Tea and Cookies (18 page)
Authors: Rick Rodgers
¼ cup whole milk
½ teaspoon almond extract
½ cup hulled sesame seeds
1.
Position a rack in the top third and center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2.
Sift together the flour and baking powder. Mix the butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Gradually beat in the sugar until the mixture is light in color and texture, about 2 minutes. One at a time, beat in the yolks, then the milk and almond extract. Stir in the flour mixture until the dough is combined. Cover and refrigerate until chilled and firm enough to handle, at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
3.
Using a scant tablespoon for each cookie, shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in the sesame seeds to coat. Place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake, switching the position of the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking, until the cookies are light golden brown on the bottom, about 15 minutes.
4.
Let cool on the sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire cake racks and cool completely. (The cookies can be made up to 5 days ahead, stored in airtight containers at room temperature.)
MAKES
10
LARGE COOKIES
Shortbread—full of buttery flavor and a crumbly melt-in-your-mouth texture that few other cookies can deliver—is another item that must be included in most teatime menus. Brown sugar gives these a hint of molasses. For truly extraordinary results, instead of standard brown sugar, use muscovado sugar, which is made by a centuries-old process and has a deeper flavor.
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup packed light brown or muscovado sugar
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
Pinch of salt
1.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9- to 9½-inch springform pan.
2.
Beat the butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer set at high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light in color and texture, about 2 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Press the dough evenly into the pan. Using the tines of a fork, press around the perimeter of the dough. Prick the dough, reaching down to the bottom of the pan, into 10 equal wedges.
3.
Bake until lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Cool completely in the pan. Remove the sides of the pan. Cut the shortbread into wedges, following the perforations in the dough. (The shortbread can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.)
There are countless places to buy tea and bakery supplies online or by mail order. Here is a selective list of places that I have personally done business with, and highly recommend.
ADMARI TEA
202 Franklin Avenue
Midland Park, NJ 07432
(201) 301-2801
www.admaritea.com
I love this store, touting (and delivering) personal ser vice and the very best loose-leaf teas both in the charming little shop and online. Adrienne Etkin travels around the world to find extraordinary offerings. She also caters delicious tea parties.
AMAZON
www.amazon.com
The kitchen store at this online giant keeps getting better and better. Check here for such formerly hard-to-find items as pistachio extract, wooden tartlet tampers, and flat parchment paper.
BOBA TEA DIRECT
9674 E. Arapahoe Road, #155
Greenwood Village, CO 80112
www.bobateadirect.com
There are many online stores to buy pearl tapioca, wide straws, and other supplies for bubble (boba) tea, but this one has an especially large selection and sells in amounts manageable for the home cook.
CHA MA GU DAO
212 Glenridge Avenue
Montclair, NJ 07042
(973) 746-0975
www.southsilkroad.com
A shop in the austere Asian style with an amazingly diverse menu of hundreds of teas, Cha Ma Gu Dao also sells their fine loose-leaf tea and teawares online.
THE COOKIE CUTTER SHOP
3021 140th Street NW
Marysville, WA 98271
(360) 652-3295
www.thecookiecuttershop.com
The place to find charming and well-made cookie cutters, including teacups, teapots, and other kitchen-inspired shapes.
HARNEY AND SONS FINE TEAS
P.O. Box 665
Salisbury, CT 06068
(888) 427-6398
www.harney.com
Michael Harney sells a large variety of world-class tea for every taste in beautifully packaged canisters. Their silken sachets make believers out of tea-bag haters. If you are in the Berkshire Mountains, try their tasting room and restaurant in Millerton, New York.
PASTRY SAMPLER
Beach Cuisine, Inc.
1672 Main Street, Ste. E, #159
Ramona, CA 92065
(760) 440-9171
www.pastrysampler.com
One-stop shopping for all professional-quality baking supplies, this online store is where you’ll find a wide assortment of pastry tips.
