For the Love of Tea

With Valentines Day nearly here, a local news reporter took to the street to ask people which gifts they would enjoy most for Valentines Day. At least 8 of 10 people (men included) said  flowers, chocolates, fragrance & jewelry were old hat. Yes, even jewelry! Seems the beloved "bling", is taking a back burner due to tighter budgets. Instead, they hope their loved ones will  "think outside the box", letting their creative juices flow. Items mentioned were hand-made cards, home-made gourmet meals, in-home massage and spa treatments, and romantic books, music or DVDs . 

Now for the good part. We tea lovers know that our beverage of choice is extremely versatile and can hold its own when it comes to great Valentines Day gifts.     

COOKING

For starters, more and more recipes are using tea in the ingredients. If you have the time, here's one I found  that uses loose leaf Earl Grey tea. Sounds delicious!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/seared-duck-breasts-with-a-citrus-tea-sauce-recipe/index.html
 

Seared Duck Breasts with a Citrus-Tea Sauce

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2001

Prep Time:

15 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

20 min

*Level:

Intermediate

Serves:

4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 boneless muscovy duck breast halves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup sliced shallots
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sliced garlic
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons loose Earl Grey tea leaves
• 3 cups dark chicken or duck stock
• 4 teaspoons sweet orange marmalade
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Score the fatty side of the duck breasts. Season on both sides with the Essence, salt and pepper and place in the refrigerator overnight.

In a large, heavy skillet over high heat cook duck breasts skin side down until golden brown and crispy, about 6 minutes. Turn and sear for 1 minute. Transfer the duck breasts to a pan.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the duck fat from the skillet. Add the shallots and saute for 1 minute. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the orange juice and tea. Bring to a boil and reduce by half in volume. Add the stock, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until reduced by half in volume, about 15 minutes. Place the duck breasts in the oven to heat through and finish cooking while the final sauce is being assembled, about 5 minutes for medium-rare.

Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract all the liquid. Return the sauce to the pan. Add the marmalade and rosemary, and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Whisk in the butter and remove from the heat. Remove the duck breasts from the oven and divide among 4 serving plates. Spoon the sauce over the duck breasts and serve.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

Recipe from New New Orleans Cooking, by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.


COCKTAILS

Tea cocktails are increasing in popularity and most bars/restaurants have added at least one to their menu. Visit the following link for the one below and to see others:

http://conversationswithtea.teatra.de/category/tea-tini-2/

YIELD: 1 Serving
Amaretto Chai Spice Tea
MASALA CHAI:  This Amaretto tea is much like a chai spice tea. But with an Italian kick!
Ingredients:

•  6 oz. of Masala Chai brewed and cooled
•  2 oz. Amaretto
•  1 – 2 oz cream

Serve as you wish. I would add to a cocktail shaker with crushed ice. Give a few shakes and pour into martini glass.


BOOKS

Books are always great gifts.  Harney & Sons, for example, has a gift set that consists of their Tea Cookbook, 3 tins of loose leaf tea used in some of the recipes and 2 packages of 100ct filters for brewing. You may find it on the link below, as well as other tea cookbooks.

http://www.harney.com/Details.cfm?ProdID=4288&category=0&secondary=1208

http://www.robertwemischner.com/books/cooking-with-tea

http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Tea-Celestial-Seasonings-Cookbook/dp/0517200147


BEAUTY

One of the nicest and most unusual gifts I've received lately has been Bath Teas from TerrAmazon. Basically, they're extra large tea bags (approx. 4 inch squares) that contain organic herbs and essences. The ones I have "Wild" and "Sunrise" don't list tea as an ingredient, but are still worth checking out.  I love the idea of a tea bag steeping in my bath water. They can be purchased on the following site:

http://www.terramazon.com/eng/index.html 

I don't know why you couldn't mimic the process by using your favorite calming teas, i.e. chamomile or lavender, add some essential oils, tie them in a cheesecloth/mesh bag and allow to steep about 10 minutes before getting in the bath.


DECADENCE

Tea and sweets are a true indulgence, and when combined make decadent desserts. On the light side, chocolate lovers can get a lo-cal fix drinking chocolate berry or chai teas.  There are numerous tea infused chocolates, scones, brulees and cookies.  Here's a truffle recipe to tempt you with.


Chocolate Earl Grey Truffles
 

yield: Makes about 34 truffles

active time: 45 min

total time: 2 3/4 hr

Loose tea leaves tend to be of higher quality than tea bags, giving the truffles a fresher, more distinct flavor. 

          2/3 cup heavy cream
          2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and softened
          2 teaspoons loose Earl Grey tea leaves
          6 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
          1 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder 

Bring cream and butter to a boil in a small heavy saucepan and stir in tea leaves. Remove from heat and let steep 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, finely grind chocolate in a food processor and transfer to a bowl. Pour cream through a fine-mesh sieve onto chocolate, pressing on and discarding tea leaves, then whisk until smooth. Chill ganache, covered, until firm, about 2 hours.

Spoon level teaspoons of ganache onto a baking sheet. Put cocoa in a bowl, then dust your palms lightly with it. Roll each piece of ganache into a ball (wash your hands and redust as they become sticky). Drop several balls at a time into bowl of cocoa and turn to coat. Transfer as coated to an airtight container, separating layers with wax paper.

Cooks' note: • Truffles can be made 1 week ahead and chilled, or 1 month ahead and frozen in an airtight container.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Earl-Grey-Truffles-107440

Hope you come up with some unique ideas of your own incorporating tea in your gifts.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!