Class Is Over! – The Tea Tasting Recap

What a remarkable couple of days.  The weather was delightful for our two day, Eat . Be. Tea Tasting events held at Goin Native in the historic district of San Juan Capistrano, California.

Just enough sun and warmth came out to make for a cheery, comfortable environment.  Everyone showed up who was supposed to and who registered.  My assistants were remarkable, skilled, and a joy to work with…our site host, Marianne with Goin Native, offers a special environment which was beautifully set up for our guests.  Our chef, Kevin Montoya of Carley Cakes was all I had hoped he would be and more.  It was magical.  In the end…there were scores of tea converts too.  I know this to be a fact in that our local tea retail shop was “wiped out” next day of the varieties of teas we tasted and didn’t know why until someone explained to them about our class.  They happily have more Jasmine Downey Pearl, Masala Chai, Ceylon, Ti Kuan Yin Oolong and Assam on order.

Set up went smoothly.  One little glitch with the electrical for the three hot water kettles was quickly resolved by my able team and Marianne.  As we set the tables, the place took on an air of beauty, peace and calm.  A perfect environment to experience the “being” part of tea.  I will need to share this experience in two posts…this one is about the setting…next will be about the food pairing.

Below are photos of the set up and Goin Native garden ambiance.

Setting up…place settings included a hand-out reflecting menu for the day, info about tea & how to make a good cup & my favorite scone recipe – this photo is just prior to the guests arrival…Hils is insuring everything is in it’s place

As you can see, the environment was just beautiful.  So relaxing.  So conducive for learning, sharing, and having fun…and feeling special for a few hours….a good thing in this often harsh world we live in.

Tea making occurred on the porch…we felt like we were “perched” above the crowd while steeping away…my daughter, sister, and Hilary (my editor, agent, and inspiring hype girl), delivered perfect tea… 5 times over x 50 each day…whew!

Tea making station…perched on the front porch… 4 hot teas and one iced organic Ceylon Kenilworth Estate grown -  Mighty Leaf Teas were tasted – organic and single estate grown varieties…prepared using spring water.

It was interesting that on day 1…we went through less than one dispenser of iced tea; yet on day two, we went through 2 1/2 …had to quickly make up another batch.  It was just a tad warmer on day two.  The Ceylon tea works sooooo well iced.

On the back wall…we had instructions and timing noted for when, how much, and how long to prepare each tea.  It was quite a feat and well accomplished thanks in particular to my daughter.

Tea making schedule & instructions posted on wall behind the table

The setting is a relaxing, sophisticated rustic environ…where “vignette” seating areas abound.  The retail area integrated seamlessly into the setting.

Goin Native retail area, integrates with the environment

Marianne’s raised vegetable beds were abundantly growing and enjoyable to peruse while sipping an iced tea.

Goin Native’s raised vegetable garden in back yard

I had a lovely spot to greet guests to answer questions, discuss, and sign Tea With Betty books…

Book signing area…
Also, we gave each guest a few Mighty Leaf tea pouches to take home to try …organic black and green teas in the cello gift bags

The crowd was lively, yet seriously attentive.

Seriously attentive audience…yet fun and lively too -

In the end, it was motivating, inspiring and remarkable — my call to action for guests is to “Drink Tea”…it’s delicious and good for you…but don’t settle for anything less than quality, whole leaf, fresh tea…it’s taken a long time to get to America…we need to keep consuming to keep it coming.

Next post….will be all about the food we paired with the tea by our Chef Kevin Montoya of Carley Cakes.

All Set For The Big Day…

I was so rushed getting ready for our tea tasting that I didn’t get this post out before the events…am sharing it with you tonight and will fill you in on how things went over the next few days…am working on the photos now.  I will say that from the wonderful response,  there will be many more tea drinkers after seeing how much the attendees enjoyed the Mighty Leaf whole leaf, single estate and organic teas we consumed during the tasting and pairing with recipes from Tea With Betty.

Going back to the night before the event days…Written Thursday night – May 9:

The car is loaded…and I mean loaded…with a plethora of tea paraphernalia…ready for day one of our two tea tasting events this weekend.   Over 90 guests have registered (45 attendees each day)…we’ll be preparing a lot of tea.

I have …

120 tasting cups, three electric kettles, five infusers, 4 clear glass pots, timers, teaspoons, pounds and pounds of teas, handouts, pitchers, dispensers, dump buckets, 20 gallons of spring water,  even a Kitchen aide stand up mixer with whisk (for our pastry chef catering the event to be able to make meringue on site for the lemon meringue tarts), my mise en place for demonstrating how to make a biscuit scone, and of course, Tea With Betty books too…whew…I can’t get one more thing into the car.

