Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/722943
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 4 SEPTEMBER 2016 35 Tea Tea is the second most widely drunk beverage in the world, after water. Though there are a huge va- riety of teas available on the market they all come from the same place – from the tea bush or Camellia Sinensis. The only difference in the type of teas is how the leaves are pro- cessed. For some types of tea, the leaves must be fermented, for oth- ers they are only sun-dried. The processing is what determines the taste and quality of the different types of tea. There are four main categories of tea which are drunk the world over. These categories are White tea, Green tea, Oolong tea and Black tea. Black tea Black tea is the most popular of all teas and the most widely consumed. The distinctive taste prevalent in the different black teas comes from the way that they are processed. During the process- ing of the tea leaves the leaves are heavily oxidized and fermented. Black tea has a higher caffeine con- tent and is stronger in flavour than the other tea varieties. There are a huge variety of black teas available, though the main ones include Nilgiri tea, Assam tea, Lapsang Souchong, Earl Grey and Darjeeling tea. Flavoured black teas provide an extra little bit of something blending anything from Italian liqueur to cinnamon and al- monds. Green tea Originally coming to the world from China, Green tea is a popular beverage due to many factors, one of which is said to be the fact that it aids in weight-loss. The difference between black and green tea does not come from the plant itself but from the prepara- tion method. To put it simply, black tea undergoes a fermenting process while green tea does not. Of the four different tea varieties green tea undergoes least process- ing. It is withered, or air-dried and then either steamed or pan-fried. The tea is then rolled gently and heated once to lock in its flavours. Oolong tea Again the processing of the tea leaves gives Oolong tea its unique flavours. The edges of the leaves are bruised following the withering process to allow partial oxidization, causing the flavour and caffeine to rise to the surface. Brewing meth- ods also differ with the correct tea pot, called a Gaiwan, necessary to produce the best flavours. The taste of Oolong tea is somewhere between black and green tea. White tea The harvesting and preparation of this tea means that it is not as abundant as the other teas and therefore more expensive. White tea is very light and has a silky tex- ture and soft flavour. It lacks the green grassy taste of green tea and the bitter, flowery taste of black and Oolong tea. Unlike the other varieties of tea, white tea is made from tea buds that are barely unfurled. It is also the appearance of these buds which has given White tea its name, as the buds are covered in a silver fuzz at the time of harvesting. When the harvested buds are steamed, the fuzz remains on the leaf, turning to a white color, hence the name white tea. White tea is cultivated and made in a few different countries around the world, with China, Japan, In- dia, and Sri Lanka (Ceylon) being among the top runners for produc- ing high grade White tea. And just like the many different varieties of Black tea available, there are also different grades of White tea avail- able, with the Silver Needle variety being one of the most sought after White tea varieties. Fine food of the week For all the tea in China Food Ingredients BLACK SESAME ICE CREAM • 1 x 395g tin sweetened condensed milk • 6 tbsp black sesame paste • ½ cup black sesame seeds, toasted • 2 cups thickened cream GREEN TEA AND BLACK SESAME BISCUITS • 250g plain flour • 2 heaped tbsp matcha pow- der (green tea) • 170g unsalted butter, sof- tened • 1 cup icing sugar • Pinch sea salt flakes • 2 egg yolks • ¼ cup black sesame seeds Method NO-CHURN BLACK SESAME ICE CREAM 1. In a bowl combine the con- densed milk and store- bought black sesame and mix until well combined. 2. Place toasted black sesame seeds in a spice grinder and grind to a paste, then set aside. 3. Whip thickened cream in a separate bowl until firm peaks form, then stir in 3 ta- blespoons of the condensed milk mixture and stir till combined. Add the remain- ing condensed milk mixture and the fresh black sesame paste and fold into the mix- ture till just combined (the fresh black sesame paste will stir into the mixture in deli- cious chunks). 4. Pour into a lined jelly roll pan and freeze overnight. GREEN TEA AND BLACK SESAME BISCUITS 5. Preheat oven to 180° C. 6. Sift the flour and matcha powder together into a bowl and set aside. 7. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine butter, icing sugar and salt and beat until pale yellow (about 5-7 mins). 8. Add the egg yolks one at a time with the mixer run- ning until combined, then add the flour and matcha powder a little at time until the mixture is even in colour and becomes a soft crumbly dough. 9. Turn out the dough and shape into one 8cm diam- eter log. Sprinkle the black sesame evenly in one layer on a baking tray and then roll the outside of the log in black sesame so that it coats the outside. 10. Wrap the dough tightly in clingwrap and chill for 30 mins in the freezer until firm enough to slice. 11. Slice the log into 20 even slices (about 1cm thick) and place onto paper lined bak- ing trays leaving space be- tween them for spread. Bake for 18-20 mins until the edges darken, then transfer to a wire rack to cool com- pletely. ASSEMBLY 12. Use a chef's ring the size of the biscuits to cut 10 circles of black sesame icecream. 13. Sandwich each ice cream round between two green tea and black sesame bis- cuits and then wrap in bak- ing paper and store in the freezer until ready to eat! Recipe of the week Black Sesame And Green Tea Ice Cream Sandwiches GourmetToday every Saturday 16.05pm on TVM