Today’s tip comes via one of our favorite artisan tea blenders, Tay Tea.

It’s blue tea, an herbal tea from Thailand that made its way here a few years ago. It still remains largely under the radar, except at artisan tea shops and some spas.

The blue tea is steeped from the butterfly pea flower (photos #6 and #7). It can be served hot or iced (we vote for iced tea—the recipe is below).

You can use the same blue tea to make colored ice cubes for clear soft drinks or spirits (photo #4) they will add the flavor of the tea). You can add citrus juice to color the tea purple (photos #4 and #5 ).

Blue tea is naturally caffeine free and tastes lightly floral, with a hint of earthiness.

Adding lemon, lime or orange juice turns the brew purple. Both blue and purple colors are completely natural.

For July 4th festivities, serve blue iced tea with regular (white) ice cubes and garnish with red raspberries. Or, swirl in some half-and-half to make the blue latte in photo #3.
 
 
WHAT IS BLUE TEA?

Blue tea has been used for centuries in Southeast Asia as a caffeine-free herbal beverage, as well as a plant-based food and clothing dye.

It is brewed from the flower of the butterfly pea plant, commonly known as blue pea or butterfly pea (photo #7).

The plant is native to equatorial Asia, and grows in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand (the sourcer of Tay Tea’s flowers).

It is also known as Asian pigeonwings, bluebell vine, blue pea, butterfly pea, cordofan pea and Darwin pea [source].

The plant species belongs to the Fabaceae family, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family. The family includes such familiar foods as beans, carob, chickpeas, licorice, peanuts and green peas.

Now for the racy part: The botanical name of the butterfly pea plant is Clitoria ternatea. The botanist who named it saw that the flower had the shape of female genitalia (photo #7), and gave the genus the Latin name Clitoria, from clitoris.
 
 
TAY TEA’S BLUE TEA

Tay Tea makes a blue tea blend called Azul (Spanish for blue), a fragrant, lemony blend of three botanicals that’s more flavorful than plain blue tea.

It includes:

 
YOU CAN PURCHASE IT HERE.

Packed with antioxidants and vitamin C, blue tea is good for you and keeps you colorfully hydrated.

Here are the health benefits of blue tea.

Tay Tea’s recipe follows.
 

RECIPE: BLUE TEA OR PURPLE TEA, ICED OR HOT

Ingredients For 5 Cups

 
Preparation

1. BOIL five cups of water and add to a heat-proof pitcher—ideally glass, to show off the color. Add two teaspoons of tea and let stand 10 minutes.

2. STRAIN out the loose tea leaves and pour the tea back into the pitcher. Let it cool and refrigerate it, or try it hot.

3. FOR PURPLE TEA: Add the citrus juice and watch the tea turn from bright blue to violet. Add a few wheels of citrus to the pitcher, and/or garnish the glasses with individual wedges.

4. POUR over ice to serve.
 
 
TEA NAME TRIVIA

The tea plant, Camellia sinensis, originated in China. The word “tea” comes from there as well.

(Note that herbal teas are not Camellia sinensis, but bear the botanical names of each individual plant).

The Dutch traders who first brought tea to Europe in the early 1600s purchased it from tea traders in the port of Amoy (Xiamen) in the Fujian province.

There are many dialects in China. In the Amoy dialect, tea was translated as te, pronounced tay.

This pronunciation was used by the Dutch, and was the name by which the beverage was introduced to Europe.

The French called it thé (pronounced tay); and it became te, pronounced tay, in Danish, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian and Spanish.

The “tee” pronunciation is found in English tea and the German thee.

In those countries where the tea trade was mainly via the caravan routes that traveled overland, from China to the West, it’s the Mandarin Chinese cha that is the common root:

Cha in Hindi, Japanese and Persian; ja in Tibetan, chai in Russian, chay in Turkish and shai in Arabic.
 
 
TEA HOLIDAYS

 
 
> THE HISTORY OF TEA
 
 
> KNOW YOUR TEA: A GLOSSARY OF TEA TERMS

[1] Blue tea is tasty, pretty, and has a lot of health benefits (photo © Majestic Herbs).

