All About Roasting: A New Approach to a Classic Art
by Molly Stevens
photos by Quentin Bacon
wine pairings by Tim Gaiser

Reviewed for The Spice and Tea Exchange by Linda Avery.*

Facts: W.W. Norton, 573 pages, $35.00 (or Amazon at $19.17)
Photos: Over 100
Recipes: Over 150
Give to: Carnivores and cooks who want to know the “why?”
Stock up on:  Hard spices and sweet smoky aromatics, such as cumin seed, allspice, clove, and juniper berry; sweet and hot smoked paprika; coarse salt and butcher-cut ground pepper.
Working the Pantry: experiment with smoked salts and meat blends, especially English Roast Blend in the beef recipes.  For the lamb section try Wild Game Blend and Backwoods Hickory Rub.

Roasting is to winter what grilling is to summer.

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This is the time of year to include citrus fruits into just about every meal.  Oranges, lemons (especially Meyer lemons), limes (including those popular little Key limes), and grapefruits are plentiful and easily affordable.  But there’s so much more you can do to enjoy these fruits than just peel and eat!  The aromatic zest can be added to recipes to intensify the citrus taste, or combined with salt and used as a pre-cooking rub or a finishing salt.  The peel – once the bitter pith is removed – can be julienned and then blanched a few times and then cooked in sugar water to create a candied peel.  I use TSTE’s sugars to blend or intensify flavors.  Of course you can cut the segments free from the fruit, or “supreme” the fruit, and simply season your meals with a generous squeeze of citrus juice that remains.  Winter citrus invites us to get busy in the kitchen, and while you’re there, here are some quick ways to preserve that great citrus taste.  I’ve made these techniques – preserving and candying – simple and fast enough that you can do them while making dinner.  You’ll be happy that you did in a few months’ time when you have a bit of that sweet tart flavor on hand, and summer’s hot weather begs for a different kind of “Florida sunshine!”

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The Spice & Tea Exchange brings you this post from guest blogger & Twitter follower Jen Lane, staff writer for Food Lush:

Years ago, I dated a guy who fancied himself a cook.  His opinion of himself could not have been farther from the truth.  The first time he made me dinner, it involved over-cooked noodles topped with canned pasta sauce which had been mixed with spicy steak sauce and not heated.  He topped this masterpiece with a slice of yellow, plastic-like cheese and served it proudly.  I choked down a few bites and tried to be kind.  His next creation was green beans. He’d read something that said it was good make them with coffee, so he’d taken some instant coffee crystals and dumped them into a can of green beans, heated the whole thing in the microwave and served it alongside some rubbery chicken.

Needless to say, that relationship did not last.

Since that first disastrous experiment using coffee as an ingredient, I’ve found some better ways to use coffee grounds, espresso beans and even brewed coffee to make some delicious treats.  TSTE’s Espresso Sugar is a great addition to so many baked goods.  I like it best with chocolate, because, really, is there anything better than the combo of coffee and chocolate?  Not really.

These cookies are insanely easy to make and contain ingredients you probably have on hand at all times.  Whip them up as a treat for your family or co-workers.  The espresso sugar gives them a nice, hearty kick.

EASY CHOCOLATE COOKIES WITH ESPRESSO SUGAR

1 box chocolate cake mix

2 eggs

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

TSTE Espresso Sugar (to taste)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl (or stand mixer), combine cake mix, eggs and butter.  Mix until well-blended, about 2 minutes.   Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop rounds of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet about an inch apart.  Sprinkle tops of cookies with TSTE Espresso Sugar. Bake 8-10 minutes.   Cool for 1 minute before removing from cookie sheet. 

Jen Lane is the Production Stage Manager at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.  She loves cooking with her husband Marcus, who would never dream of mixing instant coffee into green beans.  Their four-year-old son, Dean, has inherited the cooking gene and enjoys baking, sprinkling garnishes onto dishes and making antipasto platters.  Yes, really.  Read about more of Jen’s culinary delights at Food Lush.

True love. It’s magical — strange and wonderful at the same time.  It pulls you in and makes you want more.  Some say it feels like paradise.  To me, it actually is paradise… Grains of Paradise.  While on my honeymoon, I fell in love with these quirky little cube-ish red-brown seeds found inside pods that develop from purple and white, trumpet like flowers.  Imagine one tiny little seed that tastes like a combination of a mild black pepper, ginger, cardamom and coriander:  warm, spicy, and just enough of a bitter note to keep everything else in check.  These tiny granular seeds are finally coming into our culinary mainstream.  They’re as strange and wonderful as true love, and worth spending a little time getting to know.

