake or Raspberry Cream
½ tsp fine sea salt
1 egg white
1 Tbsp water

Preheat oven to 325°F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place the pecans in a large bowl; set aside.

In a spice grinder, finely grind the sugar, tea and salt. Transfer the powder to an airtight container and set aside. (You will have more than you need for this recipe.)

In a small bowl, whisk egg white and water until combined and foamy. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until incorporated. Let stand for 10 minutes.

After the wait time, the sugar should have (mostly) dissolved. Stir again, and then pour over nuts. Toss to coat, stirring several times to glaze pecans. Transfer to baking sheet, in an even layer, and bake for about 35-45 minutes, or until crisp.  (To test, remove a few nuts from oven and let cool 3-4 minutes before tasting.) Store in airtight container. Yield: about 8 servings

Cook’s  Notes:
This will work with any flavor tea or spice.
Pecans can be substituted with other nuts of choice.
Cooking time may vary according to climate and crunch preference.

 Why not give it a try, and let us know what tea and nut combination you create!

End of Month Round Up!

It's the last day of October, and besides it being Halloween, it's also the last day of the terrifically spooktacular offers put on by Steeped Tea just for this month. Brew in the mugs, Shanghai presses, Pumpkin Pie Chai, red teapot infusers - all these are available through special offers, but the offers end TODAY! Get in touch with your consultant now to take full advantage! And tune in tomorrow for November's offers.

Did you know that tea consumption is constantly on the increase? Steeped Tea offers an amazing opportunity for everyone. Whether you are looking for a little extra money each month or a full-time income, Steeped Tea has everything you need to become a successful entrepreneur. Join our opportunity webinar November 3rd from 8 pm to 9 pm EST, to find out why everyone is talking about Steeped Tea! Click here to join the webinar.

If you are escorting your little trick or treaters through the neighbourhood tonight, why not take a travel mug to stay warm. Steeped Tea founder Tonia Jahshan is putting a concoction of Mulled Spice tea steeped with hot apple cider in her travel mug. Why don't you try it too, to stay warm?

Humourous Tea Ad from South Africa

Do you need a little bit of humour this morning? Enjoy a giggle courtesy of this South African tea company and their ad:

 

A Consultant's Open House

Every Steeped Tea consultant probably approaches her business slightly differently, putting her own touch on things - after all, she's an independent representative, working for herself, but not by herself.

Recently, one of Steeped's consultants held an open house for her customers and hostesses and featured a lot of great Steeped Tea products used in innovative ways:

 

This drink table featured Spiked Iced Tea, Berry Sangria, Fiery Chili Hot Chocolate (NEW!!!), and a flowering tea ball (these are about great taste and beautiful presentation - a real wow!).

In addition to lovely beverages to sample, Kelly went all out with the nibblies, too:

 
She marinated 4 kinds of meat in different Steeped Tea rubs to create a Sweet and Spicy Chai Chicken, Smoky Tea-ki Pork Chops, Steeped Herbes de Provence Chicken, and Smoky Tea-ki Barbecue Sauced Pork Chops.

 
With the meat cooked and sliced into bite size pieces, the plates were placed on a buffet with some other yummy sounding Steeped Tea inspired dishes - Fruit Tea muffins and Toffee Crunch muffins, 4 different dips and things to dip, mushroom ciabata bread, cucumber tomato salad with a Steeped inspired chamomile vinaigrette, and crackers with Steeped Strawberry Jalapeno salsa and cream cheese.

Kelly put a lot of effort into her open house, but she says it was worth it, and by the comments made by her guests, they enjoyed it.

Not all consultants will offer an open house of this nature to their customers and hostesses, but if yours does, you should try to take the opportunity to try new products and see the products used in ways you may not have considered.

If you are a Steeped Tea hostess with a party coming up, why not ask your consultant what items you need to shop for to offer your guests one or two of these food items or beverages? It will likely increase your sales, present tea in a whole new and fun way to your guests and change the atmosphere of your tea party.

Have you enjoyed tea in a unique not-in-a-cup way? Do you use tea in your recipes? We'd love to hear about it!

 

Cold Brewing is Energy Efficient!

On a sticky hot day, you may not even want to turn the stove on or get a kettle steaming hot. Here's a great way to make a pitcher of iced tea without involving boiling water - it's the cold brew technique.

