Roasted Green Tea Frico toped with Smoked Salmon Tartar

Photo by Fine Cooking

An easy-to-make appetizer to celebrate Earth Day...

Ingredients Roasted Green Tea Frico:

• 2 cup parmesan, shredded
• 2 TBS GREEN ROASTED MINT tea, finely grounded

Preparation: Frico, crspy cheese crackers

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix parmesan and green tea in a bowl.
3. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, sprinkle 2 TBS of cheese mixture in a circle and cook until melted, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Using a spatula remove frico and place over a rolling pin to cool.

Visit teaspotchef.blogspot.com for the Smoked Salmon Tartar Recipe.

Tea-soned Maté Limon Shrimp Stir-Fry

A quick, easy & tea-licious meal that takes 20 minutes to make...

Ingredients:

•  1 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined
  
•  1 1/2 TBS Maté Limon Chai* Tea-soning
  
•  4 TBS canola oil, divided
  
•  1 red onion, diced
  
•  1 clove garlic, minced
  
•  1 zucchini, chopped
  
•  1 yellow squash, chopped
  
•  1 red bell pepper, chopped
  
•  1 can corn, drained & washed
  
•  3 TBS teriyaki sauce
  
•  1/8 cup cornstarch or arrowroot
  
•  3/4 cup chicken broth
  
•  salt & pepper to taste
  

Preparation:

1. Combine shrimp and Tea-soning in a large plastic food storage bag and refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.

2. Heat 2 TBS oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add red onion & garlic and sauté until slightly soft, about 3 minutes. Add Tea-soned shrimp and cook until opaque, about 3 minutes. Remove shrimp and reserve.

3. Heat 2 TBS oil in wok. Add zucchini, squash, red bell pepper and corn to wok and sauté until slightly soft, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the reserved shrimp and add teriyaki sauce.

4. In a bowl, whisk cornstarch and chicken broth together add to wok; cook, stirring until mixture boils. Reduce heat and serve.

Serving Suggested: Vintage Oolong Rice Pilaf. Visit teaspotchef.blogspot.com for recipe.

Steeping in the New Year with TeaTinis...

Wishing everybody a happy, healthy & fun 2010...

Boulder Blues Martini

Yields: 4, 5 oz servings

Ingredients:

• 8 oz Vodka
• 2 TBS BOULDER BLUES, to make tea concentrate, chilled*
• 2 oz Lemon Juice
• ½ TBS agave
• Strawberry and/or lemon slice for garnish

Preparation:

*How to make BOULDER BLUES concentrate:

1. Place 2 TBS of BOULDER BLUES green tea leaves in a 4 ounce measuring cup. Bring 3 ounces of water to boil and cool water for 3 minutes, bringing water temperature down to about 175°. Pour hot water over tea leaves and steep for 3 minutes. Strain out tea leaves and add enough ice to yield 8 ounces of tea. Tea Tip: Reserve tea leaves for re-steeping.
2. Pour ½ of all ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice, shake to mix, strain into 2 martini glasses and garnish with strawberry and/or lemon. Repeat to yield 2 more servings.

Cheers...

Holiday Tea Infused Turkey...

If your turkey turns out like this, you got a problem...

Photo by HaloHaloph

Don't worry, no kids were hurt taking this photo...

If you want a turkey infused with holiday spices and healthy red tea, follow this recipe...

Photo by Christina Perozzi 

Holiday Tea Infused Turkey

Ingredients:

• (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey
  

For the brine:

• 1 gallon chicken stock, low sodium
  
• 4 tablespoon Holiday Spice Rooibos Tea (blend of red rooibos and aromatic holiday spices... cinnamon, clove, orange peel, apples, almonds, & rose petals!)
  
• 1 cup kosher salt
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
  
• 1 gallon heavily iced water

Preparation - 2 to 3 days before roasting:

1. Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator at 38 degrees F.
   
2. Tea-Infused Brine: Combine the vegetable stock, Holiday Spice Rooibos Tea, sugar, salt and in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
3. The night before you cook the turkey, combine the tea-brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. Ensure the turkey is fully immersed, cover and refrigerate 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.
   

For the aromatics:

• 1 red apple, sliced
  
• 1 orange, peeled and sliced
  
• 1/2 onion, sliced
  
• 1 cinnamon stick
  
• 2 TBS Holiday Spice Rooibos Tea
  
• 1 cup water
  
• 4 sprigs rosemary
  
• 6 leaves sage
  

For turkey coating:

• Tea-soning:
  

·      1 ½ TBS Holiday Spice Rooibos Tea

·      1 ½ tsp rosemary

·      1 tsp thyme

·      1 tsp sage

Salt & pepper to taste

Canola oil

Aromatics & Gravy Base:

• 1 lb onion, large dice
• ½ lb fennel, large dice
• ½ lb carrots, large dice
• ½ lb apple, large dice
• ½ cup almond, roughly chopped
• 1 TBS Holiday Spice Rooibos Tea
• Canola oil
• Salt & pepper
• 3 cup dry white wine
• 6 cup vegetable stock
• Corn Starch slurry, mix 1 TBS cornstarch & 1 cup water together
• 1 lemon, juice
• 3 TBS unsalted butter, chopped

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 525° F. Remove the turkey from brine and completely rinse it with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Discard the brine.
   
2. Combine the apple, orange, onion, Holiday Spice Rooibos Tea, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Truss the turkey and coat the skin liberally with canola oil and sprinkle tea-soning. (How to truss a turkey video by Alton Brown: www.foodnetwork.com/videos/how-to-truss-a-turkey/27751.html)
   
3. Mix onion, fennel, carrots, apples, almonds & tea together and coat with canola oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Place mixture on bottom of roasting pan and place the turkey on roasting rack on top of aromatics to make gravy base.
   
4. Place the turkey on lowest level of the oven and roast at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven to 350° and insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast. Roast until an instant thermometer reads 160° F, about a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil for 15-20 minutes before carving.
   
5. While the turkey in resting, place the roasting pan with gravy aromatics on top of stove and heat on high. Add wine and deglaze by scraping the bottom of the pan. Add chicken stock and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Add 1/2 of the slurry and stir occasionally. Cook until thickens and remove from heat. Add more slurry, 1 tsp at a time, if you want gravy thicker. Strain gravy and place back on medium heated stove. Whisk in lemon juice and butter until combined. Season to taste with salt ad pepper. Serve with turkey.
   

Happy Thanksgiving...

Be Grateful & Eat Well...

Check Out Our Tea Spot Chef!

Here's the video our very own Tea Spot Chef, Karen Harbour, submitted to be The Next Food Network Star. She made it to the final rounds of elimination on her first attempt. Check out the magic she works. As a co-founder of our tea company and a passionate tea chef by night, we really luck out as frequent recipients of her amazing dishes that incorporate cooking with tea - so tasty!!