Blackcurrant Curd and More Tea
Jul. 13th, 2022 03:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hrjAlthough I started making a batch of blackcurrant/lemon curd, it will not be ready in time for today's tea break, therefore it has no effect on today's choice of tea.
The blackcurrant bushes are new this year, so I didn't expect to get much more than nibbling amounts (like when I combined several berry types to make a fool). But the blackcurrants mostly ripened later than the other front yard berries (other than the blueberries, which are going steadily all summer) so I collected them up in a cup in the refrigerator to see if I'd have enough to do something with. Then I scouted out recipes and settled on one for a curd. I've modified the original by making it more of a half-and-half currant-lemon curd, because I needed to up the fruit content to match the problem of not wanting to go smaller than one egg yolk. Currantly(ha ha) it's at the stage where I've simmered the berries with lemon juice and sugar and they're cooling before being pureed through a sieve.
In the mean time, today's tea is another from the sampler pack of Chinese teas from Teavivre: Fengqing Dragon Pearl Black Tea. "Pearl" as in, it's rolled up into balls about the size of a chickpea. The envelope has about 5 pearls in it, which the instructions indicate is the right amount for one 12oz cup, but I'm starting out with one pearl in my pot. 190F for 8-10 minutes and today I used a strainer insert so I could stop the brew at that point.
The loose tea smells like your basic black tea -- the smell reminds me of the taste of an excellent iced tea, but that might be my imagination pulling in the fact that it's a warm afternoon. The color in the cup is thin enough that I suspect a stronger brew is advisable next time. Rather than a golden-brown, it looks more brownish-gray? The aroma is delicate and pleasant (but again suggesting to brew it stronger next time). Taste is mild and not at all bitter. Hard to find specific descriptors -- pretty much exactly how I expect an excellent black tea to taste. I could easily drink this unsweetened. But I'll definitely try two pearls per pot next time and see what I get with a stronger effect.
The blackcurrant bushes are new this year, so I didn't expect to get much more than nibbling amounts (like when I combined several berry types to make a fool). But the blackcurrants mostly ripened later than the other front yard berries (other than the blueberries, which are going steadily all summer) so I collected them up in a cup in the refrigerator to see if I'd have enough to do something with. Then I scouted out recipes and settled on one for a curd. I've modified the original by making it more of a half-and-half currant-lemon curd, because I needed to up the fruit content to match the problem of not wanting to go smaller than one egg yolk. Currantly(ha ha) it's at the stage where I've simmered the berries with lemon juice and sugar and they're cooling before being pureed through a sieve.
In the mean time, today's tea is another from the sampler pack of Chinese teas from Teavivre: Fengqing Dragon Pearl Black Tea. "Pearl" as in, it's rolled up into balls about the size of a chickpea. The envelope has about 5 pearls in it, which the instructions indicate is the right amount for one 12oz cup, but I'm starting out with one pearl in my pot. 190F for 8-10 minutes and today I used a strainer insert so I could stop the brew at that point.
The loose tea smells like your basic black tea -- the smell reminds me of the taste of an excellent iced tea, but that might be my imagination pulling in the fact that it's a warm afternoon. The color in the cup is thin enough that I suspect a stronger brew is advisable next time. Rather than a golden-brown, it looks more brownish-gray? The aroma is delicate and pleasant (but again suggesting to brew it stronger next time). Taste is mild and not at all bitter. Hard to find specific descriptors -- pretty much exactly how I expect an excellent black tea to taste. I could easily drink this unsweetened. But I'll definitely try two pearls per pot next time and see what I get with a stronger effect.