We are ready to go!  Check out this car…

Car ready and loaded to go to the event site…tea tasting cups, Kitchen aide mixer, bottles of spring water, and more

Box filled with my “miss en place” for demonstrating how to make a quick bread – my favorite biscuit scone – dry ingredients are sealed with plastic wrap and butter and milk are in a cooler container ready for tomorrow

I went by our site to check out the set up with Marianne of Goin Native.  It feels good…cozy for such a big group.  We will put table cloths, table runners, and place settings out the morning of …it will transform the area into one of grace and beauty …  seriously…it will look beautiful thanks to others (I am not the best at decor…but have enormously talented people around me who are).

U shape set up for class – located in the unique, relaxing, historic area of San Juan Capistrano…on Los Rios Street at Goin Native garden.

Set up view from the other direction

This is the table where I will be setting up for signing Tea With Betty books after the class…a lovely location

Marianne / Goin Native has beautiful herbs and succulents for sale displayed in these rustic cabinets…a living keepsake from one’s time in this relaxing historic garden

I am just about finished with my prep of my presentation…  What a challenge to distill seven years of research about tea and tea time activities and foods into 40 minutes of discussion…but it’s done..”follow the”KISS” method of presenting” is what my good buddy Hils says… (K.I.S.S. stands for keep it simple stupid (or “silly” would be a nicer way to put it I suppose

Tomorrow morning  my crack team of helpers will meet two hours before the tea tasting starts to help set up.  I am a lucky girl for sure to have family and friends who volunteer to pitch in whenever I need them…it’s wonderful.  I did bribe them with food and drink though  I will certainly be posting photos when we are done.  It will be interesting to see how day one goes versus day two…a bit like the movie “ground hog’s day” I suppose.

Am off to bed now hoping to get at least 6 hours of good sleep…will update  this weekend as soon as I catch my breath.

Oh, one more thing for those of you who were following my 12 week challenge to lose weight so my blood sugar would drop to a “non-diebetic” level…which was extended for another 12 weeks-so really it was a 24 week challenge…which just ended today…  drum roll please….

Hurray… I did it!  Got those numbers down to a “boring” level as my doctor said today…Yay…I actually feel better…it’s amazing what losing 10 pounds and eating a balanced diet of carbs, proteins and fats will do for you…that along w/ a bit of exercise… and I even had a couple of scones (petite though they were) now and then…thanks for all your support.  Now I am not going to go crazy and ruin this good state I am in…However, I do plan on having one of my scones at the tea tasting tomorrow and the rest of the menu (as it is small plate, small bite oriented…and who can resist a lemon curd tartlet)… this along with a bit of pure healthy tea is a good thing.

Enjoy and I look forward to sharing photos of my first tea and food tasting from Tea With Betty…

What Are The “Best Before” Dates In Your Pantry?

My friend V. asked if I could show her how to make a scone, I said, “of course…  it’s quick and easy and your family will think you are the greatest.”  Well, life got in the way and months went by without seeing each other…then, via a chance meeting she attended that my sister happened to be at…we reconnected via text messages and finally calendared the time to make scones together –with lunch– at my house.  We invited a few other friends we had been “meaning to get together with for awhile too”,  making a girlfriend’s lunch out of it.  We’d catch up, bake, eat, and relax over a cup of tea.  It turned out to be totally fun with non-stop talk while chowing down roasted chicken salad, savory and sweet biscuit scones, jasmine pearl tea, and awesome Dove Chocolate peanut butter cookies made by our friend, A.  – we vowed to do this again in a few months.

I had everything prepared before my friends arrived except the scones.  Those we made together.  It took all of 15 minutes for two batches, savory and sweet.  I always make petite scones using a small cutter (1 ½” round) – and serve them hot out of the oven with various accompaniments.  That way, you get to have more than one and vary the topping…yet don’t feel like a little piggy while gulping three or four down

While my friend A. watched me demonstrate how to make the first batch, showing how I barely touch the dough to bring it together, ensuring a more tender product after baking…she exclaimed, “oh, that’s what you mean by dont overwork the dough’‘, mine always come out like hard little lead balls”…she went to say she uses my recipe from Tea With Betty and has this happen every time she makes scones (which she does often).  Well, being the conscientious cookbook author that I am, I probed as to what she actually did …and questioned her about the recipe …and worried over this for a few days until my sister and I were over at A.’s house for a quick cup of tea (for me) and wine for them the other day…sleuthing a bit, this is what I found out about her scones….

