Culinary Tea

October 18, 2010
Veteran tea experts Gold and Stern share over 150 unusual recipes certain to delight creative cooks, from novice to connoisseur. The medical benefits of tea-drinking are legion, yet, while "Health can pique an interest," the authors know that "taste can create a devotee." What better way for a devotee to express their ardor for the leaf than to cook with it? Equally at home on coffee table or countertop, this handsome book begins with a thorough history and "flavor profile" of every tea type, visiting estates in Japan, India, Sri Lanka, and points between. Readers are then immersed in methodology (brewing the perfect cup; best storage techniques; best teapot types for the desired outcome) before the recipes begin. Broken into sections, stand-out offerings include Seared Tuna with Tea Spice Crust, Spinach and Ricotta Scallop Rotollo with Ceylon Beurre Blanc, and other promising entrées, but it's the desserts, such as Earl Grey Cream Tea Cake and Flourless Keemun-Cherry Chocolate Torte, that are truly divine. Rounding out the book's usability factor is a glossary, detailed index, and source guide complete with international tea vendors willing to overnight fresh leaves to the reader's front door. Illus.