Archive for the 'Cooking with Tea' Category
Arbor Teas customer Dimitra Anne was recently inspired by our Organic Chamomile to create two (2) new “cooking with tea” recipes! In fact, when her daughter sat down at the dinner table she exclaimed, “Mom, is there Chamomile in this!?”.
Dimitra created a wonderful Chamomile Vinaigrette Dressing that can be served over a lettuce salad or altered slightly to create a delicious tahini dressing for a shredded cabbage and carrot salad.
Dimitra recommends a salad of romaine, baby spinach, spring greens, cauliflower, red pepper, garbanzos, hemp and chia seeds, slivered almonds, goji berries, and dried fig slices.
Check here to view the full recipe for Chamomile Vinaigrette Dressing.
Dimitra also created a delightful Chamomile Hummus that can be served alone with bread, crackers, carrots, and cucumbers. Or served as a counterpart to vegetable fritters such as fried eggplant. She also recommends serving this fresh hummus with warm garbanzos. Yum!
Check here to view the full recipe for Chamomile Hummus.
Don’t forget to submit your own tea-inspired recipe to earn 100 rewards points at Arbor Teas!
April 10 2013 | Cooking with Tea | No Comments »
Olivia May at From the Kitchen of Olivia has done it again! She has created an amazing tea-inspired recipe for Arbor Teas that is perfect for the fall season – Masala Chai Spiced Donuts!
Olivia writes: “Choose your own adventure! This recipe is filled with decisions… Fried or Baked? Caffeinated or Not? Doughnuts or Donuts? When the weather turns cool, I like to make donuts. At least that’s how I’ve settled on spelling it. As for fried or baked? Well, that’s a texture preference. Personally, I like the cake-like quality of a fried cider donut more so than the doughy-ness of a glazed. The caffeine question is a bit more mood related. Arbor Teas’ organic Masala Chai Black Tea has more prominent notes of spicy cardamom and a kick from black pepper, while the naturally caffeine free Organic Masala Chai Rooibos has a flavor profile distinct with warm ginger. Indecisive? The Organic Decaf Masala Chai Black Tea is yet another option that probably doesn’t help break any ties. Here are two very different and customizable approaches to making chai-spiced donuts. Which do you prefer? Hope you enjoy this Cooking with Tea recipe From the Kitchen of Olivia! ”
Check here to view Olivia’s full recipe for Masala Chai Spiced Donuts!
October 17 2012 | Cooking with Tea | 2 Comments »
Last month, we released our Organic and Fair Trade Certified Thai Iced Tea to celebrate National Iced Tea Month. It was a resounding success! We’ve received rave reviews and Thai Iced Tea has become our #1 selling tea. Our Thai Iced Tea is a blend of strong black tea and ground anise, vanilla bean and cardamom. By choosing to use ground spices, we’ve created a wonderfully spicy blend that can easily hold up to the addition of sweetened condensed milk to create a traditional restaurant-style Thai Iced Tea. However, many customers are surprised that our Thai Iced Tea blend is delicious simply on its own.
One customer exclaimed: “…it is so delicious it doesn’t even need all that other stuff [dairy and sugar]!”
Plus, NO artificial colors or flavors! Did you know that the deep orange color of Thai Iced Tea served in restaurants is usually attributed to artificial coloring? Well, no longer! We’ve developed an organic tea blend that includes no artificial colors or flavors. As a result, when dairy is added to this iced tea it will not turn orange, but a beautiful, natural light brown!
Thai Tea Parfait and Thai Bubble Tea.
Our Thai Iced Tea has been so popular that it has inspired other creations! Olivia May at From the Kitchen of Olivia has created an amazing Thai Tea Parfait recipe inspired by Christina Tosi’s Momofuku Milk Bar. Olivia’s Thai Tea Parfait has a creamy gelatin base, with a cloud-like mix of Thai tea, dulce de leche and tamarind, which is layered with fresh coconut curd and a crispy almond topping. Yum! Check here to find the full recipe for Olivia’s Thai Tea Parfait.
Our own Taylor Caldron shared his recipe for Thai Boba “Bubble” Tea. In order to create Thai Boba Tea, all you need to do is follow a regular thai iced tea recipe (included), with one extra step! It’s all about knowing WHEN to add the boba. Check here to find Taylor’s Quick Recipe for Thai Boba Tea.
