Tea Recipes 2019

THE CHARLOTTE HERB GUILD TEA 2019

Dill Bread

Pat Siegfried

1 package active dry yeast                                               

1/3 cup warm water                                               

1 cup 4% milk fat, small curd cottage cheese              

1 tablespoon butter                                                           

1 tablespoon sugar

1 generous tablespoon dill seed

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion/chives

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg at room temperature

¼ teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 to 3 cups unsifted, unbleached flour plus extra for kneading)

Dissolve yeast in warm water.  It helps to put in a little bit of sugar or flour to the yeast).

Put cottage cheese, onion, butter, sugar, dill seed and salt in a small saucepan.

Heat on low heat until warmed and the butter starts to melt. This will only take seconds (warm, not hot!). Add the egg and beat together. Stir in the yeast.

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a mixer.

Start adding the flour gradually, beating well after each addition.  Batter will become very stiff and sticky. Scrape down sides of bowl, mound the mixture and spread the top of dough with a small additional amount of softened butter.

Cover the bowl with a towel; allow to rise in warm place until at least doubled.

Turn dough onto a floured board and knead gently for a minute or two, or until the batter takes on the appearance of proper bread dough. Gather into a ball 7 put in a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and bake until the loaf shrinks from the sides of the pan, browns and sounds hollow when tapped (about 35 to 40 minutes).

Turn out onto a rack to cool. If you like, brush the top of the hot loaf with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse salt.

Vegan Cucumber Tea Sandwiches with Herbed Cream Cheese

Dana DeBellis

8 slices whole-wheat sandwich bread

1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced into rounds

1 medium bell pepper, slice into matchsticks

1 recipe vegan herbed cashew cream cheese (see below)

2 large or 3 small avocados

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Prepare the avocados by cutting each in half and removing the pit and skin.  Mash the avocado with a fork until broken down, guacamole consistency.  Set aside.

Cut the crust off each bread slice, if desired.  Cut each piece of sandwich bread into four equal squares.  Generously layer half of the squares with herbed cream cheese.  Spread the other half of the sandwich squares with mashed avocado.

Cut the cucumber into very thin slices with a knife.  Sprinkle black pepper evenly over the cucumber slices.  Place 2 to 3 thinly sliced cucumbers and 2-3 matchstick pepper slices between an avocado bread slice and a cream cheese bread slice.  Serve immediately. 

Vegan Cashew Cream Cheese with Herbs

Note:  Dana substituted 2 tablespoons of Simply Organic Creamy Dill Dip for the herbs in this recipe.

  

1 ½ cups cashews, raw

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 ½ to 2 tablespoons lemon juice, as needed

1 ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon chives

1 teaspoon basil

½ teaspoon rosemary

½ teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon coarse salt

¼ teaspoon white pepper

Soak cashews in hot water for at least an hour.  Rinse and drain soaked cashews.  Combine all ingredients in a blender of food processor.  Start with just 1 ½ tablespoons of lemon juice.  Blend mixture until it is spreading consistency.  It should be spreadable, but not so thick that it can be cut in half.  Add remaining lemon juice to thin the cream cheese if needed.  Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to one week.

Classic French Macarons with Tomato Basil Filling

Pat Siegfried

This recipe is from a Sur La Table cooking class.

Yield:  About 23 sandwich cookies

7 ounces confectioners’ sugar

4 ounces almond flour

4 large (4 ounces) egg whites, at room temperature

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

3 ½ ounces granulated sugar

Wilton red/pink food coloring (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, with rack placed in the lower section of the oven.  Fit baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.  Make sure the pans are flat, not dented or warped, and the parchment is trimmed to fit pan.  Using paper templates, trace circle on the parchment or place them under the silicone mats. 

In the bowl of a food processor filled with a metal blade, process confectioners’ sugar and almond flour about 30 seconds.  Using a drum sieve, sift mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper three times and discard any coarse meal (no more than ½ teaspoon).  Set aside.

To make the meringue:  Using a bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy.  Gradually add sugar, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Once all the sugar is incorporated, continue to whip meringue into stiff glossy peaks.  The meringue should have the consistency of shaving cream.  Whisk in about ¼ teaspoon of food coloring, adding more as needed until the desired color is achieved.  The meringue should remain thick and stable.