A. had made my cheddar chive scones for a lunch she had the day before.  She pulled out a few leftover ones for a snack with our tea and wine… they looked like little doughy leaden hardballs…and these she made AFTER participating in our joint scone making the week before.  I asked laughingly “what the heck did you do to these?”  She said she followed my instructions completely (and she is meticulous about things like this so I fully believed her)…I kept looking at these things she called my cheddar chive scones with puzzled exasperation.  My dough comes out pillowy …like this…

Soft, pillowy, tender, cheddar chive scone dough…how it should look

I asked how fresh her baking powder was, she said, it is fresh.  She bakes all the time and I believed her.  We sat down to our  beverages, but I couldn’t get this lumpy ball she called a scone made from MY recipe out of my mind.  I probed more and asked, “where do you keep your baking powder?” ( The doubting Thomas side of me emerging)…I went to her cupboards opening doors…found her baking powder…her fresh baking powder (so she claimed) and here is what she was using…remember, we are in the year 2013…..

Baking Powder tin, reflecting expiration date of…Sep. 2009 — oh, my

These are what her lumps she called cheddar chive scones looked like….

Dense, lump of a cheddar chive scone…it tasted good, just chewy

Needless to say, I confiscated this can and A. has purchased new baking powder. Amazingly, her next batch came out spectacularly light, flaky, and delicious!!

Check your code dates folks…FRESH, quality ingredients make a huge difference…while this story is something she will laughingly share with others for ages…or at least my sister and I will…A’s guests who experienced her old scones will be pleasantly pleased with the new batches.

Here is how flaky and light my biscuit scones should look…rustic, reflecting layers.

My basic, biscuit scone…rustic, easy to split and slather with butter, creams, curds, jams…whatever…using fresh baking powder

Enjoy with a cup or two of freshly steeped whole leaf tea….the best!

The French Laundry Winter Vegetable Garden

While recently relaxing in the small town of Yountville in Napa Valley, California…aka “Kellerville” by some funny foodies, we enjoyed watching the vegetables grow in Chef Thomas Keller’s gardens which are directly across the road from his famed French Laundry Restaurant.  While we did not go to the French Laundry for a meal, we did enjoy one of his other restaurants in town…Bouchon Bistro (twice)…He also has a fun restaurant called Ad Hoc too…we aim to go there on the Monday nights they serve their famous fried chicken.  We missed it this time…as it is served every other Monday (shucks).

His gardens are inspiring….simple and beautifully managed (of course, what else would you expect from this renowned chef).  I get a kick out of seeing what’s growing, then guessing how it will be served that night in the restaurants.  It seems Romanesco Cauliflower was certainly on the menu in some form as there were rows and rows of it, ready for picking.

The French Laundry Restaurant entrance

Across the street…The French Laundry Chicken coop and pen…adjacent to hot house

Gardens covered for the evening…and happy chickens

No more white strawberries – all picked

Wrapping up and covering up for the cool night…

Lots of ready to pick Romanesco Cauliflower

The next day…I went when all the tarps were lifted and the hot house was open…gorgeous produce was underneath – rows and rows of lettuces

Rows and rows of feathery, perfect, thin, chives

Starters in the hot house…what a cool place…once hardy enough, transplanted into rows…covered at night if cool temps were forecast

The produce in the Napa Valley is stunning, prevalent, and truly most flavorful.  We enjoyed the best salads on this trip.  Both my husband and I came home having lost a few pounds as we ordered fresh salads and fish at almost every meal which hit the spot for us with flavor and seasonality.  The produce takes prime location on most menus in the valley…it should as it is sooooooo good.

I came home to see how my little lettuces, baby kale, and fresh dill were doing in pots outside our back door…they looked pretty good too…

My teeny little lettuce beds

Most restaurants in this area have some kind of garden outside their building where they are able to grow their own herbs and more.  It’s nice knowing the source of the ingredients we consumed.

No problem getting your five fruits and veggies a day in this  ”produce basket” geography…that and a little wine…then a finish with a nice cup of tea (which they do right!) is perfect.

Enjoy

Got Tea? Dean & Deluca Does

I am a consumer who likes to know as much about the products I purchase as possible, including the origin of the item.  Name brands are my preference, in particular for a quick purchase, as inherently, there is a built-in trust factor for me that the company has processes in place which does most of the scrutiny about the quality of the ingredient for me.  I suppose this trust has been ingrained in me from my years of working for a global company whose guiding principle was focused on “quality.”

