Hi and welcome to the very first issue of Recipes for the Teenage Soul!
I'm Claudia and I love cooking, of any kind!
I started out cooking when I was about six, with packet mix cupcakes! My sisters and I would bake a batch of chocolate chip muffins and then we'd fight over who got to lick the bowl!
Since those days, I've attended any and all cooking classes in my area. I also chose Food Tech as my main subject for Year 9 and 10.
So, the recipes I am posting are going to be my tried and tested recipes that I know work. I love cooking Asian cuisine, as well as a lot of pasta and rice dishes.What I love to make most of all is actually, tea! Yep, you heard that right!
Tea.
I made blueberry and vanilla iced tea when I was 13, from scratch and I fell in love with making any sort of tea! I especially love fruit teas and iced teas!
So here's my first recipe for your"
Blueberry and Vanilla Iced Tea
Ingredients:
2/3 cups of cold water (doesn't have to be exact and depends on how strong you want your tea)
1 black tea bag
A few empty tea bags (Just take apart a tea bag and empty it)
2 cups of blueberries (doesn't have to be exact)
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla extract or to taste
2/3 tablespoons sugar and/or sugar
A pinch of mixed spice (nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, spices for fruit dishes)
Dash of lemon juice
Method:
- Fill a saucepan with the water place on a medium heat and bring to the boil. Important: do not boil the water. The water will be too hot for the tea and will impact the flavour. Once brought to the boil, take off the heat. You can place it back on later if the temperature drops too much.
- Next, place the blueberries in a bowl with a small amount of hot water. (Note: if using frozen berries, cover with hot water until melted and drain.) Use a spoon to moderately squash the blueberries. Keep the juice left over.
- Now, grab one of your empty tea bags and fill it with as many blueberries as you can. Use a stapler to close the ends off. (Yes, I used a stapler.) Place into the water and repeat. I usually use two or three but you can use more for a stronger flavour. Leave in for 10-15 minutes.
- Place the black tea bag in the water and steep for 2-3 minutes. Make sure its not for too long as it can overpower the fruit taste of the blueberries. Take out after the time has elapsed.
- Next, pour the juice from the squashed blueberries into the tea. Keep the blueberries.
- Now, add the lemon juice and stir in. You can add more if you want a less sweet tea.
- Add the Vanilla extract and stir through. Add the honey and/or sugar and stir in over the heat.
- This step is optional but if you want a stronger tea, squeeze your remaining blueberries through a sieve with a spoon to get the last of the juice. You can also get the last of the juice from the blueberries in the tea bags if you want.
- Pour into a large glass bottle or container and allow to sit in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
- Serve over ice, with blueberries and mint leaves to garnish.
