Jasmyne Tea

JasmyneTea Cakes - 1st Blogoversary!

Happy Blogoversary to me :)

I started this blog exactly a year ago with Stephen for many a reason: firstly, I kept taking photos of food and my dearest Roxy half-jokingly said that we should start a blog; secondly, Stephen was starting to really get into cooking, and I thought it would be cool to document his progress; and thirdly, because I really needed a hobby (my band had been dead for a little over a year, and nothing else was really working out), and the thing I loved other than music was food.

Today, my photos are getting better (with practise!), Stephen is a whiz in the kitchen, and I absolutely LOVE this gig. People have been so supportive by coming out with us to eat, submitting to being lab rats for our recipes, and commenting on our posts, and it's been a pleasure connecting with other people in the blogosphere.

In order to celebrate, Stephen and I decided to post a recipe that incorperates something we're both very fond of: tea. This recipe yeilds about 12 mini chiffon cakes that are soft and silky and fragile. They're also pretty neutral in flavour, making them perfect for flavouring with tea. We wanted to make Jasmine Tea flavoured cakes, but found the aroma weak and the taste bitter. We used a Strawberry Champagne tea I procured at Flemmington Markets (although you could use any tea) and got to work:

Strawberry Champagne Tea Chiffon Cakes

INGREDIENTS

3 large eggs, separated
80g castor sugar
50 mL canola oil
80 mL water
100g plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons tea leaves
icing sugar, to serve

    1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium-sized bowl and set aside. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolkes and half of the sugar until smooth and glossy. Add the canola oil slowly, whisking all the while, as you would for a mayonnaise. Add the water in the same manner and whisk until frothy.

    2. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy, then add the rest of the sugar in small batches, whisking until fully incorperated. The egg whites should be whipped on a medium speed until 30 seconds after soft peaks start to form, but not quite firm peaks.

    3. Combine the flour mixture with the egg yolk  mixture and whisk until fully incorperated. Add the tea leaves (if the tea has large, chunky parts in it, give it a blitz in a food processor) and mix. Fold the egg whites into the batter in 4 parts.

    4. Place the tablespoons of batter into prepared moulds or muffin tins and bake for approximately 10 - 15 minutes until cakes spring back after touching them. Allow to cool completely before dusting with icing sugar and serving.

Tea Parlour, Redfern

Everyone should have a friend like Roxy. We've been friends for almost 10 years, and she's the friend I can talk to about anything and everything. Throughout our friendship, she's often delighted in exposing me to new types of dining and entertainment; she introduced me to Adriano Zumbo's patisserie, Sake Restaurant, the small bar scene, and Tapas. In fact, she inspired me to start this blog. For my birthday Roxy took me for High Tea for the first time. I'm pretty late to this, but better late than never, right?

Tea Parlour at Redfern looks like a hole in the wall at first glance. It's flanked by a bottle-o and a laundromat, and the interior is obscured from the street by large blue curtains. When we stepped inside, it was a different story:

The interior is an eclectic mix-and-match of old books, vintage furniture, and anything else that Amelia (the proprietor) finds interesting. It's a tiny room, and it was half full when we walked through the door. Roxy had tried to make a booking, but apparently things had been really hectic, and the place was booked for the day. Luckily, one of the ladies who booked had two people who didn't show, so we snagged two chairs at the back of the room and perused the simple menu.

The menu came in the middle pages of classic novels, and was short and to the point. There was a choice between high tea, tea and scones, cucumber sandwiches with tea, and a pretty good selection of teas that Amelia told us she imports from Sri Lanka (there are two from T2 as well). We went with the high tea option (it was my birthday after all!) which includes a sweet layer, cucumber sandwiches, a pot of tea and scones for $20 per person.

Blackberry Tea, $4.00 a pot

The Blackberry tea was deliciously fragrant, and was a vibrant shade of magenta. I found it a bit weird that no sugar was provided, but I didn't think that this particular brew needed anything added. The pot was quite large for $4.00, holding about 4 to 5 full cups of tea.

Sweet Platter

The sweet platter came out soon after the tea, and was devoured with gusto. Amelia told us she makes everything from scratch herself, and these treats definitely have a home-spun look to them. The scones are rustic and a little on the heavy side, but they're cooked through and come with some glorious raspberry jam and thickened cream.

