2014 tea menu

Lady Grey tea
A fragrant, bright and light black tea scented with bergamot, orange,
 and lemon citrus flavours that can be enjoyed with or without milk.
People who find the bergamot aroma of Earl Grey rather heady and overwhelming
 may enjoy to Lady Grey’s lighter, more subtle flavouring mix as an alternative.
(Earl Grey tea pairs fabulously with dishes with citrus as the main ingredient
 as well as dark chocolate.)

Lavender scones

Lady Grey tea bread



Mulled cranberry boisson

Tea dyed deviled eggs

Smoked chicken tea sandwiches

Salmon spread on rye

Cucumber tea sandwiches


Assam tea

Produced exclusively from the highly skilled tea region of Assam in India,
this black tea has become a morning favorite because of its rich aroma,
crisp flavor, and penetrating color. Contains caffeine.
 Pairs well with hearty foods; breakfast foods;
 chocolate, custard or lemon desserts

Pumpkin chai tarts 

2    c.   chai Tea, strongly brewed (4 bags, steeped about 5-7 minutes)
8    oz.  cream cheese, softened
1/2 c.    sugar
1/2 c.    sour cream
1           egg
2           egg yolks
2/3 c.    pumpkin
1/2 t.    salt
1    t.    vanilla extract
             gingersnap cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Put brewed Chai tea in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring a boil and reduce to 4-5 Tbsp.  Set aside and cool.  In a mixing bowl, cream together sugar and cream cheese.  Add sour cream and mix well.  Add eggs and egg yolks one at a time. Add pumpkin, salt, vanilla, and Chai tea reduction.  Stir together. Pour into tart pan lined with liners and gingersnap cookies  Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes, or until set.

Earl Grey truffles

2/3 c.    heavy cream
2    T.    unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and softened
2     t.    loose Earl Grey tea leaves
6     oz. fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
1     c.   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. (Truffles can be made 1 week ahead and chilled, or 1 month ahead and frozen in an airtight container.)

(Gourmet, 2002)

Macaroons with absinthe filling

Shells

100 g. finely ground almonds
90   g. egg whites, aged 48 hours
200 g. powdered sugar
30   g. caster sugar
1     t. aniseed, finely ground with mortar and pestle
1/2  t. matcha powder or alternatively a small amount powdered green food colouring

Line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment. In a medium bowl, sift together the almonds and powdered sugar.
In a separate, clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy, then gradually add the caster sugar until you get a stiff but still very glossy meringue.Add the sifted almonds and powdered sugar and begin folding gently until you get a uniform mass. Try the batter by dropping a bit onto some parchment paper: if the top smooths over by itself, the batter is good to go.
Put the batter into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle. Pipe out little bite-sized macaroons. Once you've piped a whole baking tray, pick it up and give it a good, straight whack against the kitchen counter to knock out any air bubbles. At this point leave the macaroons sitting at room temperature for about 30 minutes to harden their shells.
Preheat the oven to 140 degrees C. Check that the macaroons are ready to go in by touching one gently with your finger. If some of the dough sticks back, they're not ready yet! Leave them a while longer.Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes.
Remove the macaroons from the oven. If they stick to the parchment paper, pour a little bit of boiling water underneath it - this will set them free!

Filling

100 g.       caster sugar
2               large egg whites
180 g.       butter, softened
3-4  T.       French absinthe, or to taste
1-2 drops  green food colouring

For the shells, follow the instructions previously outlined in this recipe
For the absinthe buttercream: place the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water.  Using an electric mixer, mix the whites and sugar on medium speed until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove the mixture from heat and continue mixing until it more than doubles in volume and comes to room temperature.  Add the butter in three batches, mixing completely after each addition. Continue mixing patiently until the buttercream comes together into a mayonnaise-like consistency. Add absinthe and green food colouring and mix again.
Pipe a small dollop of buttercream onto one macaron shell and sandwich gently with another.