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ST. PATRICK’S DAY: Irish Breakfast Tea

Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

We woke up and brewed a cup of Irish Breakfast Tea, enjoyed with some lemon-ginger scones from Sticky Fingers scone mix, our favorite (along with Iveta scones) for making delicious, moist scones with ease.

You’ve probably seen Irish Breakfast Tea—maybe even own a box. But do you know what it is?

In Ireland, “Irish Breakfast Tea” is simply called “tea.” It is a full-bodied, malty-flavored black tea blend, due to a combination of hearty Assam tea from India blended (which contributes the malty flavor) and Ceylon tea from Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon, which has a delicate, bright and lively flavor).

The proportion of the two teas is up to the blending company, but a classic tea will have a heavier weight of Assam. Most people drink it with a bit of milk, but a fine-quality blend is delicious drunk straight. It’s a strong tea: Many drink it only as a breakfast waker-upper. But the Irish love their tea strong, and drink it throughout the day.

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Enjoy a cup of hearty Irish Breakfast Tea.
Photo by Sara Sang | IST.

In Irish vernacular, tea is often called by its Indian name, “cha.” According to OldFashionedLiving.com, tea was first imported to Ireland in 1835 where it became popular with the weathly, but wan’t affordable to the average citizen. It wasn’t until around 1850 that all of Ireland was able to participate. Prices came down, and the grocers in towns and villages began to exchanged the butter and eggs produced by the townspeople for tea and sugar.

After breakfast, Irish tea is served generally three times a day: a break at 11 a.m., 3-5 p.m. afternoon tea and high tea, or supper, at 6 p.m.

Learn more about tea in our Gourmet Tea Section.

The difference between Irish Breakfast Tea and English Breakfast Tea: English Breakfast Tea is full-bodied blend, though not as robust as Irish breakfast tea. It was blended to go well with milk and sugar, the style enjoyed with a full English breakfast.

English breakfast tea contains Assam and Ceylon teas, and a fine brand will include Keemun, one of China’s best teas, known for its winey and fruity taste. Supermarket brands tend to drop the Keemun and substitute less expensive Kenyan tea. It is the most often-drunk type of tea in the U.K.

 

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ST. PATRICK’S DAY: Guinness Float

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A Guinness float with Silver Moon’s Praline Irish Cream ice cream (photo courtesy Silver Moon Desserts).
 

A stout float—ice cream and a bottle of chocolate stout—has become a popular dessert, thanks to Guinness lovers seeking more ways to enjoy their favorite brew..

For St. Patrick’s Day, substitute the chocolate stout for Guinness. Here’s a stout float recipe.

Stout is differentiated from regular ale by its dark, brown-black color and chocolate-coffee flavors and fuller body. This is achieved by brewing with barley that has been dark-roasted to the point of charring (think of espresso beans compared to a medium roast).

Chocolate stout is a sub-category that use different malts, including chocolate malt, a more aromatic malt that has been roasted until it acquires a chocolate color and chocolaty flavor. The beers have a noticeable dark chocolate flavor that comes from the malt. Some stouts have actual cacao beans or chocolate tossed into the brew.

You can add an ounce of Bailey’s Irish Cream to the stout for a more well-rounded celebration.

And if you’re lucky enough to live where Silver Moon ice cream is sold (a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week), you can use their Praline Irish Cream, made with Irish cream liqueur. (Or, order it online for overnight delivery.)
If you want to brew Irish chocolate stout from scratch, we found a recipe!

 
 
  

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TIP OF THE DAY: A Pot Of Savory

The last in our series of herbs is savory, a member of the mint family. Savory leaves have strong spicy, peppery flavor and mix well with other herbs.

The flavor of savory is so bold and peppery that the Saxons designated the entire category of spiced foods as “savory,” and the word became synonymous with flavorful foods. Savory is used as a blend in herbes de Provence, and is part of the Arabic spice mix, za’atar.

There are some 30 species of savory, but the two that are valuable as culinary herbs are summer savory and winter savory. Summer savory, an annual, is better known and has more tender leaves; winter savory, a perennial, is easier to grow, stronger in flavor and better for long cooking (beans, soups, stews) due to its coarser leaf.

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Winter savory available from WhiteflowerFarm.com.

Savory is a versatile herb; chefs call savory a great mixing herb. It blends well with basil, oregano and thyme, especially in fish, meat and poultry dishes. Add it to chicken salad (one teaspoon freshly minced), marinades, meat loaf, meatballs, turkey burgers and stews. Season your stuffing with a mix of bay leaf, sage, savory and thyme.

Try savory with legumes (green beans, dried beans and lentils), cabbage and sauerkraut, soups and succotash. Add some leaves to salads, pizza and sauces.

FOOD HISTORY: The Romans used savory before they had pepper (which came from India), and considered it an aphrodisiac. Savory vinegar was a popular Roman condiment. During a World War II pepper shortage in Germany, they used savory for a peppery flavor in their cuisine.

 

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GOURMET GIVEAWAY: Fancypants Bakery Cookies

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The bunnies, carrots and chicks are almost
too cute to eat. Photo courtesy Fancypants Bakery.

The Easter Bunny will be hopping down the bunny trail in less than three weeks. To prepare for his arrival, enter to win a gift box of gourmet cookies from this week’s Gourmet Giveaway sponsor: Fancypants Bakery. Their “Great Big Easter Gift” prize weighs in at nearly three pounds and includes nine, four-inch-long, hand-iced shortbread cookies in adorable, Easter-themed bunnies, carrots and chicks along with 16 chewy chocolate chip cookies.

What sets Fancypants Bakery apart from other decorated cookies we’ve tasted are the fine-quality shortbread cookies made with oh so much buttery goodness (and all-natural ingredients). Coloring is used only in the decorator’s icing, which is not cloyingly sweet, but, like the shortbread, simply elegant. Sensitive to food allergies, Fancypants Bakery is 100% nut free.

Make the Easter Bunny proud by entering this Gourmet Giveaway and checking out our review of Fancypants Bakery.

  • THE PRIZE: One winner will receive The Great Big Easter Gift, which includes nine hand-iced bunny, carrot and chick shortbread cookies along with 16 chewy chocolate chip cookies. The cookies are packaged in two chocolate-brown gift boxes with bows—perfect for giving an Easter party host or enjoying yourself at home. Approximate Retail Value: $75.00
  • To Enter This Gourmet Giveaway: Go to the box at the bottom of our Gourmet Cookies, Brownies & Bars Section and enter your email address for the prize drawing. This contest closes on Monday, March 22nd at noon, Eastern Time. Good luck!
  • Learn more about Fancypants Bakery at FancypantsBakery.com. (Sign up for their mailing list and receive 15% off your first online order.)

 

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FOOD HOLIDAY: National Sauce Month

Speaking of sauce, as we did in our previous post about Pears Hélène (chocolate sauce), March is National Sauce Month.

Do you know the different types of dessert sauces?

Take a look at our Dessert Sauce Glossary and see how easy it is to glam up your desserts.

The most ordinary brownie or slice of pound cake can be turned into a special occasion treat with the right sauce and a glamorous garnish.

And check out our dessert and wine pairings. What wine would you choose with chocolate cake? How about apple pie or pecan pie? Or Tiramisu?

(By the way, the appropriate wines to serve with Pears Hélène are Sauternes, German Riesling or Vouvray Molleaux.)

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The plainest piece of gingerbread goes
glam with the right sauce and garnishes.
Photo by Michael Lorenzo | SXC.

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