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Archive for the ‘Tea’ Category

Tea or Chai is a ubiquitous favorite, no matter which part of the world you are in. Whether you are in the antiquities of Italy or by lanes of France, the high streets of United States of America or the road-side stalls of India, chai tea is a beverage equally loved and consumed across the world. Perhaps this is the reason of the wide range of varieties available in Chai Tea. Quik Tea alone offers over a dozen different types of teas which are completely ready to drink and come sleekly packaged in easy to use sachets which simply have to be added to a cup of hot water for a ready and delicious steaming cup of tea.

All these hundreds of varieties make Tea the most varied drink in the world and even though all these tastes have been introduced to people everywhere, the basic and common Plain Chai Tea continues to be the best tea on people’s lips to date. Plain tea hides its miracle in the simple sweetness of the taste that it delivers. The flavors of tea melt directly in your senses, the aromas unperturbed by the addition of any other ingredients. A cup of Plain Chai Tea is a treat like no other – the sharp, stinging scent of the hillsides of tea plantations and the mollifying taste of the dark grains of heaven which blend with water and milk make it a pleasure to behold.

Quik Tea Plain Tea is a product of the team’s diligent efforts to bring to you the best that the famous Indian teas have on offer. Quik Tea ensures that the tea which has been picked for you is not just the best in quality and colour, they also ensure that the attributes of the tea like its taste, aroma and medicinal properties are not just maintained but enhanced during the packaging process. Quik Tea’s easy to drink teas are a simple to make mix. They deliver right to your hands exactly the right blend of tea powder, sugar and milk. With Quik Tea Plain Chai Tea as well, we ensure that we retain the flavors and aromas of a cup of simple Plain Chai Tea.

Plain Tea is a very unique flavor of tea because it is not mixed with any other components. The true taste of tea is very distinctly felt and enjoyed in every cup of Quik Tea Plain Chai Tea.

As cooks become more experienced they learn new techniques and terms. I have been cooking for decades and have a pretty good understanding of both. But if you are still a stranger in the kitchen you many not be familiar with techniques or terms, especially similar ones such as marinate and macerate.

So what is the difference? When you marinate food you soak it in a liquid mixture to flavor and tenderize it. Teriyaki marinade is a good example. You can buy this marinade — a combination of soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, cooking oil and ginger — but I do not think it is as good as homemade. In a word, homemade tastes fresher.

According to the Epicurious website, the word marinade means “to soak food such as meat, fish or vegetables in a seasoned liquid mixture.” Marinade adds flavor to meat, fish, poultry, and vegetables. The website warns against marinating food in an aluminum container. To avoid a chemical reaction between the acid and the aluminum, you should always marinate food in a glass, ceramic, or stainless steel dish.

In her book, “A Matter of Taste,” Sylvia Windle Humphrey refers to marinades as “beauty baths that touch up cheap cuts of meat and leftovers.” What a description! According to Hunphrey, marinades work as well with expensive cuts of meat as cheaper ones. She says the process originated with sea-going ships that marinated fish in brine to preserve it.

Macerate refers to the same process, soaking food in seasoned liquid to infuse it with flavor, but the term applies to fruit. The Epicurious website says “a spirit such as brandy, rum, or liqueur is usually in the macerating liquid.” This recipe for macerated Strawberries and Blueberries Steeped in Black Current Tea is easy and unbelievably delicious. You may add raspberries if you wish.

Ingredients

1/3 cup boiling water
1 black currant tea bag
1/2 cup reduced sugar strawberry jam (raspberry may be substituted)
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup quartered strawberries
1 cup blueberries

Method

Boil water in microwave. Add tea bag and steep for 4-5 minutes. Whisk in strawberry jam, honey, and vanilla extract, stirring until smooth. Gently fold strawberries and blueberries into sauce and macerate for one hour. Serve in stem glasses and top with sweetened whipped cream or spoon over vanilla ice cream. If you are feeling adventurous, spoon the fruit and syrup over warm waffles. Makes four servings.

If you have ever frequented an espresso shop or cafe you most likely have observed something shown that is known as chai tea. This unique type of tea has its origins in the eastern countries of China and India. It is actually a spiced tea that includes different spices and herbs with ground teas to create a rather satisfying and aromatic drink.

The particular tea can be combined with hot milk whenever it is brewed to help make the drink richer and even more flavorful. A number of espresso shops will insert different flavors like vanilla or honey to offer the tea some variation.

The fundamental tea utilized for this particular drink mix is black tea. Sugar is additionally another ingredient used in creating this special variety of tea beverage which means that it in addition has a sweet taste to it. This drink has become so widely used in the cafes and espresso houses that many producers have made the exact same blends for men and women to buy in the store and make use of at home. These particular blends are usually obtainable in exclusive gourmet shops and web sites and also in grocery stores. The basic package of chai tea will appear as a powdered mix that you add hot water to.

You can actually additionally purchase the tea leaves as loose leaves to brew your own personal recipe of this kind of tea. In such cases you’d have to add the spiced ingredients, which could consist of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and allspice. You should in addition add more milk and sugar based on your personal taste. By simply creating the tea at your own home you have the capacity to add in the kind of flavorings you would like. You may possibly decide on a few drops of vanilla extract, an actual vanilla bean or honey. A number of individuals have even utilized flavored coffee creamers to improve the taste of their chai tea.

