Blooming teas

We have added some unique white teas to our selection. NOW available in Lady of Kincavel.

Sour Cherry and Green Tea Granité

By Aida Mollenkamp

You do have to turn on the stove for this, but trust us when we say it’s worth it. The tart cherry juice and green tea make for a less sweet version of this summertime refresher.

Ingredients:

3 cups sour cherry juice, such as R.W. Knudsen’s
Juice of 1 medium lemon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 green-tea bags, or 2 tablespoons loose green tea
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Directions:

Bring cherry juice, lemon juice, and sugar to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved, then remove from heat.
Stir in green tea and ginger; let steep for 15 minutes.
Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a shallow glass baking dish and cool to room temperature.
Freeze until mixture begins to get icy around the edges, about an hour.
Rake through mixture with a fork to break up the ice.
Return to the freezer and repeat until mixture is completely frozen and grainy, about 5 hours.

Golden Monkey Chocolate Chip Scones

Submitted by: Vanessa McDonough

A delicious yet easy treat that combines the chocolate hints of Golden Monkey tea and semi-sweet chocolate chips; a delicious compliment to a warm cup of Golden Monkey tea!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup brewed Golden monkey tea, double-stregth, cooled
3 tablespoons heavy cream (separated)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten separately
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups baking mix
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup white baking chips
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, combine tea (cooled), 2 tablespoons of the cream, 1 egg, and vanilla extract; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine baking mix, sugar, white baking, and chocolate chips.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and work into a crumbly dough.
On a lightly floured surface, form dough into a 9-inch disk (approximately 1/2-inch thick).
Cut into 12 wedges and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine remaining 1 tablespoon cream and remaining beaten egg.
Brush tops of scones with egg mixture and sprinkle with sanding sugar, if desired.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Darjeeling Lemon Loaf

Submitted by: Lois Matheson

This Darjeeling Lemon Loaf is light and airy and perfect to serve at a cozy tea party gathering of friends or simply enjoyed with a cup of Darjelling tea after a long day.

Bake loaf 45-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Ingredients:
1/4 Cup of Light Cream
1/4 Cup of Darjeeling #22 Tea
1 and 1/2 Cups of Sifted Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
1 Cup Superfine Sugar
1/2 Cup (1 Stick) Butter @ Room Temperature
2 Large Eggs
2 Teaspoons Lemon Rind, Grated Fine
1/2 Tablespoon Poppy Seeds (Optional)
4 Tablespoons Powedered Sugar (Optional)

Directions:
Combine Light Cream and the Darjeeling Tea in a small saucepan.
Heat over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges, keeping the mixture below the boiling point.
Remove from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine Flour, Baking Powder and Salt. Set aside.
In a separate large bowl, cream together the Superfine Sugar and Butter.
Add Eggs, one at a time, creaming well after each addition.
Alternate adding the Tea infused Light Cream and Flour mixture, stirring well after each addition.
Add Lemon Rind (and Poppy Seeds if desired) and stir until well blended.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes.
Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack.
Sprinkle with Powdered Sugar, if desired.

This Tea Loaf is wonderful served with a bit of English Clotted Cream and Preserves!

Masala Chai Smoothie

Submitted by: Sheri Olson

Cool Refreshing Chai smoothie

Ingredients:
1 cup brewed Masala Chai tea
1 cup vanilla ice cream or Hagendaz green tea ice cream
1 cup ice cubes
cold milk

Directions:
brew 2 tsp Masala Chai with one cup boiling water
Add 1 cup ice cubes
pour into blender and add ice cream.
Thin with cold milk if necessary.
Serve immediately

Vertrouwen

Een staaltje hoe mooi het is als je echt vertrouwt

tea at the Ritz

Afternoon tea is the english meal-time institution, a social as well as a culinary event.

It is precisely this atmosphere which is embodied in the Palm Court Tearoom at the Ritz in London, which for many years has been one of the most delightful and traditional places to take tea.

The London Ritz Book of Afternoon Tea captures the essence of this traditional British occasion and provides the reader with all the Ritz expertize in the ceremony as well as over 50 recipes, illustrated with passages from Dickens to Oscar Wilde and charming drawings.

About the Author
After five years at Oxford, where she gained a M. Litt. degree for a thesis called Unreasonable Laughter in Restoration Comedy, Helen Simpson won the Vogue Talent Contest.the next five years have been spent working at Vogue, writing about travel, shops and food, as well as interviews and fictions.

Order the books by clicking on the link

And if you visit Lonon you simply MUST get this book too!

Smoky BLTea Crisps

These smoky hors d'oeuvres are a unique take on the classic BLT.

Ingredients:
8 ounces of brewed Lapsang Souchong tea
4 slices of pork bacon cut in half
4 thick crispbreads sliced in half (Kavli Hearty Thick Crispbreads work well)
1/2 cup freshly grated asiago cheese
1 small tomato, diced
A few shredded pieces of leafy salad greens

Directions:
In a large, shallow pan, marinate bacon in hot Lapsang Souchong tea for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place 1 tablespoon of asiago cheese on each crispbread and wrap with 1/2 slice of marinated bacon.
Do not wrap too tightly since bacon shrinks as it cooks - you don't want your crispbread to curl.
Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 20 - 30 minutes until bacon is done.
Place immediately on paper towels to drain for a minute.
Garnish with diced tomato and your favorite salad greens and serve hot.