To complete the macaronnage step:  Add one third of the sifted flour mixture to the meringue and fold with the spatula.  Once incorporated, add the remaining flour mixture, smearing the batter along the sides of the bowl and then folding back to the center, being careful not to over mix.  Repeat until the batter becomes shiny and reaches the consistency of slow moving lava.  To check for the correct consistency, the batter should flow from your spatula like thick lava and hold a ribbon for a couple of seconds, then fall back into itself making a smooth glossy surface.  If it falls in clumps and doesn’t flow slowly, continue to fold gently, deflating the batter until the proper consistency is reached.

Transfer batter to a pastry bag filled with a ½-inch plain round tip.  Pipe a small dollop of batter into the corners of each baking sheet and lay parchment over (ink side down) and press down corners to secure.  Using both hands to hold the pastry bag, pipe batter by placing the tip ½ inch above the parchment, directly in the center of the first stenciled circle, and fill.  Once the circle is filled, stop squeezing and make a quick upward and sideways motion to detach the batter and move to the next circle.  The batter should settle into a smooth and glossy round circle.

Let macarons stand at room temperature until a firm skin forms on the macarons, 30 to 45 minutes.  To check to see if the macarons are ready, lightly touch the sides and if your finger doesn’t make a dent, they are ready for the oven.

Bake macarons one sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until macarons are crisp and firm, 14 to 16 minutes.  Carefully slide macaron topped parchment sheets onto a wire rack and allow macarons to cool completely before removing from paper.  Fill just before serving.

Tomato-Feta-Basil Macarons  (Filling)

Mix together the following:

2 tablespoons feta cheese                                   

2 tablespoons cream cheese                       

2 tablespoons basil, finely chopped                       

Peeled ripe tomato, diced (or 1 to 2 tablespoons canned diced tomato, drained)

Few drops of lemon juice

Salt and pepper, to taste

Note:  As I learned, unfortunately, spread the filling on the macarons just before serving – otherwise they make the macarons squishy wet!

Smoked Salmon Mousse

Pat Siegfried

Adapted from a recipe on allrecipes.com

4 ounces smoked salmon

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed or fresh dill to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

Fresh dill for garnish

Place smoked salmon in a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth. Mix in heavy cream, cream cheese, juice of half of a lemon, dried dill weed, salt and pepper. Blend to desired consistency. Transfer to a medium serving dish, and garnish with salmon roe.

Rosemary Parmesan Crackers

Mary Beth Collins

From http://theviewfromgreatisland.com.

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons minced rosemary leaves

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Extra whole leaf herbs for laminating onto the dough

Place the flour, cheese, rosemary, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor.  Add the chunks of soft butter and pulse about 30 times to combine into a crumbly mixture.  Then process until the dough comes together.  This should take no longer than a minute.  If the dough still does not come together, add a tiny bit of water (1/2 teaspoon) to the bowl and process again.

Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and bring together into a smooth flat disk.  The dough should be smooth and uniform, without dry, floury parts.  Knead it with your hands if necessary.  Wrap the disk in the plastic and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the dough between two sheets of waxed paper and roll out to about ¼ to 1/8 inch thickness.  Before cutting the crackers, place whole leaf herbs on top of the rolled dough.  Put the waxed paper back over the top and lightly roll with your rolling pin to press the herbs into the dough.  Use a 2-inch cookie cutter to make the crackers. Reform the leftover dough, roll and repeat until all the dough is used.

Place the crackers on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.  Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes until they are just starting to turn pale golden around the edges.  Cool for a few minutes on the pan, then move to a rack.  The crackers firm up as the cool.

Dill Chicken Salad

Patti Harlan

Patti made Marsha Capps’ recipe from The Charlotte Herb Guild Cooks Again (page 93).