July 12 2012 | Cooking with Tea and Iced Tea | No Comments »
Arbor Teas was recently featured in the February edition of MetroParent Magazine! In this fun story, MetroParent introduces its readers to Arbor Teas’ owners Aubrey and Jeremy as well as their children Arthur and Penelope. To celebrate the event, Olivia May From the Kitchen of Olivia, shared with us her latest Cooking with Tea Recipe: Honeybush Tea Jelly. Olivia exclaims “This recipe is for the kids! Honeybush Tea Jelly makes fantastic PB&J sandwiches!” 
The woody sweetness of Arbor Teas’ Organic Honeybush balances the tartness of the homemade apple pectin used to thicken the jelly and Honeybush is naturally caffeine-free – yes, it is quite perfect for the kids! Honeybush Tea Jelly can also be combined with nuts and spices and stuffed into apple dumplings… yum! Check out the full recipe for Honeybush Tea Jelly on the Arbor Teas website.
February 21 2012 | Cooking with Tea and Media | No Comments »
Olivia May at From the Kitchen of Olivia brings us another terrific Cooking with Tea Recipe!
Over the final few weeks of her CSA share, Olivia built up quite a collection of red peppers. Both hot varieties (Krimzon Lee, Serrano, Jalapeno, Shishito) and sweet bells (Apple Pimento, Carmen, Red Knight Bell) were filling up the crisper until enough accumulated to make this relish.
Sweet with piquant heat and spiced just so with orange, cinnamon, and clove using Arbor Teas Organic Holiday Spice Black Tea, this ruby-toned relish makes a useful condiment to have on hand to dress up holiday meals or to gift away to friends this season. Or use it to top a soft cheese and crackers for a quick snack or appetizer, mix with ketchup for a fancy chili dipping sauce, or dollop over your take-out ramen bowl to add a festive touch.
Check out the full recipe for Holiday Spice-y Red Pepper Relish.
December 08 2011 | Cooking with Tea | No Comments »
Happy (almost) Thanksgiving everyone! When I think of Thanksgiving, I think of pumpkin pie! I tried spicing up my pumpkin pie this year by adding Masala Chai Black Tea to my pumpkin pie filling. The result was a pumpkin custard that had a richer, deeper spice flavor, and a sugary sweet top. Terrific! I used this recipe to create pumpkin pie custard and served it in individual ramekins. But, the custard can be baked in one large dish or poured into your favorite pre-baked pie crust to create the perfect pumpkin pie. Check out my full recipe for Masala Chai Pumpkin Pie.
Aubrey
Arbor Teas
November 15 2011 | Cooking with Tea | No Comments »
Grillin’ season is upon us! Will you have a vegetarian to feed in your group? Often meatless patties are dry and disappointing, especially the ones that come packaged from the grocery store. Veggie burgers are so easy to make in your home kitchen, requiring fairly minimal forethought and prep work. Here is a unique idea to impart a tea flavor into a vegetarian burger. This recipe combines the earthiness of Arbor Teas organic Yerba Mate with a bit a smoke from organic Russian Caravan Black Tea. The lentils are cooked directly in the steeped teas, gaining an extra boost of flavor as they soak up the liquid and soften. Black beluga lentils retain their shape fairly well when cooked, so they are worth seeking out. Other varieties may cook up too mushy, causing the patties to fall apart.
Happy Summer everyone! Hope you enjoy this Cooking with Tea recipe From the Kitchen of Olivia!
Smoky Yerba Mate Lentil Burgers
makes 6 burgers
2 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon loose leaf organic Yerba Mate
1 teaspoon loose leaf organic Russian Caravan Black Tea
1 cup dried Beluga lentils, picked over and rinsed (will yield about 3 cups cooked)
4 large eggs continue reading »
July 11 2011 | Cooking with Tea | 1 Comment »
Hurry! Before Meyer lemons are out of season, go make this pie! Or don’t. Just wait for the right occasion and be inspired by what citrus is in abundance at that time. The original inspiration for this recipe came from Martha Stewart as a chamomile version of lemon meringue pie in a homey cornmeal crust. All of these elements, the mellow chamomile flowers, the zesty lemon, the pillowy marshmallow meringue, and the crunchy cornmeal work together in a wonderful, satisfying combination. But with the variety of organic loose-leaf teas available from Arbor Teas, why stop there? You could alter the recipe into a summery mojito rendition by subbing in lime for lemon and organic moroccan mint green tea for chamomile, all atop a buttery shortbread crust. Organic jasmine green tea and grapefruit (or those giant pumelos) would make a sophisticated, perfumed dessert. Tangerine and organic schizandra white tea, orange and organic earl grey black tea, or even blood orange and organic holiday spice black tea are a few more pairings I brainstormed to go with your favorite graham cracker, gingersnap, or chocolate cookie crust. Here is the original lemon-chamomile recipe. Let me know what combinations you dream up!
