# Cooking with tea



## CWS4322 (Jan 3, 2016)

We've discussed herbs, spices, wine, coffee,  citrus,  vinegars and other things to enhance or build flavours, but have we talked about using teas? Most of the time, I use tea as part of the bottom note,  but sometimes it is part of the top note. 

 I just made some quinoa for zucchini fritters. To the cooking water, I added lemon and mint teas. This got me thinking about teas and. how often I use them when cooking.

 I have added hibiscus tea to siimple syrup when poaching pears, oolong to ham/pork stock, made a reduction using chamomile and maple syrup...added ginger and lemon tea to poultry stock, rooibus to beef stock and reishee (sp) Asian mushroom tea--to  mushroom soup. 

Wondering how others use tea to build/enhance flavours? And which teas are your favs and why?


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## Kaneohegirlinaz (Jan 3, 2016)

CWS4322 said:


> ... snipped ...
> Wondering how others use tea to build/enhance flavours? And which teas are your favs and why?



Never thought about that as an ingredient before actually.  Not the biggest tea fan, but since being so ill this past year, I have been drinking some, mostly peppermint to calm my stomach.  I just steep some dried leaves in a cup and sip on that for the morning.


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## CWS4322 (Jan 3, 2016)

I hadn't thought of using tea until I had to test drive recipes for the food photographer. The recipes were developed by some of the top chefs in the area and included different ways of using teas. Now I include teas when thinking about recioes and how to "chef" them up. Infused rice with peppermint tea wirh  a lamb dish would be tempting to try...


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## Whiskadoodle (Jan 3, 2016)

I have used peppermint tea when making something like tzatziki in the dead of winter and don't have fresh peppermint to add to the yogurt.  Open a bag and allow flavors to combine.   I have a jar of garden peppermint now.  I s'pose I could  do the reverse and make tea.  

Earl Grey with bergamot would probably be an interesting addition to something.  

And there's Chinese Tea Eggs.  Hard boil eggs.  Crack all over, allow to steep in a black tea.  Create nice patterns.


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## CWS4322 (Jan 3, 2016)

Whiskadoodle said:


> I have used peppermint tea when making something like tzatziki in the dead of winter and don't have fresh peppermint to add to the yogurt.  Open a bag and allow flavors to combine.   I have a jar of garden peppermint now.  I s'pose I could  do the reverse and make tea.
> 
> Earl Grey with bergamot would probably be an interesting addition to something.
> 
> And there's Chinese Tea Eggs.  Hard boil eggs.  Crack all over, allow to steep in a black tea.  Create nice patterns.


Earl Grey is on my list as are a couple of herbal ones to infuse with EVOO....


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