Cooking with Tea

lapsang souchong tea-smoked duck ham 

Sarah from Simply Cooked was our November Daring Cooks’ hostess and she challenged us to create something truly unique in both taste and technique! We learned how to cook using tea with recipes from Tea Cookbook by Tonia George and The New Tea Book by Sara Perry.

Thank you Sarah for the challenge. It was fun and a great way to use up the various teas I have in my pantry and I ended up preparing 4 dishes.

Beef Braised in Rooibos Tea with Sweet Potatoes

I didn't have regular sweet potatoes and used Okinawa blue. Thank you Sarah for the yummy recipe.

Lapsang Souchong Tea Smoked Duck Ham

On the day the challenge theme was announced, I had duck breasts that were seasoned 2 days before and ready to be smoked. I decided to use lapsang souchong tea mixed with raw sugar instead of the apple wood chips that were already soaking in water. The duck breasts were smoked in a small outdoor smoker at 210°F for about 2½ hours. The ham has a very strong smoke flavor, a real treat for Sunday brunch with sliced fruits and dinner rolls.

Hot-Smoked Duck Ham
adapted from CHARCUTERIE by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn

brine
2 quarts water
¾ cup kosher salt
¼ cup sugar
4 teaspoons pink salt
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup Madeira
1 bunch fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon juniper berries
1 tablespoon chopped sage

duck
6 boneless Long Island duck breasts, skin on

• Brine: Combine all the ingredients in a large pot. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until completely chilled.
• Duck: Add to the chilled brine and weight down with a plate. Refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. Rinse the breasts under cold water and pat them dry. Refrigerate them on a rack set over a small baking sheet and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Hot-smoke: Set smoker to 210°F and cook the breasts for 2½ hours or until internal temperature registers 160°F. 

Mussels Soup in Lemon Ginger Tea Broth 

This delicious lemon ginger tea-based soup was seasoned with fish extract, vegetable bouillon granules, and scallions. The tea has lemon and lemon grass and is excellent for a quick Thai-style soup.

Pork Hocks Stewed in Darjeeling, Earl Grey, and Assam Tea

This is a Filipino-Chinese pork hocks dish usually stewed in soy sauce, chopped onions, brown sugar, and star anise. I omitted the soy sauce and used brewed tea from a mixture of Darjeeling, Earl Grey, and Assam. I added dried lily blossoms and roasted chestnuts to the stew. We loved it!