Lapsang Baked Beans

Well… if you’re like 99.9% of Americans watching the superbowl, you’re probably not drinking tea, and definitely not Lapsang Souchong tea! But the Lapsang black tea can find its place amongst the thrills of the plays, halftime show and the commercials in a most subtle way. At the suggestion of one of our favorite tea writers, Margaret Studer, I made some Lapsang-soaked black beans – Boston style – in honor of one of the two teams facing off in Superbowl XLVI. The result was fantastically delicious – smoky, thick and just spicy enough. Now to come up with a NY-style recipe before Sunday… From my understanding, however, Coca-cola is going to be the highlight of this year’s broadcast. Happy Superbowl, everyone!

Lapsang Baked Beans Recipe

Ingredients:
3 cups black beans
3 T Lapsang Souchong tea leaves
1 Large Onion, finely diced
1/2 lb. bacon, chopped (if desired)
3 T molasses
1 T black vinegar
2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t dry mustard
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions:
Cover beans in cool water and soak for 2 hours. Drain and discard liquid.
Steep Lapsang leaves in 32 oz. boiling water for 8 minutes. Remove and discard leaves.
Place beans in 24 oz. of the Lapsang tea infusion, and cook in slow cooker until all the tea is absorbed (about 6 hours). Add water, if needed, to keep beans covered in liquid.
Put beans in casserole dish and cover with onions and chopped bacon (if desired).
Stir together remaining 8 oz. of Lapsang Souchong tea and the rest of ingredients, heating gently until well mixed. Pour over beans in baking dish and bake, covered, in oven preheated to 325 F for 2.5 – 3 hours, or until beans are tender and glossy.

This year’s inspiring field of contenders for Best Picture at the 83rd Academy Awards inspired me to do an Oscar-themed dinner Sunday night, to celebrate the event with our most movie-passionate friends. Each element of every course had a connection to one of the nominated films. It was a fun and laughter-filled evening, and I’m looking forward to what next year’s field of nominees might entice us to serve up.  I even won a $5 bet :)

Oscar-Themed Dinner Menu

Hors d’oeuvres:
“127 Hours” trekker gorp (with ginger – thought that would go well with the drink)
“Toy Story 3″ Snack Mix (with goldfish and other toy-like snacks)
“Fighter” Cape Codder cocktail (while going to school in Cambridge, MA, I worked in a dive bar… where besides the pitchers of beer that got slung around, the most populah drink was the “Cape Coddah”. I have trouble drinking them still. But this version with Tito’s (my new fav vodka) handmade in Austin, TX, and Organic Cranberry juice went down quite smoothly!

Appetizer course:
“The King’s Speech[less] Salmon” (King salmon filet which I cured for 3  days in green jasmine tea, coarse sea salt and honey – recipe to be posted next week!)
“The Greens are All Right” (field greens with a meyer lemon-shallot dressing)
“The Social Network” Butter Pretzels

Main course:
“Winter’s Bones” (BBQ marinated baby back ribs)
“True Grits” (cheesy grits with corn)

Dessert course:
“Black Swan” (Molten [black swan] chocolate cakes with powdered [white swan] sugar, in a raspberry coulis [representing blood] with a rock sugar candy epee [representing the broken mirror] – Sad but beautiful and delicious!)
“Blue Valentine” (A cocktail of Blue Curacao and white Creme de Cocoa, with a red heart ice cube)

After-dinner drink:
“Inception” Dream Maker (An Absinthe drip, to top it all off!

"Black Swan" - complete with black & white swans, "blood" & broken mirror!

I know that tea isn’t a new thing in this world, though it may be relatively new to some of us, but I’m still constantly amazed when I find new and creative ways to enjoy it. When I ran across this recipe for Tea-Infused Eggs from appetiteforchina.com, I had that same amazed reaction. I’m constantly trying to work tea into new drink mixes, new food dishes, new times of the day. Never once had I thought of tea-infused eggs, but it sure seems like a delicious idea to me! I just had to pass it along. This recipe mentions Pu-Erh, which sounds incredible, but it’s always my nature to stretch the limits of things: how about Lapsang Souchong, our Bolder Breakfast Blend, or maybe even Hojicha?

