Throat Soother

Best cure for a sore throat is tea with lemon and honey, or even more simply, lemons brewed in boiling water with some honey added. It's such a nice drink, I wonder why I wait until I am sick to make it.

The Earl of Tea

I've always wanted to add an Earl Grey cupcake to my arsenal, and when we did TEA as the featured ingredient in this month's Iron Cupcake Challenge, it was the perfect opportunity to try one out.

I found this one online and it was pretty good. The only thing is, I am not a fan of self-rising flour. It has a weird, salty taste to me and I could definitely taste it in the cake.

I used double the amount of tea leaves called for, and that was definitely the right choice.

For the lemon frosting, I added both limoncello and lemon juice, as well as lemon zest. And the result was, well, lemony. So much so that it tasted good, but the subtle tea taste in the cupcake was lost.

I think I might brew some tea next time and experiment with that, and also try to find a bergamot to zest instead of lemon.

Oh and on top I added a candied violet, from a package that a friend brought me from France - love the color and taste.

So all in all, a good start, but needs tweaking. Tea-king? Never mind.

Green Tea Cake with Green Tea Cream Cheese Frosting

Finally! An excuse to bake a cake! For various reasons, a lot of my friends are away this month. I guess August is a popular month for people to be on vacation. Nobody asked me to bake anything since July 4th! It left me feeling a little bit empty inside...

This cake was supposed to be for a birthday with one condition that it had to be organic... So I trekked to Wholefoods and got all the organic flour, butter, sugar, eggs, etc. but the birthday boy got to eat only a tiny slice before I gave the rest away to my doormen, neighbors and friends.



I halved my favorite and reliable cupcake recipe and baked it in a tiny 6 inch cake pan and produced a small layer cake plus 9 cupcakes which I also gave away. I used tea leaves in the cake and matcha in the frosting. The result is distinctly green tea smelling and looking cake. I might have overbaked the cake a bit but the creamy frosting moistened the cake and helped cover it up.



Ingredients

• 1 3/8 cups all purpose flour


• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder


• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• 1 stick butter at room temperature


• 1 cup sugar


• 2 eggs


• 2 teaspoon green tea


• 1/2 cup low fat yogurt



• 1/2 stick butter at room temperature


• 1 package cream cheese


• 1 cup confectioner sugar


• 2 teaspoons matcha

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 6 inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper (if you want a mini layered cake) and/or line a muffin pan with liners.


2. With an electric mixer, beat a stick of butter with sugar for a couple of minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add green tea.


3. In a clean bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.


4. Slowly stir the dry ingredients into butter/sugar/egg mixture in 3 addition alternately with yogurt. When all the streak is gone, scoop into the prepared pans. Fill only up to half full.


5. Bake for 25-28 minutes in the 6 inch cake pan or 18-20 minutes in muffin pan. Let stand for a couple of minutes before turning out to cool on cooling racks.


6. To make the frosting, beat 1/2 stick of butter with cream cheese. Add confectioner sugar and matcha. Beat until fluffy and combined. Frost the cakes after they are completely cool.

Earl Grey Cupcakes

It was fun having people guess what kind of cupcakes these were. The closest first try was "the spice that you get after Indian food." Because I used the actual tea leaves in the cakes, some people were scared of how they looked. I had to assured them that I didn't use any bugs.



These cupcakes came out not as fluffy as my usual cupcakes. I guess it's because I used tea (water and tea) instead of milk. But I was happy with how they tasted. The tea flavor was noticeable but subtle. I used cream cheese frosting (with added 2 tablespoons of strong tea) because that's what I had but I think they might go better with whipped cream.



Ingredients

• 1 stick of butter at room temperature


• 3/4 cup sugar


• 2 eggs


• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1 teaspoon baking powder


• 1/2 cup strong earl grey tea (I seeped 3 bags of tea in 1 cup of hot water.)


• 1 bag of earl grey tea leaves

Earl Grey Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 stick of butter at room temperature


• 1/2 cup confectioner sugar


• 1 package of cream cheese


• 2 tablespoons of strong earl grey tea

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.


2. With an electric mixer, beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Beat well between each addition. Add tea leaves.


3. In a cleam bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder.


4. Alternately stir dry ingredients and 1/2 cup of tea into the butter mixture in 2 batches. Scrape the bowl when needed. When there's no streak left, spoon into the muffin pan. Fill up to half full.


