Herbal Tea Blending Masterclass Blog Posts

This is a modern take on a classic recipe using Spearmint Tea.  You could use any of your favourite herbal teas to create the glaze for this recipe – the options are endless.

It is best to use a day-old sponge, so make the sponge the day before or you can place it in the fridge just before applying the glaze to held firm up the sponge.

To make a gluten free version, replace the 2 teaspoons of plain flour with 2 teaspoons of buckwheat flour and ensure the icing sugar is also gluten free.

Sponge Recipe Ingredients

This recipe is from the Edmonds Fielder’s Cornflour packet

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1/2 cup cornflour
• 2 teaspoons plain four
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Sponge Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C.
2. Select a pair of matching baking pans to use – this recipe fits into 2 x 20cm sandwich pans, however you can select four mini pans and equally distribute the batter between each of the matching pairs of pans)
3. Line your pans with parchment paper.
4. Separate the...

Just in time for summer!  Blue Butterfly Pea Tea is the star ingredient used to create the vibrant blue colour in this recipe.  Use any of your favourite herbal teas in place of the Blue Butterfly Pea Tea and vanilla essence to create your own unique flavours of ice blocks.

Blue Butterfly Pea Tea has a mild, slightly grassy flavour is a best used as a colourant in beverages, desserts and baking or used as a dye.  It will change from blue to cerise pink with the addition of lemon juice which can be a fun experiment for kids.

Ice Block Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Blue Butterfly Pea Tea
• 3 tablespoons boiling water
• 400ml coconut cream
• 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup (depending on your taste preferences)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence

Chocolate Coating Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 4 tablespoons toasted, shredded coconut to sprinkle over

Method

1. Make a tea by adding the boiling water to the Blue...

Just in time for the festive season, this recipe can be made using any of your favourite herbal teas, but is delicious and refreshing made with Spearmint tea. 

These make a great Christmas gift and you can use milk, dark or white chocolate to cover the toffees then add any toppings such as salt, toasted coconut or roasted chopped nuts.  The toffee recipe is from the Edmonds Cookbook 1986 edition.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons Spearmint tea
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon butter  
• approximately 250g of chocolate for coating, plus any toppings

METHOD

1. Make the tea by adding a cup of boiled water to the Spearmint tea and allow it to steep for 10 minutes. 
2. Strain and measure the tea, adding more water if needed to make up one cup. 
3. Add the tea to a saucepan along with the sugar, vinegar and butter and slowly bring to a boil without stirring. 
4. Boil until hard ball stage is reached then pour into a well-buttered dish and allow to...

If you are a vegetarian or even vegan, the marshmallow part of this recipe is amazing.  I used aquafaba (chickpea liquid) but you can also use egg white instead.  Using agar- agar to set the marshmallow creates a velvet-smooth marshmallow that holds well and can be used on its own and cut into pieces, then rolled in coconut to create marshmallow sweets or used as shown below with a biscuit base, bringing back childhood memories.

Base Ingredients: (base recipe is based on Allyson Gofton’s Creative Biscuits & Slices cookbook)

• 125g butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg (or use egg replacement)
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder.

Base Method:

1. Cream butter and sugar then add egg and beat until incorporated. 
2. Sift flour and baking powder and add to mixture along with vanilla. 
3. Mix well and press into a lined 20cm x 30cm tray. 
4. Bake at 180C for approximately 18-20 minutes. 
5. Cool completely before adding the marshmallow.

Marshmallow...

The easiest way to extract flavour from herbs and spices and to create a shelf-stable product, is to use alcohol.  Alcohol is both a very effective a solvent and preserving agent. 

To create an essence, choose your alcohol from vodka, being the most commonly used, or Bacardi, which has a slight vanilla flavour or another spirit, then select your herb and add it to the alcohol and allow it to steep for anywhere from a few days to weeks or months.

Making vanilla essence using Bacardi is quick and easy. Fill a small jar or bottle with Bacardi, e.g. an old maple syrup bottle is good.  For a bottle of that size you will need to add two vanilla pods that you have cut open and scrapped the seeds from.  Add the pods and the seeds to the bottle, shake and allow to steep in your pantry for a month or two before using.  Leave the pods in the bottle and as you near the bottom of the bottle, top it up again with Bacardi and add a new pod.  I usually have three or...

