Thanksgiving Dinner Southern Style – Iced Tea
When it comes to special occasion dinners no Southern table is complete without a pitcher (or two) of iced tea. As I wrote in my 2010 cookbook Third Coast Cuisine, “. . . iced tea is always sweet. If you order iced tea at a restaurant or café you should expect and receive a glass of sweetened tea. There is a drink who’s recipe closely resembles iced tea except for the omission of sweetener. It is called “unsweetened tea,” not iced tea. It is similar to iced tea in the same way that diet cola is similar to cola. But they are not the same thing.” I am no less resolute in that now.
Recently, I took up the subject of tea with a guy who knows a lot about it. Richard Rosenfeld is the owner of Two Leaves and a Bud, a premium tea purveyor out of Aspen, CO. Rosenfeld opened his company in 2005 with the mission of bringing the experience of the gardens back to his customers. He personally visits the farmers in exotic locals like Darjeeling, Assam and Sri Lanka and hand picks (sometimes literally) the tea he decides to sell. It’s safe to say the guy knows his tea.
Why do you think tea has become so popular with Americans?
I believe there are two major movements which have driven the growth in tea. One is health (and the movement away from coffee). And the other is the availability of better tasting tea, better quality tea in the US.
You know you’re drinking a good cup of tea because it doesn’t go bitter.
How does loose tea differ from the tea that comes in bags?
I look at it as wine from a bottle as opposed to wine from a box. You know wine from a box can be very good but generally wine fom a bottle is considered a much better wine. But how they are different specifically, you have two major types of tea – whole leaf tea and dust tea. There are lots of different dust teas out there and just because we don’t do dust doesn’t mean they’re bad. But they tend to be a little more insipid. They have a little less depth of flavor. A good glass of tea should have a top note, it should have middle notes and it should have a finish.
How long should you steep whole leaf tea?
For whole leaf black teas you’re in the four to five minute area. For whole leaf green teas you are in five plus.
So what’s my secret to a perfect pitcher of iced tea? Well I start with Two Leaves and a Bud’s Assam Breakfast Black Tea. I prefer the loose leaf but even the bags are still better than any tea you’ve ever had before. Then another premium ingredient, Demarerra sugar. Demerara is so named because originally it came from sugar cane fields in the colony of Demerara in Guyana. It is an unrefined sugar like the more common Turbinado (popularly known as Sugar in the Raw which is also a great sugar for tea). I like Demarerra because it has the subtle notes of brown sugar and molasses. It usually comes in large caramel colored crystals.
The final ingredient is filtered water. I don’t want any outside flavors disrupting my perfect pitcher of iced tea. That’s also why I never steep more than five minutes. Many people think this will make a stronger brew but that isn’t true at all. It will only allow more outside flavors into the tea, then you have to use more sugar to cover them up. If you want stronger tea, use more tea leaves.
| Perfect Iced Tea |
- 4 tablespoons loose black tea
- 1 cup Demerara sugar
- 3 quarts filtered water
- In a 2 quart saucepan bring 1 quart water to a boil.
- Add tea, cover, and remove from heat. Allow to steep for no more than five minutes.
- Strain the tea through a very fine sieve or coffee filter into a three-quart pitcher.
- Add sugar and stir until all sugar is dissolved.
- Add the remaining 2 quarts of water and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Critical Easter Recipes
Well it’s Easter Morning, you’ve forgotten to plan and now you only have a few hours to get ready. Here’s a quick reference to the recipes you need:
We’ll start with the obvious, eggs. From the eggsperts (I know. I want to kick me, too, but I had to do it) at incredibleegg.org:
Hard Boiled Eggs
Eggs
Water
- PLACE eggs in saucepan large enough to hold them in single layer. ADD cold water to cover eggs by 1 inch. HEAT over high heat just to boiling. REMOVE from burner. COVER pan.
- LET EGGS STAND in hot water about 15 minutes for large eggs (12 minutes for medium eggs; 18 minutes for extra large).
- DRAIN immediately and serve warm. OR, cool completely under cold running water or in bowl of ice water, then REFRIGERATE.
- CUT eggs lengthwise in half. REMOVE yolks to small bowl. RESERVE whites.
- MASH yolks with fork. ADD mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper; mix well.
