Madeleines Recipe from The Pastry Chef's Apprenctice

I first learned how to make madeleines by watching Martha Stewart. Half cookie, half cake, I was delighted with their taste and equally impressed with the fact that they were versatile enough to add just about any flavor to. My all-time favorite madelines are made with orange-cardamom. (I know, I'm obsessed with cardamom!)

This recipe turns out great every time and is the foundation for all of my madeleine experimentation. I hope you'll give these delectable desserts a try and come up with your own flavor combinations. Send me some pictures! These are a great project for World Baking Day.

You do need a special pan/mold to create these cookies, but it's really not that expensive (you can pick it up at the local grocery store) and I promise that once you bite into a warm madeleine cookie, you'll realize how much you're going to use that pan/mold.

Madeleines by Kim Park
Excerpted from The Pastry's Chef's Apprentice by Mitch Stamm

Ingredients

Unsalted butter, for molds
1 1/2 sticks (170 g) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (113 g) bread flour
1/2 cup (113 g) pastry flour
1 tablespoon (5 g) baking powder
3/4 teaspoon (5 g) salt
5 eggs (at room temperature)
3/4 cup (170 g) granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean

Yield: Approximately 36 madeleines

Procedure:

1. Melt a small amount of butter and leave it in a cool place to thicken.

2. Brush madeleine molds with thickened butter. Set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C, or gas mark 6).

4. Melt the 6 ounces (170 g) of butter and reserve.

5. Sift together the flours, baking powder, and salt. Reserve.

6. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip the eggs and sugar until they are pale yellow, thick, and form a ribbon when you lift the whip.

7.  Scrape the vanilla bean and add the scrapings to the mixture.

8. Remove the whip attachment and replace it with the paddle attachment. (This prevents incorporating excess air, which would affect the texture of the baked madeleines).

9. Continue to mix on low speed, adding the sifted flour mixture gradually.

10. Remove one-third of the mixture from the bowl and stir the melted 6 ounces (170 g) of butter into it.

11. Add the butter/batter mixture to the batter remaining in the bowl and mix lightly.

12. Use a spatula to place the mixture in a pastry bag fitted with a medium plain (round) tip.

13. Using medium pressure, pipe the mixture into the prepared molds.

14. For symmetrical madeleines without the traditional hump, bake directly. For madelines with a hump, refrigerate the filled pans for 1 1/2 hours prior to baking. Alternatively, the batter may be refrigerated for 1 1/2 hours and then piped into the molds.

15. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C, or gas mark 6) and bake until golden brown, approximately 13 to 15 minutes.

16. While they are still warm, tap the molds on a solid surface to remove the madeleines.

17. When the madelines are cool, dust with confectioner's sugar.

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For many people, pastries, cakes, chocolates, and sweets come ready to eat right from the grocery store. If they're lucky, a local bakery or chocolate shop satisfies the community's sweet tooth. Few people think they have the skill or the time to tackle something as seemingly complicated and time-consuming as homemade pastry. In The Pastry Chef's Apprentice, author Mitch Stamm simplifies a culinary school's core pastry curriculum and teaches the reader just how quickly you can go from sifting and stirring to spectacular.

The masters featured in The Pastry Chef’s Apprentice teach classic pastry skills, such as caramel, pate a choux, tart crusts, and more to the amateur food enthusiast. Through extensive, diverse profiles of experienced experts plus fully illustrated tutorials and delicious recipes, the reader gets insider access to real-life chefs, bakers, culinary instructors, and more.

With these new skills—or just the chance to revisit their old standards—everyone from casual cooks to devoted epicures will learn dozens of new ways to take their kitchen skills to the next level.

Featured chefs include:

— Laurent Branlard, USA: restaurateur and Executive Pastry Chef at the Swan and Dolphin Resorts at Disney World

— Frederic Deshayes, France: Chief Pastry & Bakery Instructor at At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy

— Thaddeus Dubois, USA: former White House Executive Pastry Chef and Culinary Mentor

— Robert Ellinger, UK/USA: owner of Baked to Perfection, founder of the Guild of Baking and Pastry Arts, and international pastry competition judge

— Lauren V. Haas, USA: Assistant Pastry Chef at Albert Uster Imports and Instructor at Johnson & Wales University

— Thomas Haas, Germany/USA

— En-Ming Hsu, USA: Chef Instructor at the French Pastry School in Chicago

— William Leaman, USA: World Champion Baker and Owner of Bakery Nouveau in Seattle

— Iginio Massari, Italy: Author, Restaurateur, and Founder of the Academy of Italian Master Pastry Chefs

— Kanjiro Mochizuki, Japan: Executive Pastry Chef at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo

— Ewald Notter, Switzerland/USA: Founder and Director of Education of Notter School of Pastry Arts

— Kim Park, South Korea: owner of the Green House Bakery and captain of South Korea’s national pastry team

— Jordi Puigvert, Spain: founder of Sweet‘n Go, consultant, and professor at the School of the Hotel de Girona in Spain

— Anil Rohira, India/Switzerland: Corporate Pastry Chef for Felchlin Switzerland and coach and judge for national and international competitions

— Sébastien Rouxel, France/USA: Executive Pastry Chef for the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group

— Kirsten Tibballs, Australia: Founder of Savour Chocolate and Patisserie School in Melbourne

— Franz Ziegler, Switzerland: Author and Consultant

Thelma's Apple Crisp with Pecans and Caramel Drizzle

Reggie's back with another amazing southern recipe from his mom. I thought this was the perfect fit for our baking week. Who knows? Maybe I'll make the jump from raspberries to apples.

And if you love apples, be sure to also check out the new book, An Apple a Day. It includes 365 apple recipes. You can win one on Goodreads.com right now.

Goodreads Book Giveaway  

An Apple A Day

by Karen Berman

Giveaway ends May 20, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

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Thelma’s Apple Crisp with Pecans and Caramel Drizzle

Southern-style desserts are divine, decadent