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Brewing the best pot of tea
Start with a clean teapot
Black Tea: 1 teaspoon per cup, pour boiling water into a teapot & steep leaves for 3-5 minutes. Add milk & sugar if required.
Green Tea: 1 teaspoon per cup, pour hot water into teapot & steep leaves 2-3 minutes, add more hot water for 2nd pot, steep 1-2 minutes. No milk or sugar is required.
Herbal Infusions: 1 teaspoon per cup, pour boiling water into teapot & steep leaves for 6-10 minutes or to desired strength. Add honey or lemon to taste.
Iced Tea: 1 tablespoon per litre, place tea leaves in jug, fill with cold water, leave in fridge 4-8 hours. Serve over ice, add lemon & sugar syrup to taste.
Green Tea Smoothies
This drink could rapidly become addictive, make it whenever you need something sweet, cold and refreshing.
2 cups milk, 2 scoops vanilla bean ice-cream, 2 tsp green tea powder (maccha).
Combine milk, ice-cream and green tea powder in a blender, and whiz until the mixture turns a delicate shade of mint green. This will make two large smoothies.
Baked Green Tea Custards
400 ml milk, 2 tbsp castor sugar, 2 tsp green tea powder, 4 eggs beaten.
Heat oven to 160 degrees celsius. Gently heat milk and sugar in a saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove, whisk in the green tea powder and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl, then slowly pour in the milk mixture, beating until well mixed. Strain the mixture into a jug, pressing down on the dregs to push through any undissolved green tea powder. Pour into four small Asian tea cups and place in a roasting tray or baking pan. Fill tray with hot water until the level reaches halfway up the side of the cups. Bake for 20-25 mins or until set with a tiny shimmer on top when wobbled. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature on a small saucer with a small spoon.
Green Tea Cup Cake/Chiffon Cake
A very light Japanese green tea cake. Ideal if your looking for a low gluten sponge and if not decorated with cream is dairy free.
Ingredients:
Dough/batter mix:
110g Low gluten cake flour ( 55g potato flour & 55g cornflour)
2 level tsp powdered green tea – Matcha (available at The Tea Centres)
2 level tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
50g caster sugar
3 egg yolks
4 tbsp vegetable oil
65ml water
Meringue mix:
4 egg whites
50g caster sugar
Method:
1. Sift together the flours, baking powder, salt and Matcha.
2. In a separate bowl whisk together the 50g caster sugar and egg yolks, until pale in colour.
3. Add oil and water to egg & sugar mix and whisk together.
4. Add the wet mix to the dry ingredients and mix together into a dough/batter.
5. in a dry clean bowl, whisk together the egg whites and 50g of sugar. Whisk until smooth and stiff like a meringue.
6. Heat oven to 150 – 180’C (320 – 360’F)
7. Add the meringue mix to the dough/batter mix gradually and fold in. Try to avoid knocking out the air which you have incorporated into the meringue mix.
8. Add the mix to your pre greased cup cake patty papers or a pre greased tray.
9. Bake in the pre heated oven. Depending on the style or size of your cakes this Will determine the cooking time. Small cup cakes will take only 5 – 10 minutes baking tray could take up to 30-40 minutes.
10. Remove from oven, place on cooling wires.
11. When cool remove from tray and decorate. On cup cakes a small rosette of
whipped cream. From baking trays, two sheets of sponge sandwiched with whipped cream in between and a dusting of icing sugar on top.
Green Tea Butter Shortbreads
Ingredients:
120g plain flour
50g rice flour
pinch of salt
5g powdered green tea – Matcha (available at The Tea Centres)
115g butter
55g caster sugar
15g caster sugar ( for sprinkling on top)
2. sift flour, Matcha and salt together.
3. cut butter into small cubes and add to dry ingredients.
4. rub the ingredients together to form a crumbly dough. Try not to rub to long as over rubbing can make the shortbread tough.
5. roll the mix into a ball and allow to relax for about ten minutes in the bowl with a cover over it.
6. flour dust your table and rolling pin then roll out, keep turning the dough and
pushing the sides in to stop tearing around the edges. Roll out evenly all over
to about 1cm thick.
7. using a cutter or small cup or bowl, cut circles out of the dough. Place them on to a greased and flour dusted baking tray. Allow to relax again to one side for
5 - 10 minutes.
8. place tray in the oven and bake for 40 – 50 minutes. You may need to turn the oven lower if you find the shortbreads are colouring to quickly.
9. about 5 minutes before fully cooked bring the tray out of the oven and sprinkle the caster sugar lightly over. Pop back in the oven to finish baking.
10. place the baked shortbreads on a cooling wire. When cool pack in an air tight container.