This “trust” principle holds true for me about how I feel about where I shop too.  Dean & Deluca is a food, wine, and kitchen store that simply offers fabulous products, and an array that is stunning.  Whether cheeses, chocolates, sugars, salts, olive oils, spices, or teas….when they offer a product, you get choice!  Lots of choices to choose from.  Rarely does one find a wide selection of brands of quality teas to choose from in one location.  You may find 75 different flavors of one brand of tea in a shop…but usually not many brands with a nice variety of flavors.  On my recent trip to the Napa Valley, this is the tea selection offered at Dean & Deluca in St. Helena.  It was double of what I saw last time there.  Many were French brands, all were high quality.  I did take a few home with me to try. One brand I hadn’t tried before was TWG…they had a New York City Breakfast Tea that I purchased to send to a dear friend who has just gotten into tea and loves NYC…

Enormous selection of delightful teas offered at Dean & Deluca

The Kusmi display was expansive, the most Kusmi I’ve seen anywhere.  I’ve recently gotten into their teas through the variety my sister-in-law brought to me from her recent trip to Paris…seems their U.S. marketing is in full gear  :-)

Dean & Deluca is not only serious about their tea selection…right next to those racks is the most interesting plethora of tea cookies and biscuits too.  I love a good oat cookie and they had several.

Tea cookies and biscuits at Dean & Deluca…outstanding selection—no need to bake today

As I was leaving, my heart tugged as I saw they carried the exact “Betty” teapot which I used as the model for my book cover…which has the double meaning of reminding me of my Mom, Betty… a heartwarming shopping experience this day.

The Betty Teapot for sale at Dean & Deluca…just the one I used for my book cover

Tea For Two … Easy Charcuterie Afternoon Tea Platter

Wine tastings and tea tastings parallel each other in several ways.  Last week,  while visiting the Napa Valley…we explored a few wineries.  I got to choose which ones this time.  Rudd Oakville Estate Winery was on my list.  I had heard wonderful things about their wines; however, the main reason I wanted to go was because Rudd also owns Dean & Deluca Gourmet Food Stores, as well as, Oakville Grocers and Press Restaurant in St. Helena.  I love visiting each of these fine food locales, thus was interested in going to the “source” and tasting their wines.  The tasting was consistent with the rest of this sumptuous empire – offering truly quality service and products.  It was fun, interesting, peaceful, and private.  A nice combination.  After perusing the Rudd Estate grounds and tranquil gardens, we sat down to a tasting which included this well-thoughtout line-up of flavorful morsels to try with sips of their wines.

Tasting at Rudd Winery included pairing dried fruits with Chardonnay, Prosciutto and aged cheddar with their Cabernet, as well as, dark chocolate truffles …our host was gracious and knowledgable

While pairing perfectly with the wines, this platter reminded me how much I enjoy a charcuterie platter paired with tea.  I first experienced this type of tea time menu some years ago on a business trip to the Chateau Whistler, Whistler Canada.  One day I had afternoon tea by myself, while the rest of our large party was off doing other things.  The Chateau called this tea an Alpine Tea…it included bits of meats, cheeses, fruits, and black tea served with a slice of apple strudel.  My mind was “opened” as I had primarily had English tea menus before this experience.

This tea turned out to be the inspiration for the format of my book.  It got me thinking about the global reach of tea and tea time and realizing that many tea customs are deeply rooted in the history, foods, teas and practices of that culture.  This Alpine Tea motivated me to research tea customs from a global perspective and sent me on a seven year journey resulting in Tea With Betty, the tea manual.

My version of this Alpine Tea (or charcuterie board) was a result of me raiding my refrigerator one afternoon before my weekly writing meeting.  I came up with several savory bites.  What I love about this type of tea time is it’s simplicity … you can make it as complex or easy as you like…this one was primarily “assembly only, right out the the fridge.”

Tea for Two – Charcuterie board…cheeses cut into sticks, meats, nuts, tomato rolled up by ham, crispy serrano ham with jam topped with manchego cheese … sausage rolled in puff pastry (I had made these earlier and froze them…baked them off for the board.–with dipping mustard)… served this with a black tea.

Many of my afternoon teas are as simple as assembling a small platter like this.  Often I have a petite brownie, cupcake, or cookie to include that I’ve held back from a prior baking and frozen.

For a “drop in” tea with friends…this is a satisfying offering and nice to converse over.  Use your imagination as to what to combine from what you have on hand.

Enjoy

The Rise Of The Artisan…Beautiful Chocolates…Everywhere I Turn

Years ago, a brilliant friend expressed concern to me about the dumbing down of humankind.  Advertising was getting more and more crass, news more sensational versus serious, products mass produced.  Retailers became more price focused versus quality focused, primarily because consumers seemed to only care about the price.  Well, she was right.  Except that in the midst of this mass of mediocrity being spewed at us, the rise of the niche marketer, the niche manufacturer, and the artisan has emerged…and they have emerged strong!  Many of them achieving almost rock star status in their field.

