Tea bites

My in-progress collection of recipes for snacks to drink tea with, and tea-infused food:

• Earl grey tea muffins
• Cookies - lavender, chai, matcha, earl grey
• Green tea furikake
• Chinese tea eggs (quick version)
• Pancakes/waffles infused with chai or matcha

Last update: 4 April, 2009

Two dinners chez moi

Menu 1, February
1. Polenta cakes topped with duxelles (finely-diced mushrooms cooked in wine and butter)
2. Portuguese chicken (pollo portugese) over buttered conchiglie pasta
3. Breyer's vanilla ice-cream with fresh blueberries and walnut halves

Menu 2, March
1. Potato cases filled with balsamic-marinated watercress and topped with brie
2. Fettuccini with crab and ginger alfredo
3. Straticella mousse (brought by guest)

Saffron-braised carrot and rice croquettes

Like the most ordinary of days, my most surprising recipes are conjured out of necessity and limitations, rather than detailed and long-term planning. Living at a just-moved in apartment of a friend who just moved to a new city meant that eating out was pretty much the rule of the day. But the apartment was not without a variety of dried foods, and some fresh, from one of those touristy visits to a farmers' market. And, leftover rice, which always fuels my imagination. For me, they really scream croquettes!

This one is packed with rice and carrot, the two protagonists -- the carrot was finely diced and braised in a bit of saffron and water, before being added to the batter of rice, flour, an egg, half a chopped tomato, basil, a sprinkling of breadcrumbs. Then, flattened and moulded into patties which were then dredged in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs.

Smoked oysters, potato and romaine salad with creamy dressing

Adapted from this and that with several pantry limitations in mind. It's a delicious cross between a caesar, a hearty grotto salad and your little black dress.

Serves 3 for appetizers, 1 as entree.

Boil 5 medium to large red potatoes, skins on, in salted water, for about 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, chop about half a medium-sized head of romaine lettuce, wash and drain. Dice half an onion (I used white, but I'd imagine red or purple would add color and tang). Open a can of smoked oysters, drain (I used Trader Joe's). Mix these in a large salad bowl.

Vinaigrette: Whisk 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar (I used orange champagne vineger, that's all I had), 4 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Add 3 teaspoons of extra-virgin olive oil in a steady stream, whisking with every addition. Adjust seasonings according to how creamy you like the dressing.

Drizzle over the oyster, potato and romaine salad, and serve while potatoes are still warm. I chomped it down with a glass (ok, three) of Black Mountain Malbec.

Pesto Breadsticks

Sailing sandwiches

Three-layer tea sandwiches of tuna mayo and cucumber and picnic ham on buttered bread, kind of inspired by the Fosters incident.