- SPOON 1 heaping Tbsp. yolk mixture into each egg white half. REFRIGERATE, covered, to blend flavors.
Egg Salad (My own)
6 Hard Boiled Eggs
1/4 cup mayo
1 tablespoon mustard
Salt & pepper to taste
- CHOP eggs.
- MASH eggs with fork.
- ADD mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper; mix well.
- REFRIGERATE, covered, to blend flavors.
1 ham (5-6 lb.)1 cup brown sugar
1 ½ cup Coca-Cola®
1 cup crushed pineapple (optional)
- Wash ham thoroughly.
- Rub fat side with brown sugar.
- Pour Coca-Cola over ham.
- Pour crushed pineapple over ham.
- Bake at 450 degrees for 3 hours.
Makes 6 servings
— Submitted to Coke by Carol Johnson of Turtle Lake, Wisconsin
Honey Roasted Lamb w/Sautéed Pears (from Third Coast Cuisine)
1 1/2 cups honey (preferably orange blossom honey)
3 springs of fresh rosemary
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 sprig fresh thyme
1/2 cup Olive Oil
2 tablespoons coarse salt
3 tablespoons fresh cracked pepperPreheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Place the remaining rosemary, thyme, and garlic into a blender or food processor and pulse into a coarse paste. Add the olive oil and blend for 10 to 20 seconds. Add the salt and pepper and pulse a few more times to blend. Set leg of lamb in a roasting pan with a rack. Rub oil-spice marinade all over the leg of lamb coating the outside and the inside. You may want to truss the leg of lamb with butcher’s twine at this point. Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes then lower the temperature to 350 degrees F and roast about 10 to 15 minutes more per pound. After 30 minutes baste the lamb with rosemary infused honey (reserve 2 tablespoons for later) and return to oven until the internal temperature is 130 to 135 degrees F. for medium rare, 140 to 150 for medium. Remove from oven and cover with aluminum foil while you prepare the sautéed pears.
SAUTEE’D PEARS
4 medium firm ripe pears
4 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 tablespoons rosemary infused honey
Balsamic vinegar
Cut each pear into 8 wedges, removing the core and stem. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add honey and pears, stirring gently. Cook until lightly brown, approximately 5 minutes. Remove to serving plate, drizzle with balsamic vinegar, and top with roast leg of lamb. You may also wish to drizzle the lamb with balsamic vinegar as well.
1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups AP flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon lemon extract
Lemon Glaze (below)
LEMON GLAZE
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Combine all ingredients, stirring until sugar dissolves.
Nanner Puddin’ (there is no such thing as banana pudding)
5 ripe bananas, sliced 1/4 inch thick
60 – 70 vanilla wafer cookies
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 – 3 tablespoons butter (unsalted), sliced
3 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
In a heavy saucepan on medium-heat combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Slowly stir in the milk making sure to fully dissolve the cornstarch. Whisk in the eggs one at a time then add the butter. Continue stirring until mixture starts to thicken and reduce to a simmer while stirring vigorously for 1 full minute. Remove from heat, blend in the vanilla, and cover the puddin’ with plastic wrap (be sure to place wrap directly on the puddin’).
Line a 1½ – 2 quart backing dish with half of the vanilla wafers. Spread half the pudding into the dish followed by half the nanners. Layer the wafers, remaining puddin’, and nanners reserving some of the puddin’ to cover nanners to prevent browning. Once again press plastic wrap onto the puddin’ and refrigerate 4 – 24 hours. Just before serving top with Whipped Cream.
Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Chill a large non-reactive bowl until very cold. Do the same with your whisk or beaters from electric mixer. Once bowl and beaters are chilled combine the cream, honey and vanilla and beat until thickened. Serve immediately.
4 tablespoons loose black tea
1 cup Turbinado, Demerara or Sugar in the Raw
3 quarts water
In a 2 quart saucepan bring 1 quart water to a boil. Add tea, cover, and remove from heat. Allow to steep for five minutes BUT NO LONGER. Strain the tea through a very fine sieve or coffee filter into a three-quart pitcher. Add sugar and stir until all sugar is dissolved. Add the remaining 2 quarts of water and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Be sure to check out my full Easter Brunch Menu HERE.