If you’d prefer the rich flavor of this tea, but do not want the mess of making it yourself, you can additionally buy ready made containers that don’t need any kind of preparation at all. These particular beverages have everything already included in the mixture, even the milk.

This will likely be a liquid that comes in a cardboard package strengthened with laminated plastic. The top includes a reclosable spout so it is possible to store the rest of the liquid inside your refrigerator. This ready made tea nevertheless needs to be heated up to enhance the full flavor of the brew. This is often quickly done utilizing your microwave oven with a microwave safe mug.

In case you have always appreciated this distinct tea beverage at your neighborhood coffee shop you are going to definitely delight in it in the comfort of your very own home.

I am sure that 99% of the population is familiar with the term “recipe”.Almost all of us have prepared recipes for our friends and families. But the problem is, are we familiar with the English tea recipe? Or have ever encountered an English tea recipe?

So for everybody’s knowledge, the English tea recipe basically is fully served in three courses such as with savories; scones; and desserts or sweets.Here are samples of the English tea recipe.

Under savories, the common English tea recipe is the Baco-Dilly Sandwiches.This specific English tea recipe is composed mainly of 8 oz. of cream cheese which is softened, 1/2 c. mayonnaise, 5 bacon slices that are finely chopped, 1 tablespoon of chopped green onion, 1 teaspoon of dill weed, 1/8 teaspoon of pepper, and 1 c. of toasted slivered almonds.The procedure of making this English tea recipe is just simple.First, in this particular English tea recipe, you just need to blend the ingredients until it is well mixed.Then spread half of the bread with a light crust of mayonnaise, and spread the other bread with the mixture of cream cheese.In this English tea recipe, to make each sandwich, you need to cut off the crusts, and divide into three parallel sections, or four triangles.

In terms of the English tea recipe under scones, the English tea recipe Easy Devonshire Cream is common.This English tea recipe include 1 c. of heavy whipping cream, 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar, 1/2 teaspoon of powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla or vanilla powder.The steps under this English tea recipe involve beating of all ingredients until it become stiff and then refrigerate and serve with scones and jam.As simple as that!

Under desserts, the usual English tea recipe is the Orange Cream Cheese Cookies.This English tea recipe includes 1/2 c. of butter, 1/2 c. of sugar, 1 1/2 oz. of cream cheese, 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon of frozen orange juice, zest of one orange, 1 1/2 c. of sifted flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder.The method under this English tea recipe is done by preheating the oven for 350 degrees.Then in a medium bowl, whip the butter and sugar until become fluffy, then beat in cream cheese and egg yolk.And in this English tea recipe, you need to add vanilla, orange juice, and orange zest to the mixture.Then sift the flour, salt and baking powder all together and fold into mixture.The dough in this English tea recipe must be chilled for one hour.Then drop the teaspoonfuls into a cookie sheet and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes.There is also a variation in this English tea recipe, and that is lemon rind and lemonade concentrate.

As you see the steps in an English tea recipe are so simple and easy to follow.All you need to do is to follow the instructions properly for a better result.

Looking for a chai tea recipe that will tickle your taste buds? That will not be hard to find. There is a growing trend in chai tea beverages here in the United States. Here you can find this centuries old traditional beverage being served with a new twist as chai tea latte, in milk shakes, frozen, with espresso added, and even in alcoholic beverages. There is no limit to the imagination of how to make chai tea.

It is causing quite a stir in the beverage industry. This hot, steamy and fragrant beverage has a centuries old history and tradition behind it. Found in many cultures, especially in India, where it is known as their “National Drink”.

Of course, the traditional chai is served hot, creamy and sweet. It was served for the health benefits the tea and spices deliver as well as for the enjoyable taste. Chai tea recipes can vary just as the ingredients that you choose to vary in the recipe. Traditionally, the drink consists of a strong loose leaf black tea such as Darjeeling, Ceylon or Assam tea. The tea is steeped in water and then additional ingredients are added such as heavy milk or cream, a variety of spices and a sweetener.

The sweetener is a very important component in the chai recipe as the sweetness brings out the flavors of the spices and enhances the drink. Without the sweetener, the drink is lackluster and boring to the palate.

The traditional chai tea spices are star anise, cardamom, whole cinnamon, nutmeg, fennel, clove, black peppercorns and ginger. Today you can get adventuresome and add chocolate, vanilla, mint, coriander, fennel seed and even saffron.

The secret to authentic chai is in the preparation. There are a few very basic principles to making the perfect cup of this fragrant beverage.

Let’s start with your ingredients. I like to put mine in a bouquet garni. That is a cheese cloth that I have placed the spices on, then bundle the cheese cloth up and tie them of with a string. You can also use a large organic tea bag to use as another option.

Place your pan of water on medium heat and place the bundled spices in the pan. Bring the water to a low boil. Then lower the heat to simmer. Place your loose leaf tea into the water and spice mixture and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes. If you would like a stronger tea, do not steep longer. Instead add more tea. Longer steeping will make your tea bitter. Remove the tea leaves with a strainer. Stir in the milk, vanilla and honey. Your chai tea recipe is ready to serve.