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Poppy, chamomile...
Herbert Kehrer
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Spearmint, Mentha...
Jerome Wexler
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Lavender Harvest
Gunter ...
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Close-Up of a Teapot with Herbal Tea and Honey
P. Martini
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La Belle Cuisine
Herb Teas
 
Herbs: A Country
Garden Cookbook
© Rosalind Creasy and Carole Saville,
1995, Collins
Publishers
“Because of Peter Rabbit and his run-in with Farmer MacGregor, chamomile is
the herb most associated with a tea believed to calm your nerves. It is true
that apple-scented chamomile tea makes a tranquilizing herbal nightcap, but
it also makes a pleasant afternoon pick-me-up brewed with a refreshing sprig
of mint.
After the Boston Tea Party, when all the black tea available was floating in
the
harbor, the colonists turned to herbal teas, promptly naming them
liberty teas.
They brewed them from rosemary, lavender, thyme, sage, mint,
and lemon balm.
You can repeat history by drinking these delightful brews.
Also known by the French term ‘tisane’, herb teas do not darken perceptibly
as
they steep, so their strength must be gauged by taste rather than sight.
To make
an herb tea, use 1 tablespoon fresh herbs or 1 teaspoon dried herbs
for each cup
of boiling water. Rinse the teapot with boiling water and then
add the herbs to
it. Pour boiling water over the herbs and allow them to
steep for 3 to 5 minutes.
Strain
and serve.
Taste additions to herb teas include honey and brown cane sugar crystals and
the juice of lemons, limes, oranges, strawberries or other fruits. Brandy,
gin, or
liqueurs give teas a punch. Spices such as coriander, ginger,
caraway, fennel,
cinnamon, cardamom or vanilla can be added to both hot and
iced teas to create
sensational teatime drinks.”
Chamomile
Tisane
“The
flowers of both the annual German chamomile and the perennial
Roman
chamomile can be used to make this delicate and soothing apple-
scented
tisane.
The German variety, however, has the flavor edge. A sliced
apple
adds a soupçon
of flavor that compounds the apple taste of the herb
blossoms. This mild tea is perfect served with buttery
madeleines.”
2
tablespoons fresh chamomile flowers
2 cups
boiling water
2 thin
slices of Red Delicious apple
Honey or
brown cane sugar crystals,
to taste (optional)
2 thin,
crescent-shaped slices Red
Delicious
apple, for garnish (optional)
Rinse the
chamomile flowers with cool water. Rinse a small ceramic
teapot with boiling
water. Add the thin apple slices to the pot and
mash them with
a wooden
pestle.
Add the
chamomile flowers to the pot and pour in the boiling water.
Cover and let
steep for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the flavor suits you.
Strain
into 2 warmed cups. If desired, add honey or sugar and garnish
each serving
with a crescent-shaped apples slice. Serves 2.
Iced
Spearmint Tea with
Strawberry Nectar
“All the
mints make refreshing iced teas. Fortunately, it is easy to have
a
large
supply of all kinds of fresh and dried mint on hand, as all the
varieties
grow exuberantly. Strawberries color this spearmint tea
crimson, but the
cool
green
taste of the herb comes through. To com-
for the melting
ice,
make an
extra
2 cups of the tea and freeze them
in an ice-cube tray.
Tea
iced with the
cubes will remain as strong as
when first poured.”
Sugar
Syrup:
1 cup
granulated sugar
1 cup
water
Zest of 1
orange, cut into strips
4 1/2 cups
water
1/4 cup
dried spearmint, or
3/4 cup fresh spearmint
1 cup
sliced strawberries
1 cup
strained freshly squeezed
orange juice
Ice cubes
Fresh
spearmint sprigs and strawberry
slices,
for garnish (optional)
To make
the sugar syrup, in a medium saucepan, combine the sugar,
water and orange
zest. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Remove from the heat
and let cool. Pour the syrup through a fine-
mesh sieve placed over
a bowl,
pressing down on the orange zest
with the back of a spoon to
extract as much
of the flavorful oils as
possible. Discard the zest and set
the syrup aside.
In a
medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil, then remove from
the
heat.
Crumble the spearmint and add to the water; let steep for
5 minutes
to
obtain a strong infusion. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve
placed over
a
large bowl. Discard the mint and let the infusion cool.
Meanwhile,
place the strawberries in a fine-mesh sieve set over a
medium bowl. With the
back of a spoon, press the berries through
the sieve, leaving the pulp and
seeds behind. Scrape any purée clinging
to the bottom of the sieve, and then
add all the purée to the cooled
infusion.
Add the
orange juice and 1/2 cup of the sugar syrup to the tea and stir vigorously.
Taste and add more sugar syrup as desired. (Store any re-
maining sugar in the
refrigerator for when you make another batch of
tea.) Cover and refrigerate
the tea until well chilled.
Just
before serving, fill a large pitcher with ice and add the tea. Pour
into
chilled glasses. Garnish with a sprig of mint and a slice of straw-
berry, if
desired. Serves 6.
French Lavender Lemonade
“This refreshing rosy-colored lemonade is perfumed with just a
hint of the
sweetness and floral scent of French lavender.”
Lavender Infusion:
2 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup fresh French lavender
leaves, coarsely chopped
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup strained freshly
squeezed lemon juice
Granulated sugar, to taste
Ice cubes
6 to 8 sprigs of fresh lavender,
for garnish
To make the lavender infusion, combine the water and sugar in
a
medium saucepan. Bring the water to a boil, stirring to dissolve the
sugar. Add the lavender and remove from the heat. Cover and let
the infusion
cool to
room temperature. Strain and discard the
lavender.
Pour the infusion into a glass pitcher and add the water and lemon
juice.
Stir well, adding additional sugar if desired. Refrigerate until
chilled.
Just before serving, stir the lemonade again and fill the pit-
cher with ice.
Pour
into chilled glasses and garnish each serving
with a sprig of lavender.
Serves 6 to 8.
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