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08 MARCH 2020
Tea à la Russe, a sweet temptation…
It’s time we began discussing the amazing relations tea has with cooking, be that with savouries or with sweets. We will come back to this with up-to-date newsletters and we will discover other important categories and ways of preparing tea.
Here’s Russian black tea, known for its bitter taste since infusion takes for ages in the small teapot on the samovar, whose water we add before serving the tea.
Of course, the bitterness is greatly reduced when we alternate sips of tea with a small spoonful of jam or caramelised fruit, or better still with sugar cubes from cane sugar left to melt slowly in the mouth. Jam from red fruits, typical of Russia (raspberry, blueberry, blackcurrant…), plum, cherry, even rose petals. Tea often accompanies also lemon zest, honey, baranki (small biscuits in the shape of a ring) or walnuts, as well as gingerbread, served with tea in the afternoon.
We have selected 2 recipes, a savoury dish to accompany black tea and a cocktail combining tea and vodka, a classical recipe ideal for those very chilly days. Give the Russian way of tea making a go one evening and you’ll be amazed at its charm, harking back to another period altogether.
BLINIS WITH SMOKED SALMON AND CUCUMBER
• Serves: 6
• Preparation time: 20 minutes
Συστατικά:
10 cl thick cream
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 cucumber
2 cl olive oil
18 small blinis
300 gr of smoked salmon
1 bunch of chives
Salt, crushed red pepper flakes
Preparation:
Beat the cream with a whisk as with whipped cream. When it is three quarters set, add the lemon juice, salt and crushed red pepper flakes.
Peel the cucumber and remove the seeds. Cut into small cubes. Add a little salt, a little paprika and olive oil.
In each blini leave a little cream, a thin slice of smoked salmon and a few cubes of cucumber. Finish off with a few strands of chive.
TEA-VODKA
Συστατικά:
3 parts black tea
1 part honey
1 part vodka
1 slice of lemon
Preparation:
1 part honey
1 part vodka
1 slice of lemon
Preparation:
Mix in the ingredients and bring them to the boil. Serve hot with lemon.
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Russian Nights
A classic blend inspired by a 19th-century recipe. Since citrus fruit was considered a luxury in Russia at the time, orange rinds were kept so that they could be used to flavour tea. A base of black tea flavoured with seven citrus fruits: lemon, orange, grapefruit, citron, bitter orange, mandarin and bergamot.
In 19th-century Russia, citrus fruit was extremely expensive and exotic, and each fruit was sold in individual packaging. Only few could afford it, and it was a highly regarded gift.
Ceylon OP
Black Ceylon tea from the Dimbula region. Picked in early February, the twisted black needles produce a copper-tinted brew dominated by woody, forest aromas and notes of treacle. A strong, rich-bodied tea that leaves you feeling invigorated.
Assam Dikom TGFOP1
An exceptional quality, second flush tea from Assam, India, adorned by golden tips. A typically well-rounded and full-bodied brew with malty undertones and aromas of cocoa butter and sugar cane. Goes wonderfully with milk and leaves a sweet aftertaste.
Russian Nights
A classic blend inspired by a 19th-century recipe. Since citrus fruit was considered a luxury in Russia at the time, orange rinds were kept so that they could be used to flavour tea. A base of black tea flavoured with seven citrus fruits: lemon, orange, grapefruit, citron, bitter orange, mandarin and bergamot.In 19th-century Russia, citrus fruit was extremely expensive and exotic, and each fruit was sold in individual packaging. Only few could afford it, and it was a highly regarded gift.
Ceylon OP
Black Ceylon tea from the Dimbula region. Picked in early February, the twisted black needles produce a copper-tinted brew dominated by woody, forest aromas and notes of treacle. A strong, rich-bodied tea that leaves you feeling invigorated.Assam Dikom TGFOP1
An exceptional quality, second flush tea from Assam, India, adorned by golden tips. A typically well-rounded and full-bodied brew with malty undertones and aromas of cocoa butter and sugar cane. Goes wonderfully with milk and leaves a sweet aftertaste.
