teaspoons & petals

teaspoons at the table: matcha dusted pancakes

The bright, vegetal flavor of matcha is reminiscent of the satisfyingly rich, bitter notes of pure dark chocolate. Both of which are an acquired taste. Over time, my taste buds began to crave the grassy notes of the finley milled Japanese green tea powder. Considering that it's an expensive treat, I've kept it out of my cookies, cake and bread batters (which often require a bit too much then I'd like to spare) and have reserved it for a vanilla rose marshmallow latte, salad dressing & orange blossom tapioca. 

As the snow fell like confectioners sugar from the sky yesterday (dusting the ground with glittering flakes), I was inspired to make my way to the stove and whip up a batch of whole wheat pancakes for lunch. I quickly realized that I was out of syrup and thought that a touch of powdered sugar would do the trick. And then the jar of matcha whispered my name. Just like that I found myself sprinkling delicate sugar from one hand and matcha with the other onto the warm pancake (some powder melting into the pancake to deeply flavor the whole wheat and other bits lingering on top for color).

talking tea with terrain

I was thrilled when Terrain reached out to me with a few questions about my tea rituals, favorite steeps & homemade herbal creations. And I jumped at the chance to bring them a few of my favorite dried herbs that get me through blustery winter nights. So, click over to their blog to take a peek at what I had to say.

And while you're there, explore the shop to see a few of my favorite finds (Cook with love tea towel, Wildflower wall calendar, Teak honey jar, Bubble placeholder, Jadeite tumbler, Bumbleberry chunk honey) 

sky-high steeps

There is something so very dreamlike about an elegant airplane ride as you fly high through the pillowy clouds. Although its rather easy to get grounded in uncomfortable territory with bland nibbles, oh-so-near neighbors who cross the "arm rest" boundaries, and the terrifically terrible tea (dust delivered in a bleached bag).

I prefer to tuck a few special tea sachets in my carry on bag that send me sky high while steeping in the air. Be sure to choose a black tea, roasted oolong or herbal blend that can stand the heat, since you'll be served near boiling water when you request hot water for tea. Hoping to send my senses to spring, I purposefully packed Ladurée violet black tea. The rich black tea was anchored by the perfectly perfumed aroma that scented the air around me. The softly sweet bouquet of floral flavors revived my taste buds. (p.s. while you can't buy this steeped delight online, you can pick up a mint green tin in NYC at their Madison Ave shop).

The next time you're heading to a far off land and are traveling in the air, try and tuck a few of your favorite tea sachets to steep amongst the clouds. 

a year of {chai tea} pies

Ever so often I turn my tiny mailbox key to find treasures from friends in the food world. This past fall, I found myself face-to-face with a copy of Ashley English's delectable book, A Year of Pies. While devouring the delicious words and imagining the sweet aromas, I paged through pie recipes to find the chai. The warming spices and matly black tea in chai are a baker's dream. They seem to sing when mixed into sweet apple slices and covered in a buttery crust.

tea today: lightly oxidized oolong

Without romantic, powder-puff snow showers, wintry chills truly lose their romance. On the colder grey days I often add lightly oxidized oolong to my petite yixing pot for the floral aroma that sends me to spring. Reaching into my tea cabinet, I pulled a tiny foil pouch that had tucked itself into a far corner. Without any label or indication of the particular tea inside, I knew that I would have to gently tear it open to see what leaves would be revealed. The tightly rolled green oolong balls and aroma sent me back to a taste memory of lightly oxidized green oolong from Taiwan. Maybe a Nantou Si Ji Chun? The smooth and subtly sweet lilac and honey tastes and floral aroma confirmed the visual guess. Although without an acutal label, I celebrated the mystery and continued to steep the leaves until their fragrance faded into the chilled winds whipping outside the window. Is it spring yet?

teaspoons at the table: whole wheat pear & chai crumb muffins

In hopes of starting the New Year with a sweet and steeped memory, I hurried into my kitchen to whip up a quick tea–infused treat. Faced with several perfectly ripe pears, chocolate chai tea and whole grain flower (that never made its way into holiday cookies), I decided to give a basic muffin a delicate, tea-infused twist. The perfect breakfast bite, these Whole Wheat Pear & Chai Crumb Muffins are slightly addicting (I dare you to make more than 6 and see how long they last…I say that while typing with crumbs that are dangerously close to finding their way into my keyboard crevices).

Fragrant pears are mixed into the somewhat savory whole wheat batter to add a hint of natural sweetness. The chocolate chai tea adds a pop of warming spices to the basic crumb topping, the real star of the treat (but don’t tell the pears). The first bite reminded me of soft yet satisfyingly hearty cornbread with a dainty dab of spiced pear jam. But maybe that’s just me. You’ll have to take a bite while it’s still warm from the oven (with just the tiniest bit of unsalted butter) and tell me what you think. And if you add a chocolate chai latte to the mix, well, you’re just spoiling your taste buds. 

 Keep reading for a Cacao Chai Giveaway from Zhi Tea & My Full Recipe