[2] Raspberries make it red, white and blue (photo © Driscoll’s).

[3] How about an iced blue latte? Here’s the recipe from Oh How Civilized. Add a cocktail pick of red berries for a red, white and blue drink (photo © Oh How Civilized).

[4] Blue herbal tea turns purple by adding citrus juice (photos #4, #5, #6 © Tay Tea).

[5] Turn the tea into colorful ice cubes.

[7] Dried butterfly pea flowers.

[7] The butterfly pea flower (photo courtesy Indiamart).

[1] Add mozzarella balls to your salad or to fruit skewers (photo © Belgioioso).

[2] Yogurt parfait (photo © Fruits From Chile).

[3] Smoothies (photo © Sun Basket).

[4] Toast and ricotta with nuts, blueberries and a drop of EVOO. You can substitute raisins, dried cranberries, seeds, etc. (photo © Union Square Cafe).

[5] Salad with crumbled feta (those are burgundy carrots—photo © Molinari’s Restaurant | Facebook).

[6] Broccoli with bacon, toasted almonds and shaved parmesan. Here’s the recipe from McCormick.

June is National Dairy Month.

We love dairy products, and consume more than our fair share of milk, cheese and yogurt. But few people we know do the same.

Here’s some advice from Jean Ragalie-Carr RDN, LDN, FAND, president of the National Dairy Council and chair of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation.
 
 
WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE 3 DAIRY SERVINGS EACH DAY

The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends three daily servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy foods for everyone age 9 and up (two and a half servings for children aged 4-8, two servings for children aged 2-3).

There’s a good reason for these recommendations. Eating three daily servings of low-fat or fat-free milk, cheese or yogurt can help us meet our needs for essential nutrients.

 
Three daily servings of dairy also contribute three of the four under-consumed nutrients in American diets: calcium, vitamin D and potassium.

The fourth nutrient is fiber, which can be found in foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans. Coincidentally, each of these fiber foods pairs well with dairy.
 
 
HOW YOU BENEFIT

Three daily servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy foods, as part of a healthy eating pattern, is linked to bone health, especially in children and adolescents.

Adults benefit from reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

Despite the benefits, unfortunately, most Americans are consuming just shy of two servings every day.

It’s easy to add that third serving. Dairy products are portable, accessible and affordable; and as you can see from the photos, delicious!
 
 
WAYS TO GET YOUR 3 DAILY DAIRY SERVINGS

You know that it’s easy to grab a yogurt, cottage cheese or other cheese, or a glass of milk (even chocolate milk).

Alas, regular cream cheese, cream and butter are not part of the dairy food group. They are high in saturated fat and have little or no calcium.

Instead, try these:

 
 
WHAT IF YOU’RE LACTOSE INTOLERANT?

Lactose Free & High In Calcium

 
For Vegans

In addition to the vegan foods above, look for soymilk that has about 300 mg of calcium per serving. Not all soymilk is a good source of calcium, so check the label.

June 15th is National Lobster Day.

Oh how we love lobster. Every time our mother broiled lobster tails, we sighed and told her, “We could eat every day.” Her response: “I wish I could afford to make them for you every day.”

Yes, lobster is pricey, although some years, if the catch is abundant, the prices go down.

Believe it or not, when Europeans first came to America they wouldn’t eat lobster for free.
 

THE HISTORY OF LOBSTER

Lobsters roamed the Atlantic Coast many millennia before the Algonquin natives arrived about 8,000 years ago.

The native Algonquins on the coast depended on lobster as a source of protein. After a storm, hundreds of lobsters would wash up onto the shore.

If they quickly gathered and cooked them before they had the chance to spoil*, the people had a nutritious meal.

But the Pilgrims who arrived in [what is now] Massachusetts in 1620 turned their nose up at the abundance of lobsters, calling them the “cockroaches of the sea.” They used them as fertilizer, livestock feed and fish bait. As the colony grew, they were later fed them to prisoners and slaves.

Lobster was known as poor man’s food because the fact that people who could buy or grow food made it easy for people with no money or crops to eat.