The internet and ability to quickly search for whatever it is you desire has been an incredible boon to most of us, (it’s how I’ve discovered much of the tea I prefer.)  Where brick and mortar mass merchandisers used to scare me because they offer so little choice in many categories, I am now comforted to know that for most things, I can still find variety via a bit of searching.  This week, in Dean & Deluca  (fine food, wine, and kitchen store), I came across stunning, artistic chocolates which identify their makers/chocolatier’s names on each tag.  Have you heard of Christopher Elbow? How about Chris Kollar?  These are two of the handmade, artisanal chocolatier’s products I was so impressed by this week, and since have seen their names and products in other fine stores.

I am thankful for artisanal master crafters of products who have such a passion for what they do.  I am grateful that they take a risk and give product development their all.    Hurray for the artisan –  bread makers, cheese makers,  farmers,  grist millers, wine makers, single estate tea growers….and on and on.  In this global society, we need the mass produced and the handmade artisanal goods to survive and to thrive.  In a way, it’s just one huge circle of a production cycle going from big to small, meeting the needs of all.

Tied to the rise of the artisan is the advent of the fresh, local market and shops that are popping up. San Francisco’s Ferry Building inspired many of these markets.   The Mix in Costa Mesa, California is one such place (mentioned in last week’s blog).  This week, we were told to check out Oxbow Public Market in Napa, Ca.  I will post about it soon, they had quality artisan shops featuring Tillerman Teas, artisan coffees, Hog Island Oysters and much much more…all individual “mini” shops featuring single maker, high quality, artisanal items.  While internet shopping is a good thing, there is nothing like being there, touching, smelling, experiencing the products.  These new shopping experiences actually feel like a “throwback” to the days of old when you walked on Main street to the butcher shop, then to tea shop, then the cheese shop…it’s kind of like  going “back to the future.”

This week…in light of Valentine’s Day…the featured artisan category from me is the chocolate maker…check these photos out…the product is even better than they look  -  I did some quality control checking while scoping out these guys   and I know from recent experience attempting to learn how to make beautiful chocolates that this is a true art, skill, and craft – with a bit of science involved too.

Photos through the glass at the famed Bouchon Bakery, Yountville, Napa Valley, California

Stunning Chocolate tarts and Eclairs at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery -I snapped these photos while in waiting in line to purchase my little old dachshund’s favorite doggy biscuits….

Valentine Chocolate Cupcakes at Bouchon Bakery

Chocolate Macarons and other flavors plus 
Peanut Butter Cups wrapped and ready to go

From the Vintage Inn, Yountville, Napa Valley, California – afternoon tea

Afternoon tea at Vintage Inn…Chocolate ganache filled tarts (in a chocolate shell)…with a crunchy chocolate pearl on top…decadent and delicious with tea

Dean & Deluca – fine foods, wines, and kitchen wares – St. Helena, California

Gorgeous shapes and fillings…these made by Chocolatier Christopher Elbow

Dean & Deluca Chocolate case

Chocolate Bars…Valrhona…and other artisanal products including Christopher Elbow

We got a tip from a pastry chef we met to check out the fabulous chocolates at Kollar Chocolates, Yountville…Chef and Chocolatier, Chris Kollar and Naomi Pasztor own this gorgeous, tantalizing chocolate shop which boasts a demonstration window.

Kollar Chocolates, Yountville, Napa Valley….open kitchen where you can watch the chocolatiers making beautiful chocolates

O.K…. I promise, this is the last post about chocolate for awhile…next I’m taking you to the Bale Grist Mill in St. Helena, Ca…where artisanal organic grains are ground in front of you.  I will be trying out some new recipes for quick breads and scones with the grains I purchased…buckwheat, polenta, spelt and more.

In the meantime, I am enjoying a cup of assam tea with one of those little rectangular dark chocolate ganache tarts right now…  mmmmm

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate With Chef Katie Averill

What a fun evening my daughter, A., and I had last night…thanks to my husband’s thoughtful stocking stuffer Christmas gift to me this year…a gift to attend a chocolate making cooking class at Eat Street Culinary in Anaheim California with Chef Katie Averill.  I’ve written about Katie once before, we went to the opening of her cooking school last September, the post was –  It’s A Great Time To Be A Foodie….She is an incredible pastry chef and an excellent culinary instructor too.

Katie graciously welcomed us.  We learned a lot in our 3 hour class, had fun, worked hard, and got to take home a lovely pink box filled with gorgeous chocolates that we each made…ourselves!

This was a hands on class…we paired off to freely prepare the four recipes we were to make under Katie’s tutelage.  We learned to temper chocolate which resulted in these professional looking, shiny, petite, ganache-filled fine truffle chocolates…I can’t believe we made these…from scratch!

My pink box…of just-made fine chocolates filled with the chocolate ganache we prepared in class…we used silicon candy molds.