5. Bake for 22 minutes. Rotate the pan half way through. Let cool completely on a cooling rack before frosting.


6. To make frosting, beat butter and confectioner sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add cream cheese and tea. Beat until combined.

Green Tea Shortbread Cookies

The first time I had matcha tea I thought it tasted like dirt. I guess it's one of those acquired taste. And I have acquired it alright. I tried putting the stuff not only in my drinks but also in cake, cookies, ice cream, pudding, and even my oatmeal breakfast. Some turned out great, so not so much. But this is the winner. Matcha + shortbread cookies = so-delicious-you-convince-yourself-it-is-healthy cookies.

The bitterness and subtle flavor of the tea complimented the simplicity of shortbread cookies perfectly. None of the ingredients overpower the other. I use enough tea in this recipe so that cookies taste and smell like tea but are not overly bitter.



The recipe is simple. I just basically add 1 tablespoon of matcha and a teaspoon of vanilla extract to my normal shortbread cookies.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour


• 1 tablespoon matcha (I got mine in a Korean supermarket for $9/2 oz.)


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 cup sugar


• 2 sticks (1 cup) chilled butter


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. With a food processor, pulse flour, matcha, sugar and salt together.


2. Cut butter into cubes and add to the mixture. Add vanilla extract. Pulse until butter is cut into the dough and the mixture is crumbly. Stop the machine just before the dough totally stick together and ride up the bowl.


3. Gather into 2 balls. Flatten and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or more until the dough is hard enough to roll out and cut without sticking. If refrigerate overnight, set the dough at room temperature for about 20 minutes before rolling.


4. If rolling and cutting out cookies seems like too much work, just roll the dough into logs about 1 inch in diameter. Wrap and refrigerate.


5. Adjust oven racks to the upper third and lower third. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.


6. Roll out the dough to about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick and cut out with cookie cutter. Or if using the log method, use a sharp knife to cut the dough out into 1/4 inch thick. Arrange in prepared cookie sheets. These cookies don't expand much so just give them maybe 1/2 inch space between each other.


7. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Rotate and switch sheet position half way through.


8. Let cool on the baking sheets for a minute then transfer to cooling racks. Let cool completely before storing or serving. The cookies develop more flavor and better texture when they are cold. They stay for about 1 to 2 weeks in cookie jars (not air-tight).

Day-After Food

After too much indulgence, I crave something rich and comforting. This was my day-after-Thanksgiving lunch with Kristina at Samovar in the Castro. It is Jook or Rice Congee, a typical Chinese breakfast food, with Duck. Salty, creamy, rich and flavorful with lots of condiments for an extra punch. Washed down with a pot of Gen Mai Cha (Toasted Rice) Tea, it is just what the doctor ordered.

I love a savory breakfast. Really it is not that far off from Grits with a Side of Bacon, but it somehow seems more exotic with the duck, peanuts, soy sauce and chopped ginger. Hey, if breakfast is at 2pm, it totally makes sense.

Tea Party

Mad Hatter: Would you like a little more tea?
Alice: Well, I haven't had any yet, so I can't very well take more.
March Hare: Ah, you mean you can't very well take less.
Mad Hatter: Yes. You can always take more than nothing.

Yesterday, Amy and I checked out the new tea room in Ghiradelli Square, Crown & Crumpet. The decor was absolutely beautiful (very Cath Kidston, for those of you who love her prints), with bright, happy colors and whimsical touches. They have managed to achieve a girly atmosphere without looking too twee.







We had the Tea for Two ($42) which was nicely presented and very tasty, but everything was too tiny and delicate to fill us up. It's unfortunate, because the place could have a lot of potential, especially in this location. Our server also seemed put off by Amy''s darling and very well-behaved little girl, and this left a not-so-sweet taste in our mouths. Pity.

The tea itself (I had a Bergamot blend) was delicious, and I would stop by again for just tea and a nibble, not a full meal. They would do well to develop a partnership with their next door neighbor Kara's Cupcakes, as I think the customer base would be very similar, as well as the aesthetic. We stopped by there afterwards for an additional sugar fix, along with a few other princesses in the neighborhood.

Chai Tea Shortbread Cookies

This has been in my to-bake/to-experiment list for a while. I love shortbread cookies with those few simple ingredients: flour, butter, and sugar. By themselves, they make light, buttery, crusty, melt-in-your-mouth cookies. With some interesting flavors or ingredients, the variations are limitless.



