It’s been a while since I had a tea read to share with you all. I was in love before I even opened it because the outside of the book was so pretty. Who doesn’t love a shiny pink foil book cover? Cooking with tea is one of my favorite things to do besides drinking the stuff so I was really looking forward to diving in. The introduction was short but packed with info, especially for those who aren’t as well versed in tea. I also really liked that she gave a list of all of the teas used along with a brief explanation of each. Readers can treat it as a short of tea kitchen shopping list.
The recipes are primarily divided by the time of day in which they would be eaten (Morning Tea, Midday Tea, Afternoon Tea, High Tea). The last section, Sweet Tea, focuses on desserts. The pages are peppered with beautiful pictures as well as tea quotes. Each recipe is written in an easy to read paragraph style. I love the personal notes from the author at the tops, relating many of them to close friends or travel experiences. Substitutions are listed for some of the harder to get ingredients which makes it much easier to whip something up on a whim.
Tea is used in so many unexpected ways that this book has left me inspired. I have so much tea around the house that I really should find more uses for it. My one and only qualm would be that I wish there were more pictures. I’m a perfectionist when it comes to cooking so I want to make sure that my dishes look exactly like they should. I had the pleasure of meeting +Annelies Z at World Tea Expo earlier this year. I only wish that I had my copy with me at the time so that I could have had her sign it. Make sure that you check out the recipe below, an excerpt from the book! I’ll definitely be giving it a try myself soon.
You can find out more about this book here.
Book was provided for review by Andrews McMeel Publishing.
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| Photo credit: Stephanie Shih |
ORLEANS ICED TEA
4 TO 6 SERVINGS
tea lovers, the smoky notes of lapsang souchong offer an alternative
to New Orleans’ distinctive chicory coffee. Over ice with a splash
of half-and-half and vanilla simple syrup, this is my drink when I’m
dreaming of the Big Easy.
cup water
cup sugar
teaspoon vanilla extract
cups lapsang souchong tea, brewed and cooled (¾ cup loose, coarsely
ground)
cup ice, plus more for serving
to 6 tablespoons half-and-half
MAKE THE VANILLA SIMPLE SYRUP:
the water and sugar in a 2-quart saucepan and set over high heat for
3 to 4 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Turn off the heat. Stir in
the vanilla extract. Cool.
SERVE:
the tea and simple syrup into a pitcher. Stir in 1 cup of ice until
dissolved.
each serving, pour 1 cup sweetened iced tea over 1⁄2 cup of ice in
a tall glass. Stir in half-and-half to taste. Serve immediately.
Steeped
by Annelies Zijderveld/ Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC