Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Cooking With Tea


Adam Balic

Recommended Posts

I'll steam or smoke with tea. Sometimes I'll put some macha in a seaweed broth.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I once had a wonderful dish of dorade, steamed or smoked in tea, in a fabulous

restaurant in St.Barts, called Castelets. I wonder if anyone has a recipe for this? I would love to duplicate it. Jimmyo how do you do your steaming or

smoking with tea?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

laura, for steaming I usually use bagged oolong or green teas steeped in the water.

For smoking I use several old woks, lined with foil, lids also with foil so they can be crimped. I use leaves and mount the product (salmon or trout or tofu or whatever) on a rack.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I grew up with tea eggs which is a tea and soy sauce cooked egg. But sometimes I'll use Chinese tea as a marinate for heavy meaty fish like salmon or cod. Then brush it off to bake or sear it a pan. Earl grey is really good to flavor chocolate truffle. there's also the fruity flavored tea from marriage feres that I'll grind very fine to use in my pound cake.

Ya-Roo Yang aka "Bond Girl"

The Adventures of Bond Girl

I don't ask for much, but whatever you do give me, make it of the highest quality.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, I remember I once did (already par-cooked) pork belly smoked with pu-erh tea and coriander. Served with a ginger, shoyu glaze atop chive pancakes. This worked really well and I should do it again.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

Cooking With Tea: Techniques and Recipes for Appetizers, Entrees, Desserts, and More by Robert Wemischner is a wonderful resource! I often use tea in my cooking, many times simply to poach fresh fruit .. jasmine is lovely for that purpose ...

recipe here (among others) :wink:

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I seem to remember Gale Gand using tea as a liquid with flavor in some of her desserts. I don't have any cookbooks on campus, though, so I can't check.

MelissaH

MelissaH

Oswego, NY

Chemist, writer, hired gun

Say this five times fast: "A big blue bucket of blue blueberries."

foodblog1 | kitchen reno | foodblog2

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have the book Eat Tea by Joanne Preuss and John Harney.

I have prepared a number of the recipes and have been very pleased with all of them.

I had prepared tea-smoked duck previously but find the recipe in this book is much easier and much tastier.

One of my favorites is a sweet dumpling simmered in tea, simply delicious.

Also, check through this list of recipes at The Cat-Tea Corner home of Teamail, the email Tea Discussion List.

Edited by andiesenji (log)

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have the book Eat Tea by Joanne Preuss and John Harney.

I have prepared a number of the recipes and have been very pleased with all of them. 

I had prepared tea-smoked duck previously but find the recipe in this book is much easier and much tastier. 

One of my favorites is a sweet dumpling simmered in tea, simply delicious.

That sounds yummy. I saw that on amazon.com. I think I'll try and pick up now. I forgot about tea smoked duck. I've never smoked anything. Is it hard? Do I have to get a smoker? Any tips? THanks Andisenji :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can smoke the duck (or chicken or turkey) in any pot that is deep enough to hold an inner container such as an inexpensive pie pan to hold the tea, and a wire platform to hold the pan in which you place the duck or whatever (I have done tea-smoked pork chops which are also lovely).

Check my previous post. I added another link to a site with recipes.

Try the black bean soup with tea, especially the smoky lapsang souchong. It is fantastic.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is a recipe for Tea-Smoked Duck Breast

Which is nice when cooking for only one or two.

This recipe from BBC gives you directions for using a covered roasting pan.

smoked duck

I use my extra large cast iron pot and sometimes do the smoking on the stovetop because it has a very tight-fitting lid.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

gallery_39656_2144_322260.jpg

I made my first recipe using tea. This is an earl grey creme brulee. Not bad, not quite to my tasting but wasn't bad. I think I may have baked it a bit too long and seeped the cream too long. I might try it again but I think I like the classic version better.

The recipe and my step by step is on my blog.

My blog

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lapsang Souchong (a smoked black tea) is one that I cannot stand in my cup. (My aunt calls it the "BBQ Chicken Tea" :blink: )However, I do use it occasionally as an ingredient in savory dishes, because it does have a savory-smokiness. I have marinated salmon filets in a mix of soy sauce, mirin, brewed LS tea, and some other seasonigns, and then grilled them. The smokey flavor from the LS tea was rather nice.

Edited by Macarons&Mozart (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lapsang Souchong (a smoked black tea) is one that I cannot stand in my cup.  (My aunt calls it the "BBQ Chicken Tea"  :blink: )However, I do use it occasionally as an ingredient in savory dishes, because it does have a savory-smokiness.  I have marinated salmon filets in a mix of soy sauce, mirin, brewed LS tea, and some other seasonigns, and then grilled them.  The smokey flavor from the LS tea was rather nice.

oh wow I didn't think to use tea as a marinade. Could you provide a recipe please? I'd love to try the salmon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I posted a link above to a site that has a wonderful black bean soup flavored with LS tea. Reading it gave me an idea and I added some to barbecue beans (canned, because I got home late from a trip) Sunday evening and they turned out wonderful.

black bean soup

Edited by andiesenji (log)

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is a lovely dish that a Burmese restaurant in Philadelphia serves-- a tea leaf salad. The leaves appear to be big whole leaves like you find in good Tung Ting oolongs and other teas where the leaves come balled up in little clumps rather than as little pieces. They're clearly soaked in water for a while to reconstitute them, and they're dressed with fish sauce and peanuts and little dried shrimp and other such things. A very strongly flavored and salty dish, but quite nice.

Christopher D. Holst aka "cdh"

Learn to brew beer with my eGCI course

Chris Holst, Attorney-at-Lunch

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've had Burmese Tea Salad a few times and enjoyed it very much. The flavor was quite intense and unique. Some of that is due to the other ingredients as cdh mentioned. I think I remember a smokey taste as well which I think came from the tea leaves.

A combination I've seen (often in French contexts) is prunes steeped in Earl Grey tea and then used in desserts.

I found a link here for a tea-steeped prune frangipane tart from Patricia Well's "Bistro Cooking".

I've made several other tarts from this book that were excellent, so I'd try this in a heartbeat. In the cookbook, she specifies either heavy cream or creme fraiche for use in these types of tarts. I love the flavor and texture obtained when using creme fraiche in tarts, so I'd probably try it that way first.

There used to be a really neat ice cream shop in SF on Polk St that made and served exclusively tea ice creams. I like good green tea ice creams, but it was an eye opener to try all the other tea ice creams they offered including jasmine and Thai-iced tea flavors.

Barbara Tropp has nice recipes and guidelines for tea-smoked poultry, including quail in her books, "The China Moon Cookbook" and "The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking". I've also wanted to try a dessert sorbet that she has in the latter book for "Pear and Jasmine Tea Sorbet". Here's her description:

"This is a sorbet of great subtlety. The color is a very pale blone, and the flavor is evocatively pear-like, with a refreshing aftertaste of jasmine tea."

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

I ran across this article today:

Click Here

Tea is one of those ingredients you don't often consider cooking with. It is a nearly effortless way to add or accentuate flavors.

There is a very interesting recipe there for a shrimp brine made with oolong tea.

This is a new one on me. I must confess I've never considered it!

Any other ideas out there?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

not really cooking but, sometimes I like to pour green tea or barley tea (mugicha or boricha) over hot rice

and if it's cold out, I will use cold tea over my rice...I used to do this a lot when I was a little kid and I'd eat that with little baby anchovies.

I believe the japanese do something similar with their tea called "ochazuke"

eta: I've seen people brine chicken with lipton tea for fried chicken before

Edited by SheenaGreena (log)
BEARS, BEETS, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...