Sour Cream, Lemon and Herb Deviled Eggs

Mary Ann Nagel

6 hard-boiled eggs

3 tablespoons sour cream

1 ½ tablespoons mayonnaise

¾ teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 ½ teaspoons grated lemon peel

1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Chopped parsley or thyme

Shell eggs, cut in half lengthwise.  Transfer yolks to a small bowl and mash with a fork.  Mix sin sour cream, mayonnaise and mustard.  Stir in lemon juice, lemon peel and cayenne pepper.  Season generously with salt and pepper.

Spoon yolk mixture into whites.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley or thyme.

Herb Tartlets with Honey and Goat Cheese

Mary Beth Collins

From SimplyStacie.net

Log of goat cheese (4 ounces), room temperature

2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature, or softened

6 sprigs thyme, leaves removed, chopped

1 sprig rosemary, leaves removed, chopped

5 basil leaves, finely chopped

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon honey, plus additional for drizzling

15 phyllo shells

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, use a fork to combine the goat and cream cheeses.  Add thyme, rosemary, basil and salt; mix to combine.  Mix in the teaspoon of honey. 

Arrange phyllo shells on a baking sheet.  Add about 1 teaspoon of the cheese mixture to each shell, pressing down lightly to fill all space.  Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 10 minutes until the tops of the shells are beginning to brown.  Lightly drizzle honey over the tops.  Serve immediately.  Any shells you have left over can be reheated for a few minutes in the oven.

Deliciously Easy Homemade Pepper Jelly

Carol Koball

From www.aforkstale.com

1 1/2 cup finely chopped and seeded red bell pepper
1 cup finely chopped and seeded yellow bell pepper
1 1/4 cup finely chopped and seeded green bell pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped and seeded Jalapeño pepper
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 3/4 ounce package powdered pectin
5 cups sugar
6 8-ounce canning jars

Sterilize six 8-ounce canning jars and lids in boiling water. Place all peppers in a large saucepan over high heat. Mix in vinegar and fruit pectin. Stir constantly. Bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat. Add sugar and place back on high heat. Return to a rolling boil for one minute. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam from top.

Ladle jelly evenly into sterile jars, filling to 1⁄4 inch from top of jar. Cover with flat lids and screw on screw bands tight. Place jars into canner with hot water that is not boiling. Water should completely cover jar. Cook on high heat to reach a boil. Process for 5 minutes; remove from heat.  When jars are completely cooled, check seals by pressing centers of lids with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

Note:  Scoop one ladle of pepper jelly in each jar to evenly distribute peppers before completely filling each jar. The peppers rise to the top. If you do not evenly distribute them, you will have no peppers left for the last jars.

Gluten-Free Cornbread

Dana DeBellis

Dana made gluten-free cornbread using Simple Truth Organic Cornbread Baking Mix.  She used flaxseed, applesauce and almond milk so that it was also vegan. 

Butifarra

Julie Courtney

Pork

Lettuce

Onion

Muffins

Brenda Dills

2 cups Granny Smith apples, diced

½ cup chopped nuts

½ cup raisins

½ cup brown sugar

1 egg

¼ cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat an oven to 325 degrees.  Combine apples, nuts raisins and brown sugar in a medium bowl.

In another bowl, combine four, salt, baking soda and cinnamon.  Using a mixer, beat the egg with the oil and vanilla.  Combine all, fill muffin cups, and bake for 25 minutes.

Bread Salad

Lynn Lytle

Cubed bread (chewy, day old bread is best). I used rosemary focaccia bread

   which worked perfectly.

Tomatoes (ripe/juicy). I used a combination of multi-colored heirloom tomatoes

   cut in larger bite size pieces and cherry tomatoes, cut in half. Any color, any   

    type will work.

Fresh basil, to taste (whole leaves)

Dried basil, to taste

Pesto to taste (1 to 3 tablespoons)

Red pepper chili flakes, to taste

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Red pepper olive oil, to taste. I use Galantino pepperoncino that I purchased at

   Pasta & Provisions

Salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all above ingredients, except bread. When all ingredients are combined, add bread and stir gently so tomatoes and bread remain mostly in tact. Add enough liquid (pesto, olive oils) so that bread is somewhat moist but not soggy. The tomatoes will add liquid so this needs to be factored in when adding all ingredients. Stir in bread immediately just before serving so bread stays firm and chewy.