Chinese Tea Eggs (www.apetiteforchina.com)

Just last week I submitted this recipe to About.com, and wanted to share it here with all our Tea Spot customers as well :)

Red Chai is a recipe which we at The Tea Spot hold dear. Our inspiration for this delectable Chai concoction comes from the roots of our company. Originally, The Tea Spot stood as a tea bar in downtown Boulder, Colorado, exposing us to a variety of customers. Along with their business, came a myriad of cultures, experiences, and passions. In our search for the perfect Chai recipe, we solicited recipes and methods from as many Indian cooking experts as we could find. Through patrons, personal, and business connections, we received great feedback and a host of Masala Chai recipes. During our testing and tasting process, we honed in on this particular method of Masala Chai preparation. Though the traditional Assam tea-based version was vastly popular, we adapted our process to green and herbal teas as well. The resulting caffeine-free organic Rooibos version became a signature cafe drink with the regulars. My personal favorite twist on this recipe is to make it with soy or almond milk.  Steep it up and drink to your health!

Masala Chai Spices at Indian market

Red Chai

Ingredients:

Spice mix: 8 g cloves (1.5 tsp); 8 g fresh cardamom (2 tsp, or 1 tsp if using ground cardamom); 18 g fresh ginger, chopped (1 heaping TBS); 1/2 bay leaf; 1 tsp fennel; 1 tsp peppercorns 1 stick cinnamon.

50 g (1/2 cup) Red Rooibos tea leaves

1/4 cup (4 oz) honey

2 cups milk (you may also use soy or almond milk)

Method:

1. Steep spice mix in 8 oz boiling water. Marinate overnight in fridge. Strain out spices from marinade.

2. Steep tea leaves in 2 cups boiling water for 6 minutes. Strain out Rooibos.

3. Add honey and strained spice mix marinade to Rooibos tea.

4. Heat milk to just below boil.  Combine with Rooibos tea and spice marinade, and serve immediately.

Original Masala Chai recipe from The downtown Boulder Tea Spot

Photo by Pak Ladies

Climber’s High Naan

A tribute to one of my favorite loose leaf teas

Climber’s High is a super-charged blend of teas, spices and herbs formulated to provide a refreshing daily lift for people with active, high-energy lifestyles…Just like me!!!

Naan, a leavened flatbread, is one of my favorite breads to eat. It is soft, chewing, and extremely versatile: serve it with kabobs, cut it up and dip in hummus, use it as as wrap , make a flat bread pizza, etc.

A touch of The Tea Spot’s Climber’s High loose tea gives the naan an earthy spiciness  that reminds me of the great outdoors. Try it, you’ll like.

Ingredients

• 2 cups lukewarm water (about 100°F)
• 1 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1 cup lukewarm milk (about 100°F)
• 27 oz. (6 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more or less as needed
• 1 ½ TBS CLIMBER’S HIGH loose tea, finely ground (reserve 1 tsp to sprinkle on top)
• 1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. coarse salt
• Vegetable oil for the bowl
• 3 to 4 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

To make the dough: Stir yeast into 1/2 cup lukewarm water. In a small saucepan heat milk to lukewarm, 100°F. In a large bowl combine the milk and remaining 1-1/2 cups water. Stir in the yeast mixture and about 2 cups of flour, stir in the same direction until smooth. Add tea and  salt and continue stirring in flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough is too stiff to stir, but is still soft. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough until it’s smooth, 4 to 5 minutes, incorporating only enough flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Wash, dry, and lightly oil the bowl. Put the dough in the bowl, cover with plastic, and let it rise in a warm place for about 2 hours.

To shape and bake: Preheat the oven to 500°F.

Using a pastry brush, lightly grease 2 baking sheets with some canola oil. Slide the baking sheets into the center of the oven for a few minutes, just to heat the baking sheets a little, don’t leave it too long.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut in half, putting half of it back in the bowl (covered) while you work with the other half.

Cut the dough into four equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball by rolling the dough on the counter and brush with melted butter. Do the same with the other half.

Roll each ball out to about 1/8-inch in thickness. When all the ovals are rolled, brush off any excess flour.  Keep centre slightly thinner than edges. Sprinkle a little salt and the reserved Climber’s High loose tea over the naan. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and arrange the naan in a single layer, 4 pieces per pan. Bake until they are light brown and puffy, about 5 minutes. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and transfer the naan to a serving platter lined with kitchen towels to keep them warm.

For a fun, fast, healthy, and delicious naan pizza recipe visit : Tea Spot Chef