By now I’ve lost count of the number of places we’ve been to. Basically we’ve covered all the entries that were submitted before 17:00 EST on July 31st, but I can assure you that we have many more wonderful tasteTea dishes to see.
Is Earl Grey the new Matcha? Possibly, because for the second round-up in a row, we’re starting off with Earl Grey Cookies. But this time we’re in Chicago visiting Linda of At Our Table. Nicely speckled with tea, these cookies are easy to make and have “the certain je ne sais quoi that makes them special and unique without being overpowering.” A quick reminder that Linda will be hosting August’s IMBB #18 on Sunday. This month’s theme is Summer’s Flying, Let’s Get Frying. Be sure to check it out!
It’s off to London where Jenni of Pertelote has prepared a refreshing tea sorbet. She’s used a tea called, Promenade des Anglais that’s reminiscent of a rich, boozy fruitcake. If you like intense sorbet (like me), this is for you. I love the idea of making tea-flavoured sorbets, and I’ll certainly give it a try sometime.
Now we travel to Carson City, Nevada where Becky of Mmmm, Food… is taking part in her first blog event, and has prepared for us a feast of tea dishes. Our meal begins with a Custard Infused Egg followed by a refreshing Chilled Cucumber Mint Soup. Next is a Parpadelle Pasta with Apricot Sage Butter Sauce where the pasta takes on the wonderful aroma of apricot tea, after being cooked in it. Dessert consists of a luscious Strawberry Shortcake with Earl Grey Crème Anglaise. “The rich flavour and tang of the Earl Grey in the sauce really off-set the other flavours in a magical way.”
Up north to Eugene, Oregon we visit McAuliflower of Brownie Points who extols the virtues of cooking with tea. She first decides to make a Seattle Orange Spice TasteTea Ice Cream from Seattle Orange Spice, and the results are outstanding. In her own words, “If you are looking for a special treat to be spoon-fed by a lover on a hot day - this is your recipe…” On a roll, McAuliflower next makes a beautiful dish of Cantaloupe Sorbet with Green Tea Ice Cream. The soft sweet crunch of cantaloupe and the creamy bitterness of green tea ice cream are a perfect pairing. Take one bite and you’ll see why McAuliflower eats ice cream for dinner!
It’s back on the plane and off to Germany where Alberto, the creator of Is My Blog Burning? and author of Il Forno is awaiting us. He tells us that tea isn’t a beverage of choice in Italy unless you’re a foreigner, suffer from gastrointestinal problems, or are a snooty intellectual snob. However, being the exception to the rule, Alberto (thankfully enough) does enjoy tea. Today he’s come up with a most beautiful and creative Earl Gray scented Apricots and Cardamom cream Tart, based on a recipe by Pierre Hermé. In fact, he’s taken Pierre Hermé’s recipe to another level by turning it into a tart and matching it with a green cardamom pastry cream. A most elegant dessert that would certainly impress M. Hermé!
Our next stop brings us to Edinburgh, Scotland where we visit Melissa of The Traveler’s Lunchbox. Noting that tea is rarely used for cooking in the Western world, Melissa decides to make a friendly handshake between the two traditional Western preparations of soufflé and ice cream, and two Eastern flavours, jasmine tea and lemongrass. The result is a stunning and divine Jasmine Tea Soufflé with Lemongrass Ice Cream. The beautiful jasmine fragrance of the airy soufflé, combined with the herby and citrus lemongrass ice cream creates an amazing partnership of taste, texture, and temperature.
Back downunder to Syndey, Australia we fly to visit Deborah of The Food Palate who’s participating in IMBB for the first time. After much thought and deliberation she decided to make Chai Cupcakes with Honey Spiced Frosting which are simply beautiful, and undoubtedly delicious. The cupcakes have a fluffy texture, and are nicely flavoured by the Chai Masala and Darjeeling tea. The spiced honey frosting pairs perfectly with the Chai cupcakes.
Putting our time machine to good use, we travel back to the 18th century to Michigan where Carolyn of 18thC Cuisine has prepared Tea Over Ice. To her tea she’s added prunes, which not only gives the tea a fragrant fruity flavour, but the prunes themselves can be used to make Pruneaux, prunes in wine.
Back to the 21st century, we arrive in New York to find Jessica of Su Good Eats busy in the kitchen baking Green Tea Biscotti. A combination of green tea leaves, white chocolate and almonds, these biscotti fragrant and “delightfully crunchy, but not jaw-brakingly hard.” Better yet, they’re low-fat, so you can indulge yourself in Jessica’s wonderful creation without guilt!
Next we fly northwest to Edmonton, Alberta where Lyn of Lex Culinaria has concocted another brilliant dish. This time it’s Green Tea and Jasmine Turkish Delight, an easy to make dessert that would be a perfect sweet to end an Asian inspired meal. The green tea and jasmine give the Turkish Delight a wonderful and delicate fragrance and help make it sweet without being cloying.
Still in Canada, we travel east to La Belle Province to visit Michelle and Anthony of ...an endless banquet in Montréal. They tell us how important tea has been in their relationship, and then serve us a most elegant sandwich made with Michelle’s own Genmai Cha Bread. Through much experimentation, Michelle has been able to incorporate genmai’s aromatic roasted rice aroma into the bread. Today, they serve the bread with watercress and smoked salmon. The sandwich is nothing less than divine.
We end this morning’s journey in Singapore, where Mia of The Skinny Epicurean has baked some vibrant and dainty Rosehip and Hibiscus Tea Cupcakes. Using a concentrate of Rosehip and Hibiscus tea, her cupcakes are slightly tart with the texture of dense Japanese sponge cheesecake. A dollop of frosting adds sweetness to her tasteTea creation.
Still more to come!
Hi Clement,
I didn't realize there were so many participants. Seems like you selected a great category. Can't wait to see the rest!
Posted by: Reid | August 27, 2005 at 07:37 AM
Woohoo, my entry's up! You're making your way through. :-)
Posted by: Jessica "Su Good Eats" | August 27, 2005 at 02:24 PM
Wow---what a thorough and excellent round-up! Great job with this. You're a tough act to follow! :-)
Posted by: Linda | August 28, 2005 at 09:18 PM