Citrus and Tea Cream Pie
adapted from Martha Stewart
Cornmeal Pie Dough
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup medium-ground yellow cornmeal
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon sugar
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
¼ cup ice water
Lemon-Chamomile Cream Filling
3 cups whole milk
3-4 tablespoons loose organic chamomile (or whatever other tea flavor strikes your fancy)
¼ cup cornstarch
1 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
4 large egg yolks
1½ teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (or other citrus zest)
¼ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice (or other fresh citrus juice)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Meringue
4 large egg whites
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
a pinch of salt
To make the Cornmeal Crust:
Pulse flour, cornmeal, salt, and sugar in a food processor to combine. Add butter, and process briefly until mixture resembles coarse meal. With the machine running, slowly add ice water until dough just begins to hold together. continue reading »
May 06 2011 | Cooking with Tea | 1 Comment »
2010 seemed to be the year of DIY in the food world, and I have no doubt that 2011 will continue to be the same. If the reasons are not for putting up (canning, curing, dehydrating, etc.) to preserve the abundance of harvest for leaner times like our great grandparents used to, or not meant to ease reliance on commercially-packaged, convenience foods, then it’s to satiate the curiosity of how basic foodstuffs are produced and to relish in the pure satisfaction that you can DO IT YOURSELF.
Remember taking turns to shake that jar of cream in kindergarten until it thickened and yielded a soft, spreadable butter? Patience-inducing yet awe-inspiring to a 5-year old. Making cultured butter from scratch is just one step up from that sort of classroom demo magic. And using a modern stand mixer makes it an easily approachable task if your kitchen amenities are sans old-fashioned butter churn and butter bats. Furthermore, fresh, liquid cream presents a blank canvas on which you can layer a custom flavor profile at the very foundation, before churning. You can add cultures for tangy-ness as well as ingredients, like tea, that steep best in liquid without altering the final texture. Compound butters, a different approach to flavored butter where herbs, aromatics, syrups or fruit pastes are mashed into solid butter, while good in there own right, offer only the opportunity for flavor afterthoughts, post-churning.
So in the spirit of DIY, I present you with directions for culturing butter and flavoring it using Arbor Teas’ organic, loose-leaf tea. Cultured tea butter should not be confused with Tibetan butter tea, a yak milk-derived, fortifying hot beverage for the iron-stomached. This is a wholly different dining experience. I chose two very different Arbor Teas to make two unique flavors. The first was organic genmaicha green tea, which is composed of Japanese green tea leaves mixed with toasted brown rice kernels. This tea flavor brings to mind popcorn, and thus lightly salted butter flavored with genmaicha lends itself to savory applications: smeared on crusty bread or slathered on roasted vegetables. The second was organic masala chai black tea. Redolent with warm spice and delicately sweetened (post-churn) with honey, this makes a welcome addition to a breakfast table spread or to afternoon tea fare. continue reading »
February 04 2011 | Cooking with Tea | No Comments »
According to the Tea Association of the USA, tea is the most widely consumed beverage around the world, next to water. Naturally, different tea drinking cultures have developed in different parts of the world based on varying needs, tastes and types of tea available in those regions. Today, we start our journey around the world of tea with a look at “butter tea” from Tibet.
Butter tea, known as Po cha in Tibet, is made from churning tea, salt and yak butter. The tea used is a particularly potent, smoky type of brick tea from Pemagul, Tibet. A portion of this brick tea is crumbled into water and boiled for hours to produce a smoky, bitter brew called chaku. This is then stored until used to make butter tea. To make a serving of Po cha, some of the chaku is poured in a wooden cylindrical churn called a chandong, along with a hunk of yak butter and salt and churned for a couple of minutes before serving.
continue reading »
December 05 2010 | Cooking with Tea and Tea Culture | 1 Comment »
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