As you may recall, during the first few years in Massachusetts, food for the Pilgrims was scarce. Many died of hunger. The living would have eaten lobster almost constantly, and the smell of thousands of dead lobsters rotting on the beach could have understandably made them see lobster as a wretched food.

Lobster was a subsistence food, something only to be eaten out of desperation.

Prisoners complained that constant meals of lobster constituted “cruel and unusual punishment” [source].

Today, lobster is one of the most common last-meal requests among Death Row inmates. How times change.

Lobster Becomes Popular

However, in the 1860’s, with the advent of canned food that was transported by train, lobster became one of the most popular canned products on the market.

By the 1880s, it was so in demand that restaurants and markets were able to mark up the prices significantly. It became a pricey food.

By World War II, lobster was considered such a delicacy that what was once a poor man’s food became rich man’s food [source].
 
 
FAVORITE LOBSTER RECIPES

 
Plus

 
________________

*When a lobster dies, its stomach enzymes seep out into its body, which makes the meat go bad quickly. This is why lobsters are cooked alive. A dead lobster has begun to rot, and it can make you sick [source]. Once the lobster is dead, harmful bacteria can rapidly multiply and release toxins that may not be destroyed by cooking [source].

[1] Caught, banded and ready to cook (photo © Lobster From Maine).

[2] Lobster rolls (photo © CB Crabcakes).

[3] Lobster Cobb Salad. Here’s the recipe from Skinnytaste (photo © Skinnytaste).

[4] Lobster bisque. Here’s the recipe (photo © Mackenzie Ltd).

[1] Homemade potato chips with blue cheese sauce (photos #1 and #2 © Idaho Potato).

[2] Idaho russet potatoes.

[3] Gorgonzola, one of the world’s favorite blue cheeses (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

[4] Top the blue cheese sauce with crumbled bacon (photo © Edwards Virginia Smokehouse).

[5] The final garnish: fresh parsley (photo © Iva Villi | Free Images).

We love homemade potato chips.

We only make them for special occasions, because they’re so irresistible that we have no restraint.

For Father’s Day, we’re going fancy, with a sauce of blue cheese and bacon. You can pour the sauce over the chips, like nachos, or serve it on the side.

You may wish to make a double batch! If there are any leftovers, simply store plain potato chips in an airtight container.

The recipe was created by Chef Julie Reid, Former Vice President of Culinary Development for Ruby Tuesday’s in Maryville, Tennessee; and provided to us by Idaho Potato, a repository of great potato recipes.
 
 
RECIPE: HOMEMADE POTATO CHIPS WITH BLUE CHEESE DIP & BACON

We used a mandoline to slice the potatoes. Instead of buying crumbled blue cheese, we crumbled our own from good-quality gorgonzola.

Ingredients For 4 Appetizer Servings

 
For The Blue Cheese Sauce

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the potato chips: Soak the potato slices in ice water for 30 minutes. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels.

2. HEAT the oil to 350°F in a deep fryer. Fry the potatoe slices until golden brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the potato chips on paper towels; lightly sprinkle with sea salt.

3. COOL to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Once completely cooled, the chips may be stored, airtight, at room temperature for up to 2 days. But they will be best served immediately.

4a. MAKE the blue cheese sauce. Combine the oil, flour, salt and pepper in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is blonde in color, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk, stirring well to prevent lumps. Stir constantly until the mixture comes to boil, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

4b. In a small bowl, use fork to mash the blue cheese crumbles into a paste. Whisk it into the sauce, stirring to combine. Reserve, covering to keep warm. (Or, the sauce may be made up to 2 days in advance in the fridge. Reheat over low heat, stirring, before serving. Do not microwave.)

5. TO PLATE: Mound 1-1/2 ounces potato chips on individual plates. Ladle 2 ounces of warm blue cheese sauce over the chips. Top with 1 tablespoon each of Gorgonzola and bacon. Place on the bottom shelf of a melter or broiler to soften the cheese crumbles until they begin to bubble, being careful not to burn the chips.