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When it comes to water, boiling or freezing, there is a thing or two to know about doing it properly.  Really.  Since we’ve already tackled boiling, for Valentine’s Day we’ll tackle the finer points of freezing water.  Yes, really.  It’s not that it’s hard it’s just that there is a little technique involved if you want clear ice and that little bit of love to shine through.

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TSTE is happy to share this post from guest & Twitter follower Jennifer Matlock (@threelilpiglets):

I’m not quite sure why, but every afternoon around 3:00 I start feeling this insane urge to snack!  It’s probably leftover from school days when my mom always greeted me off the bus with some nice tasty, sweet treat.  The only problem?  I’m not a little kid anymore and don’t run around the neighborhood burning off all those calories! When I’m craving something sweet, my solution is Blood Orange Tea Spiced Pecans.

2 large egg whites

Most of us will, at some point in the next week, include food as part of our Valentine’s Day celebration.  Be it with a special someone or even just indulging ourselves, food usually finds its way to the heart of every holiday.  Here’s a quick little round up of our favorites for Valentine’s Day, friendly recipes and the right spices, blends and teas to go with.  Great for the inspired cooked, and easy enough for those who might not like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  And if you don’t dare set foot in the kitchen, we’ve got a few ideas for you, too!

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Never let it be said we don’t rise up to a challenge.  The place: Alexandria, just after concluding one of their popular Chef Series demo.  The challenge from a guest in the audience, turn TSTE’s Espresso Steak Rub into something other than a pre-grill rub for a great cut of meat.  The inspiration: the candied bacon cashews we were noshing on, which no one could not get enough of (yummy!).  The deadline:  Game Day Sunday.  When you consider that TSTE’s Espresso Steak Rub is a blend of espresso beans, salt, smoked paprika, espresso sugar, among other things, it’s easy to be led in the direction of chocolate.  Dark chocolate, that is.  Espresso flavorings marry perfectly with chocolate so it was easy enough to start there.  I just needed something to temper the smokiness of the paprika, and a meaty nut was the perfect answer.  Considering we had to have this ready for the big game, it seemed that a man-candy was the obvious way to go.  And, boy (pun fully intended) and I glad we did.

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Who doesn’t like a nice chunk of moist, flaky cornbread with their chili?  If I’m watching a bowl game the only thing better than my team winning is a puddle of chili soaking into some cornbread in the bottom of my bowl.  Since we’ve already shown you exactly how to make your chili taste amazing, here’s the icing on the cake….the “insurance” touchdown, the “going for two,” if you will.  Easy cornbread made one better with a fine little TSTE blend called Cheesy Spice Girl.  You see, I used to take the high-road to delicious cornbread: render the bacon fat, sauté some corn in it, let the batter sit overnight to develop its flavor, and then keep my fingers crossed that it came out of the oven moist, not gummy.  Tragically, quick breads made from scratch often are.  I found an easier way to layer in that deep rich savory flavor.  All you need is TSTE and that wonderful thing called boxed cornbread mix.  Easier if you’re near a TSTE store, but if you’re not we’ve got you covered there too.

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Thursday, February 2nd 6pm to 8pm – Tea for Two Opening Reception at Longue View House and Gardens, with teas provided by TSTE New Orleans.

Thursday, February 2nd  6:30pm to 8:30pm – cooking class at TSTE Winter Park with Holly Luisi The Bohemian Baker.  This month’s theme is My Vegetarian Valentine!  Holly will demonstrate dish preparation, have a Q & A session, and give you ideas for adapting recipes as well as valuable shopping tips.  $30 per person and class size is limited,  register at thebohemianbaker.com .

Friday, February 3rd 3pm to 5:30pm – Join tea expert Mark Roberson from the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans in a delightful exploration of the history and culture of tea.  Event takes place at Longue View House and is sponsored by TSTE New Orleans.  Enjoy an exquisite afternoon tea set at intimate tables decorated by the area’s finest designers, collectors and artists.  Reservations are required, more information at longuevue.com.

Saturday, February 4th  2pm to 4:30pm – TSTE Savannah sponsors the Savannah Philharmonic’s Afternoon Adagio, a musical tea party in the ballroom of The Olde Pink House.  Enjoy champagne, TSTE Teas, and scrumptious delicacies at this fundraising event. See here for more details.

Tuesday, February 7th 6:30pm to 8:00pm TSTE Cincinnati invites you to Healthy – Vegan – Delicious! Sample simple to prepare appetizers, entrees and desserts using the exquisite blends of The Spice & Tea Exchange with your host Shariah Tafari! Cost: $25. Register by calling, 513-531-7000 or email: cincinnati@spiceandtea.com

Tuesday, February 7th 6:30pm to 8:30pm – TSTE Alexandria is mixing up their 2012 Monthly Chef Series – with a series within a series!  Adopted 2012 Chef-In-Residence Sandhu will host a series of four Taste & Learn Dessert focused sessions, starting with Sweet Things for Your Sweetheart.  Learn how to make truffles and other decadent treats for Valentine’s Day.  Space is limited; advance registration required.  $40 per person, $35 in advance.  Pricing for the series of 4 is $135 per person.  Day-of-event in store promotions will be featured.  Contact Alexandria@spiceandtea.com or call 571-312-8505.

