Three Cups of Tea

I have always been a bit hawkish in my view on the war on terror, but I have modified my perspective after reading "Three Cups of Tea," by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.

I admit, the title intrigued me. This well written book about Mortenson's passion for education in the remote areas of Pakistan and Afganistan has given me a better understanding of the problems we face in the war on terror. It explains the life-investment one man is making as he competes for the minds of the illiterate against those who would rather teach radical fundamentalist Islamic teaching, known as Wahhabism. These are the inventors of the "University of Jihad," and their schools, or Madrassas, are growing in numbers as are their followers.

One quote from page 244: "The work Mortenson is doing building schools is giving thousands of students what they need [and cherish] most- a balanced education and the tools to pull themselves out of poverty." The need is severe and the state cannot fill it.

I would tell you more, but I have yet to finish. I'll keep you posted - or I can recommend that you get a copy and enjoy it yourself. Hope for a happy ending.

Holiday Recipes

Poached Pear with Avalanche Rooibos

Last week I had success with AvalancheRooibos and Chicken, so I thought I would do something different with pears? The results were marvelous:

In a sauce pan, mix 1 part wine or grape juice to 1 part Avalanche Rooibos. Be sure to use enough liquid to cover your pears completely. Then add 5 cloves and 2 tsp cinnamon.

Remove skin from the pear with a potato peeler. You can either half and core the pears or place the entire pear in the pot. Lower the temperature of to a very light boil and cook the pears for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, test the pear with a fork to make sure it is soft.

Using a slotted spoon, place the pears on the plate and allowed them to cool a bit. Meanwhile, reduce the poaching liquid by allowing to to boil lightly for another 10 minutes.

Serve with French Vanilla ice cream, pouring the reduction sauce overthe entire plate. Delicious!

Note: To decorate better, cook the skinned pear as a whole with the stem. Using a sharp knife, make 5 clean slices from the bottom to so that each slice is halfway to the top of the pear. This will allow you to fan the bottom of the pear onto the plate. Pour the reduction sauce on one-half of the plate, spread the pear out in the center and dust with powdered
sugar. Then serve ice cream on the side.

Stuffed Bird

Consider this: While stuffing your turkey, try adding Lapsang Souchong, the cedar smoked tea from the Fujian province. It will add a complexity of flavor that you will want to repeat again and again. The drippings will make a unique gravy and the smokiness will add curiosity
without overwhelming your food.

Spiced Cider

Instead of your usual mulled cider, try blending one part CranberryFruit Tea with one part apple juice and serve hot. It will add a healthy twist to this beverage.

Poached Pears

My son approached me yesterday with a mysterious question: "Can we have poached pears for dinner?"

Huh?

Let me see...mom's out of town, I have pears, why not.

My solution was as out of the blue as the question. Last week I had success with Avalanche Rooibos and Chicken - why not pears?

I mixed 1 part grape juice (left over from the concord grapes in the backyard), 1 part Avalanche Rooibos. I then added 5 cloves and 2 tsp cinnamon. We then halved and cored the pears and placed them in the pan for 30 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, we placed the pears on the plate and allowed them to cool a bit. Meanwhile, we reduced the poaching liquid to make a sauce (10 minutes on Med-Hi).

Serve with ice cream. Delicous!

Kandyan Bliss

I just located a tea recipe named after Kandy, the town that first produced tea in Sri Lanka. Be careful - this isn't your grandmother's tea (unless your grandmother is from Kandy).

Prepare a good brew of iced tea. Ceylon tea clouds when iced and is not considered good for making American iced tea for that reason. For fun and authenticity, let's stick with it.

Add 1 part gin for every three parts tea.

Squeeze lemon juice and sugar (or sugar syrup) to taste.

Drink it responsibly.

Stress Relief with out Herbal Tea

Relax with this from Cosmos Magazine by way of the Paraghraph Farmer.

Cosmos reports the following:

"SYDNEY: Daily cups of tea can help you recover more quickly from the stresses of everyday life by affecting levels of the stress hormone cortisol, a new British study shows."

Read more here.

Tea is not just for Adults - Just ask FAO Schwarz

We mailed our first shipment to FAO Shwarz today. I met the CEO in New York at the Fancy Food Show and our packaging and quality received praise and attention. After many conversations, they decided to add our teas to their in-store cafe. What an honor to be chosen in this long standing establishment, made doubly famous by Tom Hanks in the movie "Big."

Though their customers flock from all over the world to their New York and Las Vegas locations, adults and children alike, I am imagining a line of Prepubescents with their teddy bears and lego robots lining up to order a tall Apricot Peach Fruit Tisane. Let the tea stained pleasure and chaos begin.

Delightful!

New Rooibos experience

I came home this evening ready to make dinner, the chicken already defrosted. Wanting to come up with something new, I decided to cook it on the stove. I melted butter, added a bit of grapeseed oil, white wine, tarragon and rosemary. It needed something. I caught my stump pot in the corner of my eye and grinned, remembering a delicous lemon-pepper recipe I had a while back. Avalanche Rooibos might add the complexity I was looking for. Sure nuff. I cooked both sides in a covered iron skillet and served with rice and peas. It was a crowd pleasure.

This cooking with tea stuff is fun.