Here is the finished product from our four recipes…

My finished platter…Coconut joy, Chocolate fudge with toasted pecan, Truffles filled with ganache

Here is a photo tour of our work in class last night…

Silicon candy molds for chocolate…really easy to work with and they last a long time–come in several darling shapes

We tempered chocolate over a double boiler, using a meat thermometer to ensure the temperature got to 115 to 120 degrees…the temp one needs to ensure the crystals of cocoa butter melt completely

While the tempered chocolate cooled, we prepared the ganache filling.  Some students used white chocolate and various flavors for their filling…Chef Katie uses a quality chocolate…Callebaut chocolate.

Block of Callebaut white chocolate…white chocolate has no cocoa – but does have cocoa butter – Chef Katie orders chocolate from the Kitchen Krafts website.

Some students used white chocolate for their truffle filling…my daughter and I opted for bittersweet chocolate.  Once our ganache and our tempered chocolate cooled…we built the truffles.  It took three steps.  Fill the mold with tempered chocolate to line the mold, chill….fill with ganache, chill….create the bottom by drenching in remaining tempered chocolate – scrape off, chill… pop out of molds and eat mmmmmm

Chocolate tempered and ganache ready for first filling of molds…

Stages of filling chocolate molds…above is ganache filled stage – below is final stage of drenching bottom of mold with shiny, tempered chocolate – overfill, then scrape with spatula to create even bottom of candies

Once chilled for the final time, twist truffles out of mold…here they are popping out of their molds…looking perfectly gorgeous.

Finished truffles, filled with chocolate ganache

Then we made fudge…and after that, coconut joy filling for truffles

Making fudge…ensuring sugar, corn syrup, cream and milk get to exactly 236 degrees before adding chocolate

Once chocolate is stirred in…pour mixture into a baking pan and leave undisturbed for 20 minutes…

Finished fudge…cooling…after having been scraped into a mixer -add vanilla – and mix for 3 minutes…after spreading on buttered parchment…allow to harden at room temperature – this is a freeform fudge

Chocolate fudge taking shape, sitting next to coconut joy, and toasted pecans as I readied to “finish” each candy

Fudge with toasted pecans

Making coconut joy filling for truffles – the liquid ingredients needed to get to 245 degrees before stirring into the shredded coconut

Coconut joy…we decided to eat them without dipping in chocolate…they were so good

The finished products, ready to plate — ready to gift — ready to consume

One more thing….we had extra ganache so I rolled them into truffle balls and dusted with Dean and DeLuca Dutch Processed Bensdorp Chocolate

Dark chocolate truffles, dusted in cocoa…my favorite

I will say…we were glad we didn’t have to do the dishes after class

Waiting for the dishwasher after class

After taking this class, I will not hesitate to make my own chocolates for desserts and gifts in the future.  I mean, really, can you believe how professional these candies came out in 3 hours of class time and bit of finishing time?  Am looking forward to more classes from Eat Street Culinary…my next one will be a savory class.  Thank you Katie!  You made A. and I feel quite accomplished.

P.S.  I should have a final update regarding my 12 week challenge at the end of this week…am keeping my fingers crossed that the numbers come in good.  Am still keeping on track even while enjoying a bit of dark chocolate.

Teas That Taste Like Dessert – Go Ahead, Indulge!

Last night I was craving something sweet.  As many of you know, I am coming to the end of a 12 week challenge to bring my blood sugar to a lower level.  I’ve been focused on eating fresh, whole foods, limiting carbs to 45 grams per meal, limited sweets during the challenge, and attempting to lose 10 pounds through diet and exercise.  Well, last night, I was just about to “get in trouble,” foraging through cupboards and our freezer to see if I had some little sweet dessert stashed somewhere, when I remembered that one of the teas my sister-in-law brought me from Paris included a chocolate spice variety from Kusmi Tea.  I steeped a cup in my favorite little steeping tea pot, from Tea Time Trading Company, which our friends, the Wickers, gave me last year.  It gave me the perfect cup.. hit the spot and saved me from myself.

You might want to enjoy guilt-free indulgence by steeping teas that taste like dessert.  Sheer  decadence without the calories…without spiking blood sugar levels either…what a treat.  Normally, I am a fan of “pure teas” with no inclusions or scents (other than jasmine), but this one really was dessert-like and satisfying.

Kusmi Tea – Russia and Paris, Chocolate Spice…gave off a deep chocolate flavor that was rich and fulfilling. Was excellent with a little milk.

Chocolate spice included the delicious scent of dried orange peel with the rich chocolate scent.