The “cold brew” method is so simple and it makes fresh, naturally sweet and amazingly refereshing iced tea. Cold brewing is laid back  - you don’t have to worry about steeping it for too long like you would with hot tea. Tea brewed in this way releases fewer tannins from the leaves making it less astringency which leaves a bitterless taste.  It also keeps the tea transparent and doesn’t fog it up. What more could you ask for?

 

1. Use a Bodum pitcher or our Steeped Tea T-Sacs. The ratio of tea is 1:50, but adjust to taste.

2. Fill the pitcher with cold or iced water and allow to steep. This will take longer than it does for boiling water. Place the pitcher in the refrigerator (not the freezer!) for 4 hours or overnight.

3. When the tea is ready, remove the infuser or T-Sacs and pour tea into glass with ice in it. To sweeten, try stirring in the contents of a Steeped Tea honey stick. Enjoy your refreshing cold tea! 

Store the iced tea in the fridge and it will retain its quality for about a week - although we don't think it will last that long!

 

We've recently read that the cold brewing technique also works for iced coffee. I first read of this technique at Laura's Sweet Spot, and she refers readers to this article in the NY Times for an anecdote on cold brewing coffee. Both articles point outthat hot water brings out the bitterness in the coffee bean and that a more refined iced coffee is derived through the cold brewing technique. Since better coffee drinks start with better coffee, why not start with Steeped Tea's French Vanilla volcanic coffee. The suggested ratio is 1/3 c. ground coffee to 1 1/2 c water (this will be enough for 2 cups of iced coffee). Stir the coffee into the water and then put the container into the refrigerator overnight.

 

All of the online recipes I've seen talk about needing a sieve and coffee filters in order to strain the coffee grounds and silt from the coffee. It seems to me that using a French press, or the Brewt could simplify this step tremendously! To serve, pour into a glass prepared with ice, filling about 1/2 way. Then top with milk. Sweeten with a liquid sweetener - suggestions are simple syrup, coffee syrups, Honey Sticks, agave nectar or even sweetened condensed milk, and hey, if it's not a work day, why not splash some Bailey's in there.

 

Enjoy your cold-brewed iced beverages! Summer is only 1/2 over, so if your favourite teas for icing are getting low, just contact your Steeped Tea consultant to reorder!

A Few Tips for Iced Coffee

I recently shared a recipe for a Tim's style Iced Coffee.

Today I thought I'd share a few tips on enhancing the flavour of your iced coffee. I came across these at A Daily Shot of Coffee blog. The author, Mike, suggests tips will help you get a refreshing iced coffee. These tips are not for the Tim's style recipe, but rather for those who would simply brew a pot of Steeped French Vanilla volcanic coffee and then drink it iced:

First, start by doubling the amount of coffee you use in the brewing, he says, so that your coffee isn't watered down as the ice cubes in your beverage melt.

Or, use coffee to make ice cubes and as they melt, they continue to flavour rather than dilute your beverage.

If you are pouring just brewed coffee into a glass to make iced coffee, you should let the coffee cool a little in the glass first before adding your ice cubes - again you are avoiding diluting your drink.

If you need to sweeten your iced coffee, add the sugar while the coffee is still hot. If you forgot, and your coffee is now cold, consider agave or those sweet coffee syrups.  

Staying Hydrated During the Hot Weather

Staying hydrated during the hot spell is key to staying cool and staying well.

There was a time when it was suggested that hot drinks are a good choice on a hot day, because it will raise your core temperature, cause you to sweat, and thereby cool you down.

Now, it seems cool drinks are the suggested beverage when it's hot out.

Over the last few months, and summers, we've shared lots of iced tea how-to's and combination ideas.

Did you know that Steeped Tea also offers coffee? Grown on volcanic mountainsides, it is organic and fair trade. Enhanced with vanilla, it is tasty!

 So if you are looking for an alternate choice for staying cool, why not ice your coffee?

Here's a recipe for a Tim's-style (i.e. already sweet and creamy) iced coffee:

• 4 cups brewed Steeped French Vanilla coffee
• 1/4 c white sugar
• 1/4 c boiling water
• 3 c crushed ice
• 1/2 c cream

In advance:

Refrigerate brewed coffee about 30 minutes to cool and chill 4 glasses. Boil the water, reduce heat to simmer, add the sugar and stir until dissolved, making a simple syrup. Chill about 30 minutes to cool.

When ready to serve:

Divide the ice evenly between the 4 glasses. Pour in chill coffee. Stir in cream and simple syrup to taste.