SUR LA TABLE
P.O. Box 840
Brownsburg, IN 46112
(800) 243-0852
www.surlatable.com
With more than seventy well-stocked stores nationwide, and a great online shop, you are likely to find what you are looking for at this top-notch kitchenware supplier.
T SALON
134 W. 26th Street, Fourth Floor
New York, NY 10001
(212) 358-0506
www.tsalon.com
T Salon has two wonderful shops, one in the Chelsea Market complex in Manhattan and the other on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. But the owner, Miriam Novalle, also has a fine online shop with such features as a “Tea of the Month Club” and samplers.
WILLIAMS-SONOMA
3250 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94109
(877) 812-6235
www.williams-sonoma.com
The kitchenware and tabletop giant remains a reliable place to buy top-of-the-line baking supplies from half-sheet pans to food coloring.
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A
Agua Fresca,
Hibiscus,
42,
43
Alfajores,
106–8,
107
Almond flour
about, 114
Lemon Curd
Macarons,
114
Macarons de Citron,
112–14,
114
Apricot preserves
Austrian Sandwich Cookies, 119–20
Classic Rugelach, 116
Austrian Sandwich Cookies, 119–20
B
Baking mats, 60
Baking powder, 51
Baking sheets and pans, 57–58
Baking soda, 51
Bar cookies
baking pans for, 58
Blueberry Cheesecake Bars, 88–90,
89
Brownie Bites,
72,
73–74
Cashew Blondies, 91–92,
92
cutting, 64
Granola Bars, 93–94
Lemon Raspberry Squares, 95–97,
96
Linzer Squares, 98–100,
99
Maple Pecan Squares, 101–2,
103
Passion Fruit Squares, 97
Biscotti, Orange and Pine Nut, 130–31,
131
Black-and-White Cookies, 68–71,
69
Black tea
about, 15–16
Assam, 17
blended black teas, 17
Ceylon, 17
Chinese varieties, 16
Darjeeling, 16
Earl Grey, 17
English Breakfast, 17
flavored teas, 17
Golden Monkey, 16
Indian varieties, 16–17
Irish Breakfast, 17
Jasmine, 17
Keemun, 16
Lapsang Souchong, 17
Russian Caravan, 17
Snail Tea, 16
steeping times, 23
Yunnan, 16
Black tea beverages
Classic Chai, 32,
33
Fruity Bubble Tea, 45
Half-and-Half, 44
Mango Tea Slush, 38
“Not” Sun Tea,
34,
35
Orange Spice Tea, 28
Peachy Iced Tea Cooler, 40,
41
Blondies, Cashew, 91–92,
92
Blueberry Cheesecake Bars, 88–90,
89
Brownie Bites,
72,
73–74
Brown Sugar Shortbread, 146
Bubble Tea, Fruity, 45
Butter, for recipes, 48–49
C
Candied Walnut Tassies, 121–22
Caribbean Sorrel Punch, 43
Cashew Blondies, 91–92,
92
Chai, Classic, 32,
33
Chai Snickerdoodles, 84–85
Cherry
and Chocolate Rugelach, 115–16
and White Chip Cookies, 75–76
Chocolate.
See also
White Chocolate
Black-and-White Cookies, 68–71,
69
Brownie Bites,
72,
73–74
and Cherry Rugelach, 115–16
cocoa powder, types of, 54
Milk, and Raisins, Oatmeal Cookies with, 80–81
Rooibos Hot Cocoa, 37
Sandwich Cookies with Earl Grey Ganache, 109–10,
111
types of, 52–53
Cinnamon
Chai Snickerdoodles, 84–85
Classic Rugelach, 116
Cocoa powder
Black-and-White Cookies, 68–71,
69
Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with Earl Grey Ganache, 109–10,
111
Rooibos Hot Cocoa, 37
types of, 54
Coconut
Granola Bars, 93–94
Cookie cutters, 60
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