I ground 5 bags of Chai tea and added it to my shortbread cookie dough along with a teaspoon of vanilla extract. The cookies came out with subtle spice aroma. I actually got a request that more spice be added. Maybe I'll mix my own Chai spice and use that instead of teabags.



Ingredients

• 2 sticks butter - room temperature


• 1/2 cup sugar


• 2 cups flour plus more for rolling


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 5 teabags of Chai tea


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy - about 3 minutes.


2. Combine salt and flour together and stir into butter mixture. Stir in ground Chai tea and vanilla extract.


3. Form a ball from the dough. Wrap in a plastic wrap and refrigerate over night or freeze for 30 minutes.


4. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Roll out the dough on floured surface into about 1/4 inch thick and cut out with cookie cutter.


5. Bake for 35 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely on a cooling rack. Make about 50 cookies.

The Law of Tea

I had kind of a cute exchange with the counter girl at The Greenhouse Cafe today. She had just prepared my Coconut Black Tea and was handing it to me.

Me: "So, is this good with milk? Or just black?"
Her: "I like it with milk or cream. Maybe a touch of sugar to sweeten it a little."
Me: "Cool."
Her: "Give it a few minutes, you've gotta let it steep."
Me: "Oh yeah, sure. Of course."
Her: "I don't know why it is, but you cannot add the milk while the teabag is steeping. It just stops the steeping altogether."
Me: "Oh my god, I know! I have tried millions of times, and you just end up with milky weak tea. It tastes like dirty water."
Her: "Exactly!"
Me: "And you just have to start all over again."
Her: "Totally! You can never get it back. It's just...over."
Me: "And if you do it again, you have just spent twice as long as if you did it right the first time."
Her: "Yup. That's just how it is. You have to wait. You have to let it steep."
Me: "You have to be patient."
Her: "It's the Law of Tea."
Me: "The Law of Tea."

---moment of silence---

Her: "Enjoy your tea!"
Me: "Thanks!

Bring on the Fog

One of the things that we discovered in Vancouver was the London Fog. At first, we thought that it might be something that was a specialty of just one place, then we started seeing them everywhere.

A great hot drink for anyone who has switched from coffee to tea (*waves*), or tea lovers in general, it is simple, delicious, and has far less calories that what you'll find at Starbuck's.

Ingredients:
Earl Grey Tea
Vanilla Syrup (I used honey at home)
Frothed milk (skim works best)

I had to buy a milk frother, as the only one I had was attached to my old cappuccino machine (wah!). I found one at the grocery store for about $20 and it works fine - I'm sure there are even cheaper ones out there. For tea, I like the Republic of Tea "Earl Greyer". The tea may not be local, but the company is - based in Novato, my old stomping ground. The co-founders, Mel and Patricia Zeigler, have a long history in the Bay Area, and were also the co-founders of Banana Republic.
Remember when Banana Republic was a travel-based business? Those faux burnt-edged catalogs? The jungle-like atmosphere of the original retail stores? The company's roots are completely lost in the slick environment that you see today.

So in the spirit of the original Banana Republic, we travelled to Vancouver to find a London-inspired drink, and brought it back to our own (foggy) homes in San Francisco.

Cheers!

In Search Of...Maccha, or Matcha

This week, I was invited to a Sushi Happy Hour at my friend Susan's house, so I decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to make a recipe from my new cookbook, the Breakaway Cook. I figured that they would be covered on savory food, so I thought that a sweet, handheld treat with a Japanese twist would be just the thing. Maccha truffles - what could be more perfect?

I went to Japantown in search of Maccha, which is very fine green tea powder used to make ceremonial tea. My travels led me to the White Crane, a tiny tea shop in the Kintetsu Mall, owned and operated by David Furukawa-Chen.


It looks very unassuming, but is a very specialized and high-end shop, which is a pleasure to visit, both for the products and for the wealth of knowledge that David offers. He has worked in restaurants, owned his own catering business, and for many years was a food stylist, which requires a very artistic eye and infinite patience. I later read that he is a healer and practices acupressure as well. He is also a passionate home cook, and told me about some of his favorite recipes - we talked food, wine and restaurants for well over an hour! This tea shop is his labor of love, and he imports tea directly from Japan, from tiny regions and villages that otherwise would not have distribution in the USA. In fact, most tea that is imported is of a lesser grade, and the Japanese keep the high-end varieties for themselves.

