Refreshing versatili-tea

Some chefs are cooking up ways to get tea's healthful benefits into food.
By MARTY MEITUS
SCRIPPS HOWARD
When I think about iced tea, I picture Daisy Buchanan in "The Great Gatsby," a tall, cool glass in one hand and a mother-of-pearl fan in the other, languishing in the summer heat.
Every good fantasy needs a reality check, and here's mine: Summer or no, I'm not hanging out on a veranda, sipping tea. I might order the drink at restaurants and serve it at home, but I rarely give the iced tea in my glass a second thought beyond "pass the sweetener."
But all that is changing. Tea is poised to become the next wine, coffee or chocolate, where folks will buy their teas based on factors such as country of origin.
Earlier this year I attended a seminar at the Taste of Vail given by the Vail Mountain Coffee & amp; Tea Co. It was similar to a wine tasting: We sampled various types of tea -- white, green, black, oolong -- and discussed the nuances of each kind, as if we were talking about cabernet vs. pinot noir.
I had my first cuppa white tea, which is expensive and delicate and, I thought, tasted a lot like a cuppa hot water. So much for my sensitive palate.
Promoting health benefits
The growth in the tea industry has been fueled by numerous studies showing that tea may have healthful benefits, ranging from preventing cancer to lowering cholesterol. That's good news for big tea companies, such as Celestial Seasonings, which is expanding into myriad tea offerings for interesting brews, and for small specialty companies, which want to be the go-to places for tea lovers.
Daniel Amlaw, who has had a long career in promotion and marketing, has founded a company called Essentia Tea (www.essentiatea.com). "Our focus is tea and human health, selling fine-grade, loose, whole-leaf tea that will give the maximum health benefits, whether served hot or cold," he says.
For die-hard coffee drinkers who want to enjoy the benefits of tea, the answer is obvious. "If you're not a tea drinker, you might find iced tea a cool way to drink in all those nutritional properties," says Amlaw. In fact, 85 percent of the tea consumed in America is over ice, according to the Tea Association of the USA.
Amlaw has teamed with chef Daniel Young of the Denver Press Club to develop recipes using tea. "Chef and I have been working some time on developing healthy recipes in which you cook dishes with tea, or use tea in marinades," he says.
Experiment with the fruits of summer to enhance the teas. Young provided these summery dishes. You can sprinkle the fish with green Japanese sencha tea leaves, if desired. Amlaw, Young and Corey Epstein, one of Amlaw's partners, showed us how cool iced tea can be.
Brewing iced tea
To make a gallon: Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil, remove from heat and let sit a moment; place tea bag in water and let steep. Gently move bag with spoon to release the infusion for less than 3 minutes. Remove bag and add brew to just under a gallon of water, add ice and serve
To make a fast single serving: Put a tea strainer in a large glass. Put one tablespoon of fine-grade loose tea in the strainer. Add hot water, let steep 2 minutes or until desired taste. Remove filter and pour over ice.
To make a summertime brew: Add berries, fresh fruit, mint or agave nectar to sweeten.
FRUITY BLACKBERRY TEA
2 cups boiling water
6 bags blackberry-flavored black tea, such as Lipton
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups water
1 can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed and undiluted
1 cup raspberries, blueberries or strawberries
1 cup chilled lemon soda
In teapot, pour boiling water over tea bags; Cover. Brew 5 minutes.
Remove tea bags; stir in sugar and cool.
In large pitcher, combine tea, water, lemonade concentrate and raspberries; chill. Just before serving, add soda. Serve over ice.
Serves six.
Nutritional information per serving: 126 calories, 0 g fat (0 g sat.), 0 mg cholesterol, 33 g carbohydrates, 7 mg sodium, 1 g fiber, 0 g protein.
SEARED STRIPED BASS WITH GREEN TEA
12 ounces striped bass
Olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
Fresh dill, chopped
Cracked black pepper
Kosher salt
Sprinkle of Japanese sencha tea, optional
1/2 lemon
Make 2 (1-inch) slits in the skin of the fish (to keep it from curling). Rub olive oil, garlic, dill, cracked pepper, salt and tea, if using, into the flesh of the fish, covering evenly.
Coat the bottom of a saut & eacute; pan with olive oil, and heat. When hot, place the fish in the pan and brown on the skin side only.
Remove the fish from the pan and place into a baking dish.
Add water to cover the fish halfway.
Add the juice of half a lemon.
Place in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, until fish is opaque and firm to the touch.
Serves four.
Nutritional information per serving: 131 calories, 6 g fat (1 g sat.), 68 mg cholesterol, 5 g carbohydrates, 190 mg sodium, 1 g fiber, 16 g protein.
ROASTED EGGPLANT, TEAAND CRABMEAT SALAD
1 medium eggplant
Sprinkle of black tea, optional
Kosher salt
5 ounces blue crabmeat
4 scallions, minced
1/2 ounce fresh dill, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 ounces low-fat sour cream
2 ounces olive oil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, to taste
1 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco sauce
Red peppers julienned, for garnish
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Slice eggplant in half and remove insides, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Rub lightly with olive oil and tea, if using, and dust with kosher salt.
Place both halves into a baking pan with a little water in the bottom. Place pan in oven at 450 degrees for 20 minutes or until eggplant flesh is golden-brown and tender.
Remove shells and cool at room temperature.
In a mixing bowl, place crabmeat, scallions, dill, garlic, sour cream and olive oil and mix well.
Add the Old Bay seasoning and hot sauce and blend well.
Fill the eggplant shells with crab salad, top with julienned peppers for garnish and serve chilled.
Serves two.
Nutritional information per serving: 450 calories, 34 g fat (7 g sat.), 81 mg cholesterol, 20 g carbohydrates, 362 mg sodium, 10 g fiber, 20 g protein.
BERRY-PEACH TEA
4 cups boiling water
4 berry-flavored black tea bags, such as Lipton
2 cups sliced fresh peaches
1/4 cup fresh mint sprigs
3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
In teapot, pour boiling water over tea bags, peaches, mint. Cover. Brew 5 minutes.
Remove tea bags; stir in sugar. Chill.
Remove mint sprigs before serving. Serve over ice, garnished, with more mint.
Serves four
Nutritional information per serving: 67 calories, 0 g fat (0 g sat.), 0 mg cholesterol, 17 g carbohydrates, 4 mg sodium, 2 g fiber, 1 g protein.
ICED TEA PUNCH
4 cups boiling water
5 bags regular or decaffeinated tea, any kind
2 cups any sliced fresh fruit, such as apples and peaches
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups white grape juice
In a teapot, pour boiling water over tea bags. Cover. Brew 5 minutes.
Remove tea bags and cool.
In a pitcher, combine fruit with sugar. Pour tea over fruit; stir in juice. Serve over ice.
Serves six.
Nutritional information per serving: 64 calories, 0 g fat (0 g sat.), 0 mg cholesterol, 16 g carbohydrates, 12 mg sodium, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein.
XSome recipes from www.Lipton.com.