Why pair tea with food? Pairing tea with food is an adventure in flavors. It is also a good way to get to know the variety in the world of tea. Tea provides an extensive range of tastes, similar to that of wine but without alcohol.
What Can Tea Accomplish?
Tea has evolved for thousands of years along with regional cuisine to be the drink that goes along with meals. It is no surprise that it goes well with food. Like a small, midcourse amuse bouche or palate cleanser, tea is in one sense a great flavor bridge from one course to the next. More importantly it can also be paired with a specific dish -- to help complete the flavor journey of that dish.
Pairing Basics
The flavors of regional teas evolved with local cuisine, just like wine evolved with its local cuisine. So a good way to think about natural pairings is to look at the cuisine from the tea regions. For instance nothing could go with seafood better than Japanese green teas – such as sencha, bancha, or genmaicha. To take this a step further green teas in general (including many of those from China, Korea, and Vietnam) are superb with seafood. Rice and green tea is also a natural fit. In many traditional Japanese meals the course before dessert is often ochazuke -- rice made with green tea and often topped with savories like salmon or sour plum.
Lightly Oxidized Oolongs
Greenish oolongs are the best oolongs for pairing. Green oolongs can be made stronger and still remain smoother than any green tea. These teas have more sweetness because of the heavier body of the tea. They go very well with scallops, lobster, and other sweet rich seafood.
Full and Medium Oxidized Oolongs
The toastiness of these teas is the most prominent flavor characteristic, except in Oriental Beauty oolongs (which are purely sweet). Stronger flavors like grilled foods match well the darker oolongs. Duck with sweet Oriental Beauty is wonderful.
Black Teas
With pronounced tannins and a corresponding strong finish, black teas are excellent with very full-flavored foods like meats, curries, pastries, etc.
Pu-erh Teas
Since they come from the inland province of Yunnan in China, these go well with chicken and meats, stir-fried foods, and anything with lots of animal fat or other oils.
Iced Scarlet Glow
Very popular with our customers as well as our acclaimed restaurant clients, Scarlet Glow is a lively, sweet, and fruity blend of hibiscus, lemon verbena, milk thistle, nettle leaf, and elderflower. This caffeine-free herbal infusion is naturally sweet because we add the herb stevia to the blend. The hibiscus imparts a brilliant red color to the infusion which displays well in a clear glass. Our selection of iced teas are available as premeasured pouches, specifically packaged to conveniently make iced tea at home.
Scarlet Glow Paired with Grilled Brook Trout on the 'Today' Show
Dan Barber, the chef and co-owner of New York City's Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, N.Y., appeared on the 'Today' show this week, preparing a salad in a segment about cool foods to make during hot weather. He paired the salad (recipe below) with our Scarlet Glow. Stone Barns is a restaurant we are happy to work with, and Dan's philosophy about food is similar to our own. We encourage those of you who are nearby to experience a meal with them.
More About Dan Barber, His Philosophy, and Stone Barns
Blue Hill at Stone Barns combines a working farm, restaurant, and educational center in the spectacular surroundings of Pocantico Hills, revitalizing a collection of barns and creating a space that highlights the abundant resources of the Hudson Valley. The Barbers (Dan, at left, and his brother) have created a team of professionals who share their vision and possess the experience needed to execute it. The passionate and talented front of house and seasonal ingredient-driven menus will translate the surrounding beauty into an uncompromising dining and event experience. Dan on his philosophy toward food: The road ingredients travel from harvest to the dinner table becomes a part of their "character." Simplifying this path changes the taste, often enhancing it. Actively reconnecting the farm and the table creates a distinct consciousness. Through our choices of food and ingredients, we – chefs, waiters, diners – are inescapably active participants in not just eating, but in agriculture. This awareness adds to the pleasure of eating.
Summer Salad with Grilled Brook Trout
- 4 wholebrook trout – filet
- 1 bunch asparagus – ends peeled
- 4 baby leeks, split in half and thoroughly cleaned
- 8 farm eggs, poached
- 1 cup fresh peas – blanched
- 1 cup fava beans – blanched
- 4 cups mixed micro or baby greens – arugula, beets shoots, kale, whatever you can find at your farmers market
- 1 cup mixed herbs – parsley, tarragon, chervil, thyme, mint, cilantro, chives – again, whatever you can find at your farmers market
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/8 cup lemon
1. season trout filets with salt and pepper and brush with olive oil
2. place trout filets on prepared grill – skin side down - over medium heat. after 2 minutes, turn filets using a wide spatula. cook for an additional minute and remove from grill.
3. season leaks with salt and pepper and place on grill over indirect heat until leeks are tender. remove from grill.
4. season asparagus with salt and pepper and place on grill over indirect heat for 4 – 5 minutes. remove from grill.
5. in a large bowl, toss together the peas, fava beans, greens and herbs. add lemonette to taste and season with salt and pepper
6. to serve: arrange the greens, asparagus, leeks on a platter along with the trout
Lemon Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup lemon oil (recipe below)
- 1/2 t dijon mustard 1/2 cup olive oil
In a medium bowl combine mustard and lemon juice. Slowly whisk in lemon oil and olive oil. season to taste.
Lemon Oil
- 1 qts canola oil
- 4 pc lemon zest
- 1/4 bunch lemon thyme
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 stick lemongrass
In a medium saucepan combine all ingredients. place over a very low heat for 1 hour. Do not let oil boil. remove from heat, cool and strain. refrigerate until ready to use.
Iced Scarlet Glow
- Place 1 pouch in 1/2 gallon hot water. Steep for 3 minutes, then remove pouch.
- Allow to cool to room temperature or refrigerate. Pour over an equal amount of ice for service. Pouch makes enough tea for 1 gallon served ice tea.
- View Iced Scarlet Glow Pouches
- View Scarlet Glow Herbal Tea
Iced Tea Pitcher 
This 50-ounce clear pitcher, measuring 9 inches tall, is perfect for making and serving iced tea. You can either make a concentrate with one of our iced tea pouches and serve over ice, or cold brew your favorite loose tea in the refrigerator overnight.
No comments:
Post a Comment