Empanadas

Julie Courtney

Filling:

2 tablespoons oil

1 ½ pound ground beef

1 medium onion finely chopped

2 hardboiled eggs, chopped

10 black olives, chopped

1tablespoon minced garlic

Salt, pepper, and cumin to taste

1/3 cup beef broth

Shells

Goya pre-made shells (I got mine at Compare in the freezer section)

Egg Wash

1 beaten egg with a little water

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a sauté pan and add the onions. Cook until they are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the ground beef and crumble it as it cooks, when done, add the broth, stir. Season to taste, and remove from heat. You do not want it to dry out. Let the meat cool before assembling the empanadas.

To assemble, sdd some ground beef to one of the shells, add a little bit of hard-boiled eggs, and olives. Wet the edges of the shell, press together and seal. Brush the empanadas with the egg wash. Bake for about 15 minutes till they are nice and golden.

SWEETS

Grandma’s Southern Tea Cakes

Brenda Dills

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

½ cup buttermilk or sour milk (1/2 cup milk with 2 teaspoons lemon juice)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking power

½ cup(1 stick) butter

½ cup butter flavored shortening

2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking sheet.  Brenda sprays cooking spray on parchment paper.  Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

Cream butter and shortening.  Add sugar, mix well.  Add eggs and vanilla, and mix.  Add buttermilk.  Mix until all wet ingredients are combined.  Gradually add dry ingredients.  Chill dough.  Flour a surface (Brenda uses ½ powdered sugar and ½ flour).  Roll out and cut cookies.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Cool.

Chocolate Truffles with Lavender Sugar

Pat Siegfried

From Droste Cocoa Presents Recipe Classics

Yield:  2 dozen

1 1/3 cups confectioner’s sugar

½ cup Droste cocoa

½ cup (1 stick) softened butter

2 teaspoons orange liqueur

2 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar

1/8 to ¼ teaspoon dried, chopped lavender

Mix sugar, cocoa, butter and orange liqueur together in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Chill one hour.

Shape into 1-inch balls and roll in the granulated sugar and lavender.  Store refrigerated in a covered container.  Note:  These can be frozen.

Rose Water and Pistachio Meringues

Susan Poel

7 egg whites
1 3/4 cup sugar

Rose water, to taste (I used 1 ½ teaspoons)

50 grams chopped pistachio nuts (2 ounces)

Preheat an oven to 230 degrees and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Place the egg whites in the bowl and whisk on medium-high speed until the whites become thick and frothy. Add the sugar, a little at a time, until well incorporated and dissolved before adding the next batch. Once all the sugar has been mixed in and the egg whites are thick and glossy, add the rose water to taste.

Pipe or place spoonfuls of the meringue on the baking tray. Sprinkle the chopped pistachios on top and place in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Lower the temperature to 212 degrees and bake for a further 1 hour and 30 minutes. Once the meringues lift easily off the paper, they are done. Turn off the oven and leave to cool down. Serve the meringues with whipped cream and a selection of summer fruits.

Hilda’s Glazed Almond Lavender Cookies

Mary Beth Collins

Hilda Norwood introduced this recipe to the Guild several years ago.

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

½ teaspoon almond extract

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs, separated

2 2/3 cups cake flour, sifted

3/4 cup blanched almonds, chopped

2 tablespoons culinary lavender (Fresh Market carries this)

½ teaspoon salt

48 un-blanched whole almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar until light. Beat in extracts and egg yolks. Add chopped nuts, flour, lavender and salt and mix well. Roll into 1-inch balls and dip in unbeaten egg whites (this will provide the glaze). Place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Put a whole almond in the center of each ball and push down to flatten the cookie. Bake for about 10 minutes.

TEAS

Orange Lemonade (Served Chilled)

Orange slices, tangerine pieces, eucalyptus, lemongrass, apple pieces, carrot flakes, blackberry, beet root

Cardamom French Toast

Black tea, cinnamon, cardamom, lemon peel, coconut sugar, cane sugar

Madagascar Coconut

White tea, coconut shreds, cornflower petals

Spiced Apple

Apple, figs, cinnamon, star anise, chicory, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, natural apple and spice flavoring