There were also a couple of mini-tarts, one filled with dulce de leche and the other with raspberries and white chocolate; a luscious chocolate mud-cake bite topped with half a fresh strawberry that was so moist I almost cried with happiness; a light, airy lemon-curd tart; small, moreish pieces of rocky road, and a couple of other yummy treats that didn't leave our table unscathed.

Cucumber Sandwiches

The cucumber sandwiches were made with fluffy white bread (which is a bit of a luxury for me), with fresh, thinly sliced cucumber, a thin layer of cream cheese and some mixed herbs. They were a first for me, but I found myself liking them more than the cakes - I have always been a savoury girl, though.

We had one more pot of tea (monk pear), then paid our bill. I was so impressed with the quirkiness of the decor, the classy yet relaxing atmosphere, and the quality teas and homemade treats that the slightly delayed service (which comes with only one person running the establishment) wasn't even noticed. I found it a wonderful experience for my birthday. Thanks Roxy!

 

Tea Parlour

569 Elizabeth St
Redfern, NSW
2016

Phone: 0414 335 224

For The Girls: Flying Bird Botanicals' Cacao

With the colder weather ahead, I'm stocking up on soup ingredients, warm clothing, and most importantly, hot chocolate (and ok, ok, I know hot chocolate isn't JUST for the ladies, but I know a hell of a lot more women who drink it than men!).

I've spoken before of my love of Etsy, and so in my quest to find the perfect hot chocolate to chase away the chill I thought I'd try this site to see if I could order some in.

In my cyber-travels I found Flying Bird Botanicals, a company that specialises in tea, cacao (hot chocolate), body products and products for babies and nursing/expectant mothers. All products are 100% organic and fair trade, and they carry products I've never seen before, so I ordered a couple of tins of cacao to try out.

Cacao Vanilla Rose and Cacao Chokola - $12.75 US each

According to the website, all of their cacao is made with "only the finest heirloom peruvian and ecuadorian cacao and lightly sweetened with only raw sugar infused with whole vanilla beans". 

The Vanilla Rose variety features raw sugar infused with rose petals and vanilla beans, and this is the one that I tried first. I slowly heated 2 cups of milk to 2 tablespoon of powder, as per the directions on the tin. After a couple of minutes of stirring it was ready, so I poured it into a mug and gave it a go. The richness and the bitterness of the cacao comes through strongly, but is then tempered by the mild sweetness of the raw sugar. The vanilla is tasted next, and then the whole bouquet is finished with the fragrant rose petal, which rounds the mouth full out and is reminiscent of the rosewater element in turkish delight. When tasting, it becomes apparent that the ingredients can only be of high quality.

The Chokola variety is a far more traditional blend of spices and cacao, and is not for the faint of heart. I combined this one with cream instead of milk, and the result was a thicker, richer concoction. The cacao in this mixture tastes and smells a little more medicinal, but it definitely goes with the spicyness of the cinammon, all spice, and cardamom. It's an invigorating cup, and would be my first choice when I come home in the middle of July, cold and wet.

This company is based in Washington, USA, but they do ship to Australia. I, for one, am going to order again to try some more of their products.

Flying Bird Botanicals

www.flyingbirdbotanicals.com

http://www.etsy.com/shop/flyingbirdbotanicals

For The Girls: Pumpkin Amber Perfume Oil by Wiggle Perfume

I love to buy things online. Etsy and Ebay are my favourite sites, and when I open my packages, it feels like I've received a gift (neglected girlfriend much?).  So last week I received a FANTASTIC gift: Pumpkin Amber Perfume Oil by Wiggle Perfume ($11.00 USD).

When I first roll the perfume oil onto my wrist, I positively identify the scent of freshly cut pumpkin. To make sure I don't just smell like a pumpkin, amber lends its warm, sensual effects, effectively cutting through the sweetness, which can sometimes be overwhelming. Patchouli grounds the scent, and a hint of orange lends a sharp, citrus element, giving extra dimension.*

Within 10 - 15 minutes, the scent of the perfume oil softens; the pumpkin scent is still evident, but the orange and amber gently fade, and the oil is reminiscent of freshly baked pumpkin pie, which is perfect for this time of year (in Australia).

This scent is a true foody scent, and will have even pumpkin haters in lust!

So everyone, head on down to Wiggle Perfume and check out the extensive line of perfumes there! Pumpkin Amber may be hard to locate as the store is in America (it's summer there) but if you're looking for a foody scent, look out for Buxom, which is a desert-type perfume oil.

*Please note, all perfume oils can smell slightly different on each person depending on their skin.

Images courtesy of Wiggle Perfume and Sundries.