Loose chocolate scented tea leaves with spices

The perfect, one-cup, one-touch, steeping tea pot from Tea Time Trading Company in Napa California – top photo, empty pot, below – adding loose tea

Add water (middle photo) , close lid, let steep…release steeped tea into the bottom of the pot with a “one finger” touch on the red button.  Pour into cup and drink up.

Many of the tea companies I purchase from offer a wide variety of delicious teas that hit your sweet tooth – you get decadence in flavor without the calories and without artificial anything.

I’ve tried dozens.  Determining which ones are right for you depends on your tastes (of course)…below are offerings from tea purveyors whose product I trust and indulge in often.

Mighty Leaf teas has a six flavor variety pack of their chocolate truffle teas.  I purchased these a couple years ago and had an “all chocolate” tea for my teenage niece and her friends…they loved it.  Below is this year’s collection and their description of the blends.

“Our Chocolate Truffle Tea Collection includes sumptuous chocolate blends with rich tea leaves for a multi-sensory indulgence. Since ancient times, whole leaf tea and artisan chocolates have seduced the soul. Drink in the decadence of Mighty Leaf’s chocolate truffle teas.”

Contains 6 tins of loose leaf tea: Mayan Chocolate Truffle, Masala Chocolate Truffle, Chocolate Mint Truffle, Chocolate Orange Truffle, Mocha Pu-erh Truffle and Pear Caramel Truffle.

Mighty Leaf Chocolate Tea collection…

Harney & Sons is another excellent source for teas, including these sweet tasting offerings - Chocolate Mint, Apple Cinnamon, Soho Tea Blend which has chocolate and coconut, and a Valentine blend with chocolate and rosebuds.

Adagio Teas has Sweet Potato Pie, Nut & Spice, Coconut, Hazelnut, and Chocolate Chip, Caramel and Strawberry.

Most good tea purveyors offer dozens of  interesting blends.  I order the smallest portion size available when tasting a blend for the first time.  It’s fun to put on a  tea tasting with friends.  The feedback never ceases to amaze me.  Each taster offers a different perspective.

There are organic varieties (which I am ordering more and more of), Rooibus (African Red Bush, naturally non caffeinated infusions), and blends to include pears, caramels, cocoa chai (my grandson’s favorite), banana, orange spice and more.

When doing a tasting, I usually serve 3 to 5 different teas, using small cups like the one below.  Have a dump bucket on hand too so guests aren’t “stuck” with something they don’t enjoy.

Bodum petite tea cup with silicon band (to keep your fingers nice and comfy).

These tea blends make lovely Valentine’s gifts too.  I’ve been getting lots of emails this week with deals for Valentine’s day from my favorite purveyors.  It’s a good time to check them out.  (Harney & Sons and Mighty Leaf deals came through this morning).  Who doesn’t like chocolate for Valentine’s Day?…These tea blends offer a healthy, creative,  and tasty version of chocolate.   The tea is really good served with actual chocolate too (or pear, or caramel or whatever one you are tasting.)  Pair it up.

Seems there is a tea for every occasion…I encourage you to give some a try.

Challenge update: Next week I should have my final update on my 12 week challenge…I have plateaued at -8 pounds on the weight loss and been keeping on track with eating and exercise…I feel like the numbers should come out good this time…we’ll see (keeping my fingers crossed.)  I have appreciated all your encouragement.  I’ve also been working on new afternoon tea menus which burst with flavor and satisfaction, yet reduce carbs.  Will be sharing those going forward.

A Monarchy Tea Inspired By Royal Fashion @ FIDM Los Angeles/Irvine

Recently, my sister sent me an invitation to an interesting lecture held at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM), Los Angeles (at their Irvine campus) which included an enjoyable mid-morning tea buffet.  I will get to the tea part, but first, a bit about the collection and FIDM.

Invitation to this Monarchy Tea at the Fashion Institute of Design (L.A. and O.C., Ca.)

For 50 years, Los Angeles based historian, Helen Larson collected over 1,100 garments, primarily from England, creating an impressive historical fashion collection that apparently has left some British fashion historians wondering, “how did we let go of some of these iconic, historical pieces worn by our royals?”  FIDM’s fashion council and museum curators are on a fundraising campaign to purchase the entire offering from the Los Angeles based Larson estate, in an effort to keep this important collection from being broken up.  This lecture and tea was one of their fundraising events.  They have two years to raise the requisite funds.

The Helen Larson collection

Helen Larson was intrigued with royalty.  Most of her pieces with royal provenance were acquired during the 1960′s and 1970′s, when she employed British costume historian and dealer Doris Langley Moore to bid for her at auctions, as well as make contact with extended members of Britain’s royal family in hopes that they might part with old clothes worn by their illustrious relatives. Larson funded her hobby of collecting by creating an early “costume rental business” for the Hollywood entertainment industry.  She gathered impressive pieces worn by Queen Victoria and a variety of British monarchy through various sources and trunk buying at a time when few were purchasing “old” clothes.