Oven Cooked Green Tea Rice

Scrumptious Ceylon Muffins

Submitted by: Caroline Nystrom

A tasty treat for breakfast or tea time.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp Ceylon tea
1 cup sugar
1 cup finely shredded, unpeeled zucchini
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 egg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, cinnamon, soda, baking powder, salt and tea.
In a separate bowl combine sugar, zucchini, oil and egg. Stir to ccombine.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet until just mixed.
Spoon batter into greased muffin cups.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar to make it extra special. Enjoy!

Savory Tea Scones

This is a healthy recipe as olive oil substitutes for the usual butter, oatmeal gives a rustic texture and Pu Erh adds a subtle but earthy flavor.

Ingredients:
Dry ingredients:
One cup quick oats
Two tablespoons of honey
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 heaping tablespoon of Pu Erh tea

To this add:
2 eggs
10 tablespoons of olive oil
2/3 cup buttermilk.

Directions:
In a 400 degree oven toast oats for 8-10 minutes.
Mix dry ingredients thoroughly.
To the dry ingredients add the eggs, oil and buttermilk.
Stir just till ingredients are moistened. Let stand for five minutes.

Pat the dough into two six inch rounds, cut each round into six wedges.
Brush the top with a little olive oil.
Bake for 16-18 minutes in the 400 degree oven.

Darjeeling Mango Mosaic cake

A Genoise cake with a Darjeeling soaking syrup. Frosted with a white chocolate icing and dried mango garnish. Mango coulis is served on the side.

Ingredients:

For Genoise cake:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs until very light and fluffy.
Sift together flour and baking powder,then fold into batter.
Add vanilla and incorporate.
Pour into prepared 8 inch cake pan.
Make a double recipe for 2 layers.
Bake 350 deg. for about 20 minutes, or the cake pulls away from the sides. cool.

Ingredients:
For Soaking syrup:
6 tea bags Darjeeling
1-1/2 c. hot water

Directions:
Steep bags in hot water to make a strong brew.
Add 1-1/2 c. sugar
Boil until sugar dissolves. cool and set aside.

Ingredients:
For White Chocolate Buttercream:
12 oz. bag White chocolate chips melted with 1/4 c. milk
2 sticks butter (room temp.)
3 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
Whip ingredients together. Set aside at room temp.

Ingredients:
For Mango Coulis:
2 mangoes
1/4 c sugar

Directions:
Blend mangoes with sugar and press through a sieve. Set aside.

Ingredients:
For Dried Mango Garnish:
Dried mango pieces

Directions:
Cut dried mango into triangle pieces, vary in size.

General Directions:
Pour tea syrup over cakes by the spoonfuls.
Place cake together with layer of icing.
Frost the entire cake.
Place dried mango triangles in a random pattern on side of cake.
Use a piping bag to finish edges, if desired.
Serve slices of cake with mango coulis on the plate.

Clan Tartan

In a previous post I shared with you the District Tartans of the Ardnamurchan peninsula which is part of Lochaber district.

As the land I own is part of the MacPhail clan, I am also allowed to wear their clan tartan.

Cranberry - Blood Orange Scones

A new twist on classic cranberry orange scones.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 cup powdered sugar
1 sample size canister loose blood orange herbal tea

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Boil water, and pour 1/2 cup boiling water over the sample canister of loose tea. Let sit.
Mix together flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Strain liquid from the tea solids, set aside the liquid tea for later. Keep the solids (blood orange rind, berries, hibiscus etc.) (You may want to chop solids from tea lightly to give a more consistant texture - this is optional)
Stir cranberries and the solids from the brewed tea into the dry mixture.
In a small bowl, mix buttermilk and egg; add to dry ingredients all at once, stirring until mixture is just moistened.
Form into a patty on an ungreased cookie sheet or pizza stone
Bake at 400 degrees F. After 10 minutes, remove and cut into 8 wedges with a knife but do not seperate the slices.
Return the scones to the oven for an additional 5-15 minutes or until light golden brown.
Mix together powdered sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of the brewed tea (kept from earlier) into a glaze; drizzle over scones.
Separate scones and serve warm.

Chocolate Tea Cookies

Submitted by: betsy moore

These tasty cookies combine the rich tea flavored chocolate ganache with a crispy

Ingredients:
1 1/4 c heavy cream
8 oz dark chocolate (I used Godiva dark chocolate bars)
5 teaspoons Green Pekoe Blues tea
1/2 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon (use 1/4 teaspoon of a stronger cinnamon)
Box of Nilla Vanilla Wafers

Directions:
Chop the chocolate and place in the bowl of your mixer.
Add cinnamon. Set aside.
Bring the heavy cream and the tea to a boil.
Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Return to heat and bring back to a boil.
Pour the heavy cream through a strainer into the bowl of chocolate straining out the tea.
Let sit for 2 minutes. Whisk until chocolate is melted.
Let sit for 1.5 - 2 hours until the ganache reaches room temperature.
Using a medium speed on the mixer, mix until soft peaks form.
Using a pasty bag pipe a nice dollop on top of each vanilla wafer.
Refrigerate until served.
Enjoy with your favorite complementary tea.