U Matcha–by the Republic of Tea

The Republic of Tea gave us each a very generous press kit (it included samples of several of their teas–Angela's Mom found her favorite Red Velvet tea via a sample) at the Fancy Food Show, then emailed to ask if there was anything else we'd like to try. We chose the U Matcha Charcoal, which is so tasty we built an entire lunch around it.

Angela cooked rice with U Matcha in the water and topped it with smoked salmon plus veggies. A simple salad of greens with U Matcha in the dressing was a perfect accompaniment. Just add 1-2 teaspoons of U Matcha to your regular vinaigrette dressing recipe and shake well.

Tea Time does not consider a meal complete without dessert (actually, we sometimes consider dessert a complete meal), so J.K. made marshmallows the night before. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to cut them in the morning, so she brought the whole pan.

The marshmallow syrup was as green as the salad dressing, but after 15 minutes in the mixer, the whipped product was only slightly tinted. Whip it!

 That changed, of course, after we dusted more matcha over the powdered sugar coating.

When making marshmallows, cooking spray is essential. J.K. sprayed her mixer bowl, whisk attachment and bowl scraper. Also the foil lining the baking pan, and the knife she used to cut the finished marshmallow. Any spray oil would work, this is just the brand we had on hand.  After we cut the marshmallow into blocks, we got to work on the truffles.

This recipe for rustic truffles is quite simple. Pick your favorite type of white chocolate chunks  (about one cup), and melt with a bit of heavy whipping cream (two tablespoons) in a double boiler over medium heat. Angela added a tablespoon of U Matcha to the melted chocolate, stirred until incorporated and  stuck it in the fridge to chill. Once the filling was cold we hand rolled balls quickly. If the filling gets too warm, simply chill again.

nudie matcha balls

 We rolled them in the matcha/powdered sugar and dusted them with cocoa. These soft truffles should be kept in the fridge and served cool. Otherwise they will begin to melt at room temperature. If you want to keep them around longer you can simply take a page from J. K.!

dusted and ready for eating

Later, J.K. was dipping dried fruit in tempered chocolate to take to an Oscars-watching party, so she dipped a few truffles, too.

Due to the powdered sugar and cocoa, the truffles weren't quite coated after dipping, so she dipped them a second time after the first coat set.

The perfect creamy filling!

Tea Time isn't sure if turning U Matcha into dessert still counts as a detox, but that's okay. We'll split the difference and just call it "healthy dessert."

Marshmallows for the swap

After making caramels twice in a row, I decided it was time for a change. I hadn't made marshmallows in a while, and there was a jar of gelatin and a gallon of corn syrup in my cupboard, so marshmallows it  is. If you're worried about corn syrup, get a copy of Marshmallows by Eileen Talanian, which starts with a recipe for Marshmallow Syrup. I used the recipe in Joy of Cooking, which calls for corn syrup. I usually avoid products with corn syrup in them, because so much of what we eat, even meat, is reprocessed corn, but lately corn has become so expensive that cattle are being fed chopped up candy, even (gasp!) chocolate instead of corn, so avoiding corn doesn't seem quite so urgent anymore.

Start by lining a 9 x 13 pan with aluminum foil. The easiest way to do this is to form the foil on the upside-down pan. 

Then turn your pan right side up and the foil form slips right in.

Grease the foil. Non-stick spray is the easiest. Then sift a little powdered sugar over the grease and tap to distribute it evenly. Your pan is now prepared.

Sprinkle the gelatin over the water in your mixer bowl.

Place the mixer bowl over a pot of simmering water and heat until the solution is clear, stirring occasionally to make sure all the gelatin is wet. Dry off the bottom of the bowl, and place it on the mixer. Use the whisk attachment if you have one.

Mix the corn syrup, water sugar and salt in a large saucepan. Mine holds two quarts.

Bring to a boil over low heat.

Raise the heat to high and insert a warmed candy thermometer. I leave mine in the oven while I'm getting to this point. If your oven doesn't have a pilot light, place it in warm water. My pan is too curved to use the clip on the thermometer, so I balance it against a stack of pots.

When your solution reaches firm ball stage, remove the pot from the heat, turn on the mixer and slowly pour the hot syrup into the gelatin solution, avoiding the whisk. Aim for the side of the bowl--you don't want to get splattered with boiling syrup!

Let the mixer run for 15 minutes. Any longer and your marshmallows will be tough. But any less and they'll be too soft. The mixture turns white very quickly (see video) but it isn't marshmallows yet. The directions for most recipes say "pour" the marshmallows into the prepared pan, but it's really "scrape." With a greased scraper. You might want to spray your hands, too, while you're at it.

Even off  the top with your scraper. An offset spatula would be handy here. but it isn't necessary.

Cover loosely with foil and let your marshmallow set overnight before cutting and rolling in more powdered sugar to keep the pieces from sticking together. I don't have pictures of this step because I was afraid of clogging up my phone with powdered sugar.

This is what the marshmallows look like dipped in chocolate.