While he was out of Matcha (he sells organic Uni Matcha Tea, which I will be back to try), I ended up sampling and buying the most incredible sencha tea, from high in the mountains. First I tasted the dry leaves, which were grassy and nutty, and with a crunch that reminded me of dried seaweed. Then I tried the tea, which had a beautiful flavor and a gorgeous delicate green color. Then, I tried the soaked tea leaves, which can be eaten or tossed into a salad - they are that fresh! Like a fine wine, you pay for quality. A bag of this tea costs $45, much more than I have ever paid for tea. But just like a fine wine, once you've tasted it, it spoils you for anything else.


Tradition and ceremony are revered at the White Crane. David wrapped my tea in handmade paper, wrote the name of the store in perfect calligraphy on the outside while I watched, fascinated, and tied it with a raffia string. Beautiful.


I am savoring a cup of my sencha tea now, and looking forward to my next visit to this gem of a tea shop. Just as I knew from the first sip that I was tasting a rare tea, getting to know David was to be in the company of a rare person.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Green Tea Creamcheese Frosting

The last time I made these cupcakes was about a year ago - for the same birthday party. The cupcakes were so successful that I meant to follow exactly the same recipe. I did - mostly. My tapioca pearl filling was left out way too long that it became very sticky and hard to work with. So no filling this year. I added a little more macha powder into the frosting for fear that the cupcakes wouldn't smell like green tea.



They came out fabulous.

Chai Latte Cupcakes

I have been meaning to bake this since I saw this post at Laurie's Kitchen. I'm taking just Chai spice mix and using my favourite vanilla cupcake recipe. The frosting will be just simple whipped cream - just like latte!



Ingredients

• Chai Tea


• 5 bags of Chai tea


• 1 1/2 cups soy milk



• Chai Spice


• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon


• 1 teaspoon ground cardamon


• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger


• 1/4 teaspoon ground clove



• Cupcakes


• 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour


• 1 teaspoon baking powder


• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 2 sticks butter - room temperature


• 2 cups sugar


• 4 eggs



• Whipped Cream


• 2 cups heavy cream - chilled


• 1/4 cup confectioner sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with liners.
2. Make chai tea, boil soy milk with tea bags on medium heat. Stir occasionally until we have strong brewed tea - about 2 minutes. Let cool.


3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and all the Chai spices.


4. With electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Beat well after each addition. Add vanilla extract.


5. Alternately stir flour mixture and Chai soy milk into the butter mixture in 3 batches.


6. Drop by tablespoon into lined muffin pan up to 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Let cool.


7. Make whipped cream by beating heavy cream with cleaned electric mixer, fist at low speed and slowly increasing the speed until the cream forms stiff peak. Slowly add sugar. Beat until well combined. Drop by teaspoon over cooled cupcakes.


8. Make 24 cupcakes.

These cupcakes came out very nice and spicy. The whipped cream was a little too light for the cakes. I might try spiced butter cream next time.

Time for a Nice Cuppa

I have always loved tea, but found loose tea to be a pain in the ass to brew. It's complicated, messy and you end up spitting out little bits of stray leaves that land on your tongue. Finally, I found a teamaker that is as easy to use as a French Press, and it brews the perfect pot of tea. Teavana, an Atlanta-based company with a store in Russian Hill, makes it. It's not pretty, but trust me, it works.


First I start with really good loose tea. I love the teas from Lupicia, a Japanese company that has a couple of retail stores in San Francisco. This is the Paradise Green Tea that Michael gave me as a gift. Teavana also has a wonderful Lemon Green Tea - when they make it for you there, they transfer it to an ironware teapot and present you with the leaves. So it's not so newfangled-looking.


I put a couple of scoops into the teamaker, which has a very fine filter at the bottom. Then I fill it with boiling water (I actually use the hot water from the water cooler, which is hot enough).


While the tea is brewing, you have to rest it on this little stand or it will spill all over the place. That is what happened the first few times I tried it, and I got so frustrated that I almost threw the thing out the window. Then I read the directions. I like being able to see the tea brewing, as I ususally gauge done-ness by color. After it's done, you lift the teamaker off of the stand and place it on top of your teacup or mug. It has a trigger and will start pouring a stream of tea into the cup. Tea pee, if you will. A glass cup or mug would be easiest to use, but I can usually tell when it is full. As soon as you lift it off, the stream stops.



And there you have it, the perfect cup of tea.