6. REMOVE from broiler, top with with 1/4 teaspoon parsley and Serve immediately. You can also make a single large portions as a shareable appetizer or party snack.

________________

*White pepper is called for so that white sauces don’t have black pepper specks. We don’t use enough white pepper to justify having it (before it dries out), so we just use black pepper. We have no problem with the specks.

We have been using noncaloric sweeteners for decades, starting with zero-calorie soda brands in middle school, then on cereal and other foods as packets of the sweetener became available.

While we’ve tried every brand over the years, our reigning favorite was Splenda (sucralose), introduced to the U.S. in 1999.

Not only did it have less of an aftertaste, but it was heat-stable for cooking and baking.

We’ve tried other sugar substitutes, most recently including monk fruit and stevia leaf. We gave a thumbs down to both.

While we recognize that the choice of sugar substitute is very specifically attuned to one’s palate (we have friends who still prefer Sweet ‘N Low saccharin), we came across a new blend that’s worth a try to those who aren’t perfectly happy with their sugar substitute.

Splenda had started to taste more and more artificial to us in hot drinks—largely coffee and tea, but also hot cocoa.

Did our palate change somehow? Did Splenda change the percentages of its ingredients? Is the main ingredient, sucralose, somehow different now?

We don’t know; but for the past year we’ve been sweetening our tea with one packet of Splenda and one packet of sugar (16 calories, 2 g sugar) to provide the sweetness, while minimizing the aftertaste. The combination is O.K., but not perfect.

So when we were offered a sample of Whole Earth Stevia Leaf & Monk Fruit Sweetener, zero calories, we accepted (photos #1 and #2).

And we’re glad we did. While we didn’t like stevia and monk fruit individually, they work magic together.

We prefer it in our our coffee and tea, and find it equally good on cereal and baked apples (our regular sweet treat). If you dip a finger into the powder to taste it straight, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

We haven’t made brownies or cake yet—largely because we have an unfortunate tendency to eat the whole thing. But people who have baked Whole Earth sweetener really like it.
 
 
WHAT’S IN WHOLE EARTH STEVIA & MONK FRUIT SWEETENER

Whole Earth Stevia Leaf & Monk Fruit Sweetener, which we’ll abbreviate to WESLMF, has a crystalline appearance, plus:

 
It’s certified kosher by OU.

The ingredients are erythritol, stevia leaf extract, natural flavors* and monk fruit extract.

The product is available in packets, in jars of loose product, as a liquid, in “sugar” cubes, and Baking Blend.

The basic product works best in beverages, salad dressings, sauces and sprinkling. Each packet of WESLMF is equivalent in sweetness to 1.5 teaspoons of sugar.

Baking Blend (photo #3) has non-caloric bulking agents that give WESLMF enough body to substitute for sugar in recipes, and properties that bake and brown like sugar†.
 
 
The Ingredients

All of the ingredients exist in nature.

 
 
> DISCOVER MORE AT WHOLEEARTHSWEETENER.COM.
 
 
> CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENT SUGAR SUBSTITUTES.

[1] We prefer the taste of Whole Earth Stevia Leaf & Monk Fruit in our coffee and tea (photos #1, #2, #3 and #6 © Whole Leaf Sweetener).

[2] Whole Earth Sweetener is available in a format for every use.

[3] Yep: made non-caloric Whole Earth Sweetener.

[4] Stevia leaves and blossoms on the plant (photo by Ethel Aardvark | Wikipedia).

[5] Monk fruit melons (photo © Monk Fruit Corp).

[6] Our favorite easy treat: Baked apples. Core the apple, sprinkle WESLMF, cinnamon, and bake in a pan with 1″ water at 375°F, for 30 to 45 minutes, until the apples are tender, but not overcooked and mushy.

*Natural flavors are ingredients that come from nature, e.g. blueberry extract. The term “natural flavor” is defined by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR 101.22(a)(3). In this Whole Earth sweetener, you will not taste any flavor in the product; only sweetness.

†All powdered sugar substitutes contain bulking agents. That’s because the sweetening ingredients are so tiny (e.g., 300 times the sweetness of sugar), that there would be hardly anything to put in a packet.