To make chocolate marshmallows, I added 1/2 cup of Scharffen Berger unsweetened cocoa powder to the bowl before pouring the syrup, so the hot syrup would cook the cocoa. If you want a sweeter chocolate flavor, try Ghirardelli Ground Chocolate. You can also use other flavoring extracts or your favorite alcoholic beverage instead of the vanilla extract called for in the recipe. Commercial vanilla extract is 35% alcohol (that's 70 proof) so don't be afraid to use whisky or liqueur for flavoring.

I do this for fun, but if you don't have the patience to make your own marshmallows and  just want to eat them, check out Sugar Knife Marshmallows. Jenna is currently doing a Kickstarter campaign. This is your chance to get in on the ground floor.

Dandelion Chocolate Factory and Cafe

Dandelion Chocolate has finally moved into its new building at 740 Valencia Street. Right now there's a limited retail section, but there will be a Cafe soon! Tea Time is looking forward to spending many happy hours slurping hot chocolate and eating pastries in this beautiful, new, convenient location. The factory is on the premises, so you can see chocolate bars being made and there won't be any delivery problems.

UPDATE:  The cafe is now open, serving several choices of hot chocolate, a shake made from the pulp of the cacao pod and scrumptious desserts made by their in-house pastry chef. Plus you can watch Dandelion  chocolate bars being made while lingering over your dessert. All the hot chocolate drinks are served with a mini-madeleine and the housemade marshmallows are self-service, next to the sugar cubes.

 

Don't ya'll worry, they've still got the coffee too.

Picture from the first visit, when it was quiet.

Angela's choice of  European Drinking Chocolate.

We couldn't resist this little brownie, topped with sweet, crispy rice to go with our chocolate drinks. We asked the proprietor if they'll be serving more hearty fare, but he said that since they are surrounded by amazing savory places (like Craftsman and Wolves, or Mission Cheese) up and down Valencia, that Dandelion will continue to excel in its niche of specialty chocolates. So it seems likely that the dessert menu will expand and/or change over time, and you'll know that if you just want to slip in to get a chocolate fix the best time to avoid a line is noontime. Angela can't wait to go and try their citrus-y 'green' cocoa drink. It's made from the unroasted cacao beans. She's tasted them once before, straight from the tree, at the Original Hawaiiian Chocolate Factory. So different from the roasted beans!

Brownie, ready for its close-up.

Self-serve marshmallows--they disappear quickly!

J.K.'s American hot chocolate

Angela bought a bag of roasted cocoa beans to take home

Display wall offering tastes of the three regional chocolates

Close-up of cacao pods on display and for sale!

Beans being sorted, bags and bags of beans behind them.

The whole chocolate making operation is visible.

Pastries are in a case next to the cashier, making them hard to resist

The October 2012 Swap in Pictures

Has it been two months? Already? Well, it is time for a Food Swap, so time disappeared away somewhere! This was our second swap at the Bryant Street Sports Basement. They have a great community outreach program which includes Lots of sports classes (FOR FREE) and hosting space for nonprofit events. Check them out. 

If you saw Angela's post about her pumpkins, or J.K.'s marshmallow post, those were the sneak preview. This post features what happened that evening.  The swap takes place after work hours, so it always includes a potluck. We eat, meet, greet and also taste the evenings swap offerings in addition to the potluck. Scoping out what we would like to take home. Tea Time didn't get pictures of everything on offer, as there were Five tables of swap items at this event. You can check out more pictures on the Swap Facebook page if you are interested.

Sports Basement provides drinks, but swappers bring special additions like Watermelon Juice. YaY!

Make sure to take several small plates because new dishes show up frequently.

Now, on to the swap item pictures! Angela got inspired by the holiday spirit...maybe we really need to invent/host some sort of craft swap party for the holidays. Food Swapping is so fun, it would be great to be able to swap personally made crafting items too. Craft Swap Network anyone?

Angela's pumpkins cosying up to JK's marshmallows.

Another shot of our pumpkins and marshmallows

Toffee, dried persimmons, and jams 

Pizza samples. The swap item is crust dough and tomato sauce.

Salted white chocolate brownies with caramel

Fresh Herbs and Meyer Lemons, honeycomb, brownies, pizza

A student from Academy of Art University memorialized the event

Toffee, dried persimmons, jams

Za'atar and homemade sprinkles, granola in the baggies.

Two views of: Brandied cherries, jams, pickled green beans, carrot bread with almonds.
Orange bitters, arugula pesto, red pepper dip, a macrobiotic dessert.

If you're interested and want to participate in a swap, check out the Food Swap Network. They are gathering together information about swaps all over the country. In fact, this holiday season, you may already be participating in swapping! Parties like Cookie Swaps are very popular during this time of year. The idea is simple, you make 3-4 dozen cookies and swap your 4 bags for four other kinds (of course you bring some for eating as well). Do you participate in swapping homemade food with friends and/or family?

The next official Food Swap we will be attending is in December. Ideas are percolating about what to make/bake/bring to trade! If you want to suggest something just make a comment and we'll take it into consideration.