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.

Poached BOULDER BLUES Salmon Crostinis

An easy, fun and healthy appetizer to make a party of twenty or two.

Poached BOULDER BLUES Salmon Crostinis

Yields: 12-16 appetizers                 

Cooking with Tea Technique: Poaching

Ingredients:

- 1 whole wheat baguette, 12 -16 crostinis

- 1 lemon, 8 slices 1/4 in thick

- 1 TBS Boulder Blues green tea, loose

- 1 TBS parsley, leaves finely chopped, stems reserved

- 1 TBS tarragon, leaves finely chopped, stems reserved

- 1 shallot, minced

- 1 cup dry white wine

- 1/2 cup water

- 1 lb salmon fillet (1 1/2 in thick), medium diced

- 1/2 cup crème fraiche or sour cream, low-fat 

- 1 TSP Dijon mustard

- 1/2 lemon, juice & zest

- Salt & Pepper to taste

- Garnish: capers

Preparation:

1. Crostinis: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice baguette (1/4 in thick). Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with olive oil, salt & pepper. Bake until edges are golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. Reserve.

2. Arrange lemon slices in a single layer at the bottom of a 10 in skillet. Scatter, Boulder Blues, parsley stems, tarragon stems and 1/3 of minced shallot over lemon sliced. Add wine and water.

3. Lay salmon fillets in the skillet, skinned side down, on op of lemon. Set the pan over high heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the sides of the salmon are opaque and thickest part registers 125, about 8 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Using a spatula, transfer salmon and to a paper towel lined plate. Combine crème fraiche, Dijon, lemon juice & zest.

4. To serve: Spread lemon crème fraiche on crostini. Place salmon on top and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and tarragon leaves.

5. Garnish with capers.

Yo Downtown Boulder ! The Tea Spot's ba-ack...

at the Saturday Farmer's Market that is.  This past weekend was our first showing there, and yes, it was quite clearly a "start", witness the real-time engineering that went into displaying our sign... BUT, the reception was fantastic!  Given that our stand at the Farmer's Market is 1/2 a block from our old retail location, we were greeted by dozens of old customers, who remembered not only our teas, but even ourselves :)  
Bo Olson, a former manager at the downtown Boulder TeaSpot, and continuing to work  with us in Gunbarrel on our e-comm orders and tea blending, is spearheading The Tea Spot's presence at the Boulder Farmer's Market.  He made a classy display of our bulk teas (you can see it in the lower left of the photo).  So nice, in fact, that retailers came up and told us they wanted such displays hanging over our bulk tea offerings.  It was a great conversation starter - people wanted to know the names of all the teas, the types, the origins, the stories behind the blends... and as always, it was fun to talk about the microblending of our loose teas right here in Boulder.  We got to tell our Boulder Locals about the new Farmer's Market pickup option for internet orders, sign interested folks up for our newsletter, and give our samples of our Green Roasted Mint in the chilly morning.
Didn't hurt that it was a gorgeous Spring day and that we have terrific Farmer's Market neighbors... and that the most delicious chai you've every tried, made by Sanctuary Chai, was being served right around the corner in the front part of the Market (in front of BMoCA) and both types (Spicy and Sweet) are made with The Tea Spot's handcrafted loose leaf teas! Happy Day :D

Rob wraps about the Tuffy Steeper

Rob Cooke explains why the Tuffy Steeper makes a great tea companion, especially on-the-go...

Anybody else wondering what else he has in his back pocket...???

A Tea Rap! Um wow!

Yeah I can't say much about this except wow and it's hilarious to watch.

It takes a bit of strain at the beginning to realize its about tea, but for 2 minutes, it's worth the watch.

Hojicha Green Tea Chile Sauce

Photo by Third's Eye Cooking 

Being Hispanic, Chile Verde sauce, aka Green Chile sauce, is in my blood and is always in my refrigerator. It's actually very easy to make and should be a staple in your cooking repertoire because it is such a versatile condiment. Spoon it over eggs, grilled chicken, steak or fish. It also makes a great dipping sauce for chips or veggies. 

Photo by The Tea Spot

The twist of tea in my recipe brings a basic Chile Verde sauce to another level. The nutty flavor and roasted aromas in Hojicha (or houjicha), a roasted Japanese green tea, melds perfectly with the roasted Anaheim and Poblano green chiles.  

Hojicha Green Tea Chile Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 TBS Hojicha green tea
• 1 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup yellow onion, diced
• 2-3 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 TBS flour,
• 2/3 cup Anaheim chiles, roasted, peeled & chopped
• 2/3 cup Poblano chiles, roasted, peeled & chopped
• 1 TBS Boulder Blues Tea-soning
• salt & pepper

Preparation:

1. Roast Anaheim and Poblano chiles, see how to roast chiles below.
2. Bring chicken stock to a boil and let cool for 3 minutes. Add Hojicha green tea to the chicken stock and let steep for 3 minutes. Strain tea leaves and reserve stock.
3. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 2 more minutes. Stir in flour and cook mixture until flour turns golden brown, 3-4 minutes. 
4. Slowly stir in reserved tea stock and green chiles. Add Boulder Blues Tea-soning.
5. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
6. Season with salt & pepper.
7. Refrigerate for up to 7 days.

How to roast chiles:

1. Oven: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place chiles on baking sheet and roast until skin darkens and bubbles, about 10-15 minutes. Flip sides and roast another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cover immediately to allow the chiles to steam which will make it easier to remove the skin.
2. Grill: Preheat grill to high. Place chiles on grill and cook until skin darkens and bubbles, about 10 minutes. Flip sides and grill another 10 minutes. Remove from grill and cover immediately to allow the chiles to steam which will make it easier to remove the skin.

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.

Our booth at EXPO or..."is that a toy"?

With our EXPO 'till you drop schedule in Anaheim, it was a bit difficult to keep up with blogging from CA... but here are some highlights from the rest of our time at Expo. Wish we had a nickel for every time our Tuffy Steepers turned heads.  Its similarity to the collapsible camping cups and silicone measuring cups had people asking why this cup had holes in it.  Quite a few folks thought it was a toy, and a few handsome customers treated it as such :-)  We enjoy having unique products to present, and to be able to make new strides with new products in support of our mission of making loose leaf tea an everyday luxury.  And it's rewarding to get compliments on our innovation and most gratifying to have folks applaud our team's professionalism :-))  Makes it easier to head back out of the So-Cal sunshine and into the chilly grind ~:-)

Personal highlights included a surprise visit from my fiance's daughter Sadie (pictured here with me) and spending an evening with one of my best childhood friends after the show was over; an amazing dinner we were treated to by one of our main importers of the best Indian food I've ever had in the US - you really must make an effort to go to Tandoori Garden at 30 South Anaheim Blvd (Rob pictured here with the Saag Shrimp); our fastest and most efficient set-up/break-down (i had nothing to do with either...) and leaving EXPO with all of our product samples sold; meeting the greatest number of new customers and interested parties from press to the Miss America organization, to many discriminating independent retailers, to larger natural foods stores that we've ever harnessed in a single show; and for me - watching Jared, Rob and Andrea in action.  I was one really lucky person, working with a blue chip team, committed to changing the way you think about loose leaf tea  ;-o

Roughing It with Gourmet Amenities

One of our newest customers just shared this photo with me. He emailed to show off how he hooks up great loose leaf tea while camping!


I met him and a bunch of other backpackers interested in brewing loose tea on the trail through a forum on backpackinglight.com. One of the forum members had suggested our Tuffy Steeper - due to its compact, lightweight structure. I added that for people who also enjoy a cuppa joe, the Tuffy can double as a filter for coarse ground coffee beans. And while that does add practicality, being a purist myself, I would buy separate ones for the trail so that residual coffee bean oils wouldn't taint my tea. Admittedly anal, I'm sure other tea geeks would agree.

Thanks Steve for giving our Tuffy Steeper a shot as your backpacking tea filter and we can't wait to see more photos of our Tuffy on the trails of Yellowstone. Congrats on your new job there!

As a matter of fact, we'd love to see everyone's photos of our tea gear in use. Send me your stories and photos, info@theteaspot.com

California Dreamin'

Coincidentally enough, this was the song blasting in my spin class the night before i leaving for EXPO (a funky hip-hop version) and it was indeed "such a winter's night" in Boulder...with Spring snowflakes the size of cotton balls floating around.  Checking in at the airport, a group of girls, Spring breakers, perhaps, were figuring out how quickly they could get to In-n-Out burger once we landed, and a very Western-looking couple, who may have been driving for a long time to get to DIA were concerned about where to find the McDonald's (at 8:30 AM?!)  Have any of these people seen Food, Inc???  The line at Einstein's bagels was longer than the one at security, leading me to wonder if, like my vegetarian daughter, these folks depend on bagels as their primary source of protein... Sometimes it takes a foray out of Boulder to realize that Natural Foods are, in fact, niche.

But now Anaheim Convention Center neighborhood is transformed into a granola megalopolis.  Unbelievable! You really have to watch what you pick up as you stroll the aisles.  Ever try pizza-yogurt-smoothie-crackers-protein bar-chips-chocolate milk in a 15 minute break?  Was that me having a hard time with the folks headed to the burger joints? ;)

Last night's opening reception was hosted by New Zealand.  Had a great organic Pinot, and treats ranging from Salmon rolls to goat cheese drizzled with honey (you see here my colleague Andrea enjoying her glass - she was happy to be finished with her 3 days of prospecting sales calls, but sad to be out of her rental jeep, which she aptly wielded around like a freeway native).

Our booth looks stellar, thanks to Jared and Rob for setting it up and merchandising it beautifully, and to Jessica for our gorgeous graphics.  We're having a tremendous first day, thanks in part to the onslaught of folks who responded to our 100 Tuffy Steepers and tea samples giveaway... guess our spreading the word really worked :) So nice to be meeting people who try and enjoy our teas, and admire our Steepware.  Cool to see, as well, how loose leaf tea seems like much less of an anomaly these days, than 5 years ago.

More tomorrow, until then, keep it loose!