Wednesday, February 8th 6:3opm to 8:30pm – Chef Sandhu brings her talents over to TSTE Annapolis with Sweet Things for Your Sweetheart. Learn truffle-making and other decadently delicious treats in this four-part dessert series.  Space is limited; advance registration required.  $40 per person, $35 in advance.  Pricing for the series of 4 is $135 per person.  Day-of-event in store promotions will be featured.  Contact Annapolis@spiceandtea.com or call 410-280-2088. Parking Validation Vouchers for City Garage will be provided.

Saturday, February 11th 10:00am to 11:30am TSTE Alexandria welcomes Tricia McCauley for an interactive herbalism workshop about food and herbs, the first in a series of six Saturday workshops!  Seating limited. Reservations Required. $12/class or $30 half series (any three of the six). Call or email the store: 571-312-8505 or Alexandria@spiceandtea.com

Saturday & Sunday, February 11th-12th all day Join us in celebrating our 4-year anniversary at TSTE Stockyards!  In-store specials all weekend.  We’ll sample teas and blends, and raffle off a $25 gift card.

Saturday, February 18th 10am to 11:30am TSTE Annapolis welcomes Tricia McCauley for her first in a series of six herbalism workshops! Seating limited. Reservations Required. $12/class or $30 half series (any 3 of six).Call or email the store: Annapolis@spiceandtea.com or 410-280-2088. Parking Validation Stamps Offered to All Participants!

Everyone has a favorite recipe, or at the very least a favorite dish.  Whether it’s love at first bite or a deep adoration that grows from something more of a tradition food is, quite often, love.  So when a special occasion rolls around and cooking for someone means a little bit more than it might normally it’s not surprising we’d want it to taste amazing.  And the best way I know how to do that is to add a little “adoro,” or this thing called “love.”

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Come February 5^th, the last thing anyone wants to worry about is whether their chili tastes great.  Somewhere in between “too much” and “not enough” is a whole range of taste and flavor.  To get the most out of every bite the right seasoning is required.  To help you match your recipe to the right seasoning and blends, we’ve put together a few suggestions.  We’ve gone through the classic flavor profiles of every type of chili – from Texas to Cincinnati and everything in between – and created a short list of add-ins to whatever you already use.  To use our Chili Matcher simply choose the classic chili dish closest to your recipe, then pick the blend that sounds most appealing.  Add about 2 teaspoons (or up to 1 tablespoon, to suit your taste) per quart of prepared chili, then sit back and enjoy all the compliments.

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Like most things spices, too, have a shelf life.  Some people say you should replace spices every three months, while others say every six months to a year.  Not everyone agrees on the “when,” but generally everyone agrees that when that bright aromatic wow-factor is missing, it’s time to switch them out.  I find it easiest to use food-specific events or holidays to sort through my pantry:  out with the old, then trade up, restock and add a few blends and new ingredients to keep things interesting.  No surprise, February’s first big event has some big flavors to match.  You need high quality, bold color, and intense aromatic seasonings if you’re going to pull off the big-game menu.  Now is the time to sort through the spice larder and take a quick inventory so come the big day (or I should say the big meal) your food will be bright, aromatic and full of flavor.

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I follow food.  I guess in some sense we all do.  So, naturally when projected trends in food are published, especially when these so-called trends emanate from The Fancy Foods Show, I pay attention.  And, recently, out of the San Francisco venue came a surprising little notation:  cardamom.  Apparently cardamom is about to have its moment, popping up in everything from candies to, yes, tea.  I thought it apropos the list would include cardamom, especially this National Hot Tea Month.  No surprise, The Spice and Tea Exchange has a few delish teas that already include cardamom.  But it’s TSTE’s other clever uses of cardamom that get it my vote for being trend-setters!

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“Quintessentially British, utterly civilized and a treat that should be enjoyed on a regular basis, there is nothing quite like afternoon tea…” so begins Anton Edelmann’s Taking Tea at the Savoy Taking Tea at the Savoy, one of my favorite primers on tea service.  But, ask any of my friends in any of The Spice and Tea Exchange shops you wander into and I bet they’ll have their own favorite.  And rightfully so.  Tea preference is about as individualized as it comes.  Everything from temperature to brew strength, to the color of the leaves to the infusions, flavors, and tastes.  Still there is something so wonderfully agreeable as a cup of tea.  And, what better time to explore the world of tea than right now during National Hot Tea Month.

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