tea cookies....

the recipes below are easy and foolproof, keep long and taste good.

1. toasted almond biscotti--easy to make, hard to not finish
2. cardamon cookies--crumbly, rich, deliciously perfumed
3. basler leckerli--an ancient swiss cookie with honey and traditionally made with bacon as well!
4. orange currant scones--small round perfect scones


1. Almond biscotti: a recipe from my friend Jeremy
here is a simple almond biscotti recipe that is absolutely perfect and fool proof:


1 C whole almonds
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1 pinch salt
2 C flour
1 C sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350. Roast almonds 10-15 minutes. Reduce temperature to
300.
2. Use food processor or mixer
Food Processor:
Mix eggs and vanilla for 5 seconds
Add dry ingredients 1/2 cup at a time pulsing 5 times after each addition.
Add nuts, 1/2 cup at a time pulsing 5 times after each addition.

Mixer:
Beat eggs and vanilla into dry ingredients at lowest setting until dough
coheres.
Pour nuts in 1/2 cup at a time until they just begin to break up.

3. Knead (sticky) dough on floured surface with floured hands 3-4 times if
mixed with mixer or about 12 times if mixed in food processor (to distribute
nuts).
4. Let rest 1-2 minutes.
5. Form the dough:
divide the dough into 2 or 3 equal pieces (6" or 3" wide cookies)
Roll out into strips 12"-14" long, about 1 1/2" high
6. Place on cookie sheet, 4" apart, and bake for 50 minutes at 300.
7. On cutting board with a sharp knife cut into diagonal bars 1/2" wide with
quick decisive strokes.
8. Lay cookies on their sides on cookie sheets and toast for 35-40 minutes at
300 (depending on darkness desired).
9. Cool on rack.

Jeremy's notes:
I use blanched almonds or blanch them before toasting them. I also don't like
to break up the almonds at all. I mix them in by hand. I skip the kneading
part and just kinda pour them onto the cookie sheets and form log shapes as I
go. To slice use a heavy non-serrated knife. The key here is DECISIVE.


2. Cardamon cookies

cardamom cookies


1 stick of unsalted butter softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspooon lemon juice
2cups sifted unbleached flour
1/2 cup cashew nuts ground
3/4 teaspooon baking powder
1/2 teaspooon kosher salt
1.5 teaspoon ground cardamom

350 oven

first bowl: butter/brown sugar then egg/vanilla/ lemon juice.
second bowl: flour, cardamon, baking powder, salt and cashews.

Mix together.

1/2 teaspoon dollops..size of a large shooter marble....
12-15 minutes. Cool on racks. Three month life span.



3.Basler Leckerli

Ingredients for two medium size baking sheets:
* 450 g honey (16 ounces)
* 300 g sugar (10.5 ounces)
* 1 tablespoons of cinnamon
* 1 pinch of clove powder
* 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
* 100 g (3.5 ounces) ground candied orange peel
* 100 g (3.5 ounces) ground candied lemon peel
* 200 g (7 ounces) ground almonds
* Grind skin of one lemon
* 1 dl (0.4 cup) of kirsch
* 600g (21 ounces) flour
* 1 teaspoon of baking powder
* 150 g (5 ounces) confectioner's sugar
* 3 to 5 tablespoons of kirsch or water

Preparation:
1. Put honey, sugar, cinnamon, clove powder and nut meg in a pan, heat up slowly, then remove from stove.
2. Add candied orange peel, candied lemon peel, almonds and grind skin of lemon, stir until mixed evenly.
3. Add kirsch, flour and baking powder, knead on a table to form a soft dough.
4. While the dough is still warm, roll it out on the back of two greased baking sheets approximately 5 mm (0.2 inches) thick.
5. Let it rest for about 5 to 6 hours or over night in a dry place.
6. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes in the center of the pre-heated oven at 220 °C (430 °F).
7. Mix confectioner's sugar and kirsch or water, frost dough immediately.
8. Cut off stale edges. Cut dough in small pieces (5 x 3 cm, 2 x 1.5 inches), take them off the baking sheets and let them cool.

http://www.about.ch/culture/food/basler_leckerli.html



4. Orange Currant Scones (from Shel Kaganoff) via my friend Haejung....

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup (approx.) buttermilk
1 Tbsp. grated orange zest
1/2 cup currants

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir the flour, sugar,
baking powder, baking soda, and salt together with a fork. Add the cold
butter pieces and, using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, work the butter
into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Itís
OK if some largish pieces of butter remain ñ theyíll add to the scones
flakiness. Infuse the buttermilk with the zest, add to flour mixture and
toss with a fork only until the ingredients are just moistened ñ youíll have
a soft dough with a rough look. If the dough is too dry, add another
tablespoon or two of buttermilk. Gather the dough into a ball, pressing it
gently so that it holds together, and knead several times in the bowl until
fairly smooth. Form into a ball and place on a floured surface. Press into
an 8 or 9 inch disk. Sprinkle top with granulated sugar and cut into 8
wedges or use a glass to make round scones. Place scones on parchment lined
baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until both tops and bottoms
are golden brown. Bake at 425 degrees for the first 5 minutes and then at
350 degrees for the rest of the time. If the bottom is browning much more
than the top, place another baking sheet under it.

The currants can be added into the dry mixture or when kneading.

getting into tea......but first, a teapot......

The first posting is about getting started with a teapot.

What are some of my favorite teapot designs?

Well, there's the Bitter Teapot which is a german brand that lies down on its side to brew until it's ready. Then you tilt it up
before it becomes...well...bitter....


There's the Gropius teapot, a streamlined work of art.


There's the Betty teapot which is the British traditional round pot. That one holds a deceptive amount of tea. 8 to 10 cups.


You can also go retro and get a pyrex cruet or a white pyrex coffee pot. that allows you to simply reheat everything straight on the burner

For teapots that absorb flavours, you can go with the Yixing Clay teapots which, some swear, absorb so much of the tea flavour that, later, one can actually pour in boiling water and get the fragrance...sort of like a well seasoned cast iron pan? Maybe....

One can also just get a full on glass tea pot. Pyrex used to have a nice model that you can still find kicking around....you could put it straight on the burner but mine have been a bit on the delicate side.....

Then, of course, one can go Danish Modern....


And then there is the boiling of water. You've got several options here:

1. Just boil it like everyone else does on the stove--cheap

2. Get an electric teakettle which will boil your water in seven minutes flat...several companies make them.
Make sure you get the sort that can actually be taken off its stand. Otherwise, you're dragging the cord everywhere.
A particularly exquisite model is glass so you can see the water boiling madly.....60-70 dollars....

3. Get a zojirushi waterboiler/heater (100-200 dollars) This is like having a hot tap: a constant and instant source of hot water. Terribly convenient but tea people believe that water boiled and boiled over again loses its flavour. Well, is there scientific evidence to prove this? Yes. Boiling rids the water of oxygen. Oxygen (and a tiny bit of salt as well as other chemicals) gives water it's 'flavour'. If you don't believe me, check out the salinity of Evian. Way higher than tapwater. Sort of is reminiscent of saliva, isn't it?

I'd say option 2 is convenient but won't get you snubbed or parley itself into an inferior cup of tea.

Next, we'll talk about how to make a good cup of tea as well as some tea accoutrements....after that.....some good online tea sources and tea brands....