Tag: tea

Pork Chops with Apricot Peach Tea Glaze

Pork Chop with Apricot Tea 
In my ongoing quest of creating great dishes that use loose tea as a key ingredient, I’ve come up with some killer pork chops.  This recipe uses Apricot Peach Fruit Tea from the Portsmouth Tea Company to create an in-pan glaze that was born to love tender, juicy pork.  Too bad this tea is decaf – I’d sprinkle it over my bacon as a pick-me-up breakfast any day. 

Makes: 2 sweet chops
Total kitchen time: 15 minutes

Shopping List:

  • 2 boneless pork chops, trimmed
  • 2 tbsp. Apricot Peach Fruit Tea
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  1. Pat the pork chops dry on both sides.  Salt and pepper the chops on all sides.
  2. Coat the pork chops on both sides with the loose tea.  Press the tea into the skin of the chops until it sticks. 
  3. Place the pork chops on a room-temperature skillet (not nonstick) with at least 1” of space between them.  Cover the skillet with a  lid and place it over medium heat. 
  4. After 6-7 minutes or so, the fist side should be nicely browned.  Flip the chops and cook, covered, another 5 minutes or so or until cooked through. 
  5. By this time, a thick, sweet glaze has developed in your skillet.  Plate the pork chops and top with a heaping spoonful of the pan glaze.

Mmmmango Tea-and-Honey Sorbet

Mmmango and honey sorbet
I’m not much of a coffee drinker (strange for a Seattleite), but I do enjoy a good cup of tea.  Actually, I enjoy a frozen bowl of tea even more – get it, iced tea!  I’ve recently discovered the Portsmouth Tea Company, an excellent supplier of high-end tea blends.  Their "Mmmmango” tea is perfectly sweet and just slightly herbal – a great fit for tea-based sorbet. 

Makes: 2 quarts
Total kitchen time: 30 minutes, plus churning time

Shopping list:

  • 1.5 quarts purified water
  • 4 tbsp. Mmmmango tea
  • 3 tbsp. honey
  1. In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil.  Remove from heat.
  2. Distribute the loose tea among 4 tea bags or 2 tea infusers and place in the pot of water.  Let the tea steep for 25-30 minutes for maximum flavor.
  3. Once the tea has steeped, remove the tea bags and stir in the honey.  Adjust to taste with more honey, if needed, until the mixture is just slightly sweet.
  4. Refrigerate the tea mixture until cold, then churn using your ice cream maker’s instructions.
  5. Top with a drizzle of honey before serving.

I’m a big fan of sneaking loose tea into recipes, especially deserts.  Do you have any favorite tea recipes?  Are there any tea creations you’d like to see?  If so, leave a comment below!

Blood Orange Sorbet with Vanilla, Almond and Lavender Infusion

DSC_0064 
When flu season comes around, it’s important to soothe your aching throat with something healthy and delicious.  Yes, of course you’ll have plenty of tea and honey, but why not try a cold treat to numb away your woes? 

Makes: 1 prescription quart
Total kitchen time: 20 minutes plus freezing time

Shopping List:

  • 6 blood oranges (you can cheat and buy blood orange juice – about 1.5 cups)
  • 1 cup Muscat (dessert wine; you can drink the rest)
  • 1/2 cup blue agave nectar
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 1 tbsp. vanilla almond tea (loose tea in an infuser, or about 4 tea bags)
  • 1 tsp. lavender (in an infuser, or find lavender tea, about 2 bags)
  • 2 cups water
  1. Juice the blood oranges through a fine mesh screen to remove any pulp or seeds.  I used my potato ricer to get the oranges squozen.  
  2. Combine the blood orange juice, Muscat, agave nectar, vanilla bean (including the pod) and ginger in a medium pot.  Bring the liquid just to a boil, then remove from heat.
  3. Add the tea and lavender in an infuser or in loose tea bags.  Let the mixture steep for 10 minutes.  Remove and discard the tea.
  4. Add the water and refrigerate the mixture overnight or until cold.  Then, freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.

If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can still-freeze this recipe in a large, shallow baking dish.  Pour in the mixture and put it in the coldest part of your freezer.  Every 20 minutes or so, scrape the sorbet with the tines of a fork to break up the ice crystals.  You’ll end up with more of a granita than a sorbet, but it will still be delicious.