About 100 guests attended this event which included a tour of the gallery featuring several of Larson’s royal collection, a lecture describing the provenance along with fashion details of each piece, and my favorite part, a Victorian inspired tea menu.

FIDM is a modern looking institute with high energy and invigorating design.  It was exciting to be around such potential. My sister has always been into fashion merchandising (which was her college major and degree) –  and going with her was a treat.  As we walked in, here is what we saw:

FIDM, Irvine Campus

Inside FIDM, walls depicting their focus – fashion, product, interior, furniture design

The interior is modern and conducive to collaboration, learning, and innovation.

Inside FIDM

FIDM L.A. has produced many renowned designers, including current popular fashion designer, Monique Lhuillier, who designed this Barbie Bride collectible.

They are proud of their graduates and show off their achievement in the lobby.

Barbie wedding dress designed by FIDM graduate, current popular fashion designer Monique Lhuillier

In the museum gallery, we were treated to a truly incredible display, including a reception gown worn by Queen Victoria (whom was a bit shorter and more stout than I remembered from my history classes).

Queen Victoria – reception gown

A bit of a train on Queen Victoria reception gown. I wonder if the reception included a cup of tea?

Royal children’s gowns – worn by Queen Victoria’s daughters

Princess’s gowns were included, this was my favorite in the gallery.

Formal gown worn by Princess Charlotte of Wales, 1816-17

More gowns:

Gorgeous, impressive, hand-crafted gowns.

O.K., we saw the collection, listened to several lectures, now, finally, the food.

Notice I didn’t say, the tea.  Typical of many a caterer, the tea just reeked.  It reeked of coffee.  They used a hot water urn that had obviously been used for coffee and it bled into the delicate fragrance of whatever tea bag one used.  So I will skip the tea beverage discussion and move onto the food, which was really good and nicely done.  The selection was so appropriate for a mid morning tea.  The finger sandwiches were nice and moist (no dry bread here).  The scones were perfectly sized, distinctively flavored, particularly the pumpkin scone.  The accompaniments were spot on and plentiful.  The caterer did a beautiful job of keeping trays refreshed as we masses hovered over platters of deviled eggs, cucumber sandwiches, chicken salad with almonds and celery, and plenty of sweets with scones as a feature (as it should be, particularly at a British royal inspired event.)

Beverage service…enough said   – oh, o.k., I will say the water with slices of cucumber in it was quite refreshing

Enticing platters of finger sandwiches and eggs too

There were two platters of scones, and plenty of toppings for them.

Platters of two types of petite triangular scones – pumpkin and currants, with plenty of accompaniments – cookies are in the forefront

Lemon curd and heavy cream fraiche…authentic and delicious

Here’s proof that all thoroughly enjoyed the food, which included “seconds” by most…

Empty platters, always a good sign that the food was good (as this was). And it was replenished often too.

We met interesting people and had dynamic discussions about the collection, teas, podcasts, and tea houses.  In particular, we enjoyed a spirited conversation with a young filmmaker and costume designer named Colleen Marie Monroe.  Check out her podcast which features fascinating costuming stories at constumecafepodcast.com.

As we talked about the tea,  I got truly encouraged that the twenty-somethings in the arts looking for great tea…and I mean the whole tea leaf… will lead the way to continuous improvement of quality in our U.S. tea business.  It seems that art, fashion, design and tea have a strong synergy.  To this point, a dear friend of mine just got back from Harney & Sons SOHO (NYC) tea shop, he said it was run by and inhabited by “hip twenty-somethings.”  All of which, I think, bodes well for more and better tea product in the U.S. going forward.

Regarding today’s tea service…I was thrilled with the food.  I will keep giving feedback –  one person, one caterer at a time – offering  this tip about serving tea (the beverage);  it’s pretty darn simple, “when serving tea – use fresh, clean, filtered, hot water that is pure of other fragrances, scents, or impurities.  Serve from  a vessel/urn dedicated to water only, never one that coffee has inhabited.”  It’s simple.

Week 10 Challenge Update:  Well, I have my fingers crossed still.  The four pounds I dropped while being under the weather last week have almost stayed “off.”  (down 3  I am so excited, while not the best way to lose a few pounds, I’ll take it!  I suffered for it …  So, two weeks to go and 8 down, 2 pounds to go… I am working out a bit everyday now (except Sundays…that’s currently my day to watch NFL playoff  football – go 49ers!)  Coincidentally, my challenge ends when the season ends…January 31.

Enjoy tea!!!  and tea time….