This is a homemade non-alcoholic version of blue curacao using the blue butterfly pea flowers to create the blue-purple colour.  It is lightly-spiced and delicious.  Use the syrup to create interesting alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages. 

As the syrup is heavier than most other beverages, it will sink to the bottom of the glass when added to juice or soda.  It is best to add the syrup to the glass first, then add ice, and slowly add your other beverage on top to create a layered effect.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon pieces (finely cut)
• 4 whole cloves
• Dried zest of 4 small oranges
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 heaped tablespoons blue butterfly pea flowers

METHOD

1. Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.
2. Simmer for approximately 5-10 minutes (the longer it simmers, the thicker the syrup will become)
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
4. Strain and pour into a sterlised bottle.  Store in the refrigerator for...

This recipe is a delicious, quick and easy syrup that can be made into a non-alcoholic drink with the addition of soda water or created as an alcoholic beverage with the addition of both soda water and gin or vodka.

INGREDIENTS

• 175ml lemon juice (from approximately 2 large Meyer lemons)
• 1 heaped tablespoon of lemon verbena whole leaf tea
• 1 cup of sugar

METHOD

1. Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.
2. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
4. Strain into a sterilised bottle and store in the refrigerator for up to one week.

If you live in New Zealand, visit our website: www.NewZealandHerbalBrew.co.nz to purchase certified organic herbal teas and see more herbal recipes: https://newzealandherbalbrew.co.nz/lemon-verbena-lemon-syrup/

To purchase lemon verbena tea: https://newzealandherbalbrew.co.nz/product/lemon-verbena-whole-leaf-tea/

Using spearmint tea, it is easy to create a delicious mojito-style of syrup that can be added to soda water to create a non-alcoholic beverage or made with the addition of white rum for a classic mojito.

INGREDIENTS

• 200ml lime juice
• 1 tablespoon spearmint tea
• 1 cup of sugar

METHOD

1. Place add ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. 
2. Simmer for approximately 5 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool.
3. Strain into a sterilised bottle and store in the refrigerator for up to one week.
4. To remove the fine particulate matter from the tea, strain through a cheese cloth or fine tea strainer.

If you live in New Zealand, visit our website: www.NewZealandHerbalBrew.co.nz to purchase certified organic herbal teas and see more herbal recipes: https://newzealandherbalbrew.co.nz/spearmint-lime-mojito-syrup/

To purchase Spearmint Tea: https://newzealandherbalbrew.co.nz/product/spearmint-tea/

One of the simplest and very vibrant ways to decorate your baking is with dried and fresh edible flowers.  Using flowers such as:

•  rose
• lavender
• cornflower
• elder flower
• hibiscus
• fennel or dill flowers
• red clover
• borage
• dandelion
• viola
• nasturtium are among many of the edible flowers readily available. 

Try colouring your icing with different colours to enhance the flowers or petals.  Using a combination of fresh and dried flowers, along with a crunchy component such as chopped nuts or coconut flakes, crushed meringue, crushed freeze-dried fruit or shards of toffee brittle can also add interest to your baking decorations.

If foraging for fresh edible flowers from your garden, always ensure correct plant identification first before using the flowers in food preparation.

Certified organic dried rose buds in pink and yellow, dried cornflowers, hibiscus and elder flowers are available via our online store. 

If you live in New Zealand, visit our website: ...

Based on the shortbread recipe from the 1986 version of The Edmonds Cookbook, the possibilities for shortbread flavour creations are endless by adding herbs (fresh or dried), spices, nuts, seeds, peppermint candy canes or other boiled lollies.

INGREDIENTS:

• 225g butter
• 125g icing sugar
• 125g cornflour
• 220g flour.

 VARIATIONS:  

1. Elderflower: 7g of dried and ground elderflowers.  
2. Rose & Blackcurrant: 3g of dried and ground roses (calyxes removed) and 5g of blackcurrant powder.  
3. Hibiscus & Orange: 6g dried and ground hibiscus flowers (hibiscus sabdariffa) and 1 teaspoon of fresh orange zest.  
4. Spearmint: 3g of dried and ground spearmint.  These are really lovely plain, but also very tasty sandwiched together with spearmint icing using fresh or dried spearmint or spearmint essence.  
5. Pistachio & Lime: 35g chopped pistachio nuts and 1 teaspoon of fresh lime zest (these are great iced with...