Tea with a twist
It’s hard to find someone who hasn’t enjoyed a delicious cup of freshly brewed tea – but have you put a twist on your tea before?
Infusing, baking, cooking and more, take a big sip as we explore some of the other tasty ways to make the most of this wonder ingredient!
TEA INFUSIONS
The best part of infusing tea with other aromatic and flavoursome ingredients is that you can tailor these to your tastebuds:
- Try adding a subtle sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg before you brew for a little extra something (this goes down especially well around Christmas time)!
- You might already use this tip, but we love to make an extra-large teapot that contains multiple tea blends together to create a custom flavour of your own
- For a refreshing beverage that is a treat during warmer weather, brew a large teapot of tea, allow it to cool and pour into an appropriate pitcher. Add ice cubes and any of your favourite herbs and/or any fruits and allow to infuse overnight in the fridge. We love citrus blends like sliced lemon, lime and orange with fresh ginger root, but you can also use berries, mint and cucumber for a new take on a mocktail mojito! Brookfield House has some amazing pre-made fruit blends like Pina Colada which you can find here: http://brookfieldhouse.com.au/product-category/tea-shop/tea-selection/fruit-infusions/
COOKING WITH TEA
Yes, you can elevate your next meal with the unique addition of tea leaves! Just think of tea as any other herb or spice. The key here is to ensure you are using high quality tea so it retains flavour and doesn’t taste bitter. Some examples of how to nail cooking with tea are below:
- Use tea as a rub: add your leaves with salt and pepper and any other herbs and spices you love, such as chilli, rosemary and thyme. This method pairs particularly well with chicken, steak or pork, but let us know if you try it with someone else that tastes great!
- Tea stock substitute: add directly to soups and stock for a fragrant, aromatic essence. You can also brew the tea first, then finely chop it and add to dishes. Green tea in particular is a nice substitute for leafy veges.
BAKING WITH TEA
If you love morning tea, afternoon tea, high tea and everything in-between (a cheeky scone, finger sandwich or biscuit with a delicious cuppa), then you may want to give one of our baking with tea suggestions a whirl next time you get the girls around!
- Batter, dough, or frosting: give cookies, shortbread and other treats a tea twist add the tea to the dough directly or steep the tea first and add the liquid to your frosting.
- Infuse butter: add a subtle tea flavour to your butter by steeping the tea in melted, unsalted butter for 4 to 5 minutes and straining. Roll it and put in plastic wrap and store in the fridge to firm up a little. It tastes great on bread, toast and scones.
- Tea milk: do a ‘hot flush” (pour 100°C water over the leaves in a cup for 20 seconds) and then place the leaves into your milk. We love Earl Grey for this option!
Bon Appetit! We hope to see you at Brookfield House in Camden!
If you have enjoyed Tea with a twist you may enjoy Tea steep times