Besides water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage worldwide. Although steeping and drinking a cup is a deeply rooted ritual for billions, the leaves themselves also have culinary potential.
All true teas come from the same plant – Camellia sinensis – and are categorized as black, green, white, oolong or pu-erh based on how the leaves are processed. Tea leaves are often scented – with jasmine flowers or woodsmoke, for example – or flavoured with additives such as bergamot oil, in the case of Earl Grey, or aromatics such as citrus, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and clove. Tisanes are steeped like tea leaves but are made with caffeine-free herbs, florals and other aromatics such as ginger, fruit and spices, all of which have the potential to add flavour to your cooking.
Panna cotta made with a blend of lemon balm, lavender and camomile teas.Julie Van Rosendaal/The Globe and Mail
There are several ways to infuse your food with the flavours of tea: steep cream, milk or any other liquid with loose tea leaves – warm it to steaming, add tea and let it sit and steep, then strain. Tea-infused cream can be chilled and whipped, turned into ice cream, custard desserts, or used in any way you would use cream. Blend tea leaves into sugar to infuse it before using in your cookies, scones, cakes or other baked goods, or bloom loose-leaf tea with a bit of water to soften and wake up the flavour, then use it in vinaigrettes or marinades, beat it into batter or whip it into butter.
Matcha is even easier. The powdered green tea leaves, which don’t need steeping and straining, can be stirred into anything from pasta dough to buttercream frosting to cheesecake, adding a brilliant green colour along with a mild flavour and antioxidants. And smoky Lapsang souchong, a Chinese tea made by drying tea leaves over a pinewood fire, is a great way to infuse smokiness into sauces, marinades and cocktails.
Even steeped tea itself can be used as you might use water when making rice or fruit compotes or even soup – making it stronger than you would for drinking, or leaving the last of the pot to steep longer, will ensure its flavour comes through.
How we eat: This butter chicken with garlic naan is all about the sauce
Tea Panna Cotta
Panna cotta can be made with anything creamy, even yogurt. To infuse yogurt with tea, stir in a spoonful of loose leaves and let it sit for several hours or up to a day, then strain; if the yogurt is thick, you’ll need to thin it with milk, cream or water – or cold steeped tea. (The panna cotta in the photo was made with a blend of lemon balm, lavender and camomile.)
- 3 cups half-and-half, 18 per cent coffee cream or coconut milk
- 1 tbsp. loose-leaf black tea, such as Earl Grey or lavender
- 1 pkg. (1 tbsp.) plain gelatin or 1 tsp. agar-agar powder
- ¼ cup honey or sugar
- Crumbled cookies, fresh berries, fruit compote and/or edible flowers, for garnish
In a medium saucepan, heat the cream and tea until steaming; remove from the heat and let sit for about 20 minutes to steep. Strain and return the infused cream to the pot; sprinkle the gelatin or agar-agar overtop and let it sit for a few minutes to soften.
Turn the heat to medium-low, add the sugar and whisk until the sugar and gelatin are dissolved. Divide among ramekins or small dishes and refrigerate for two to three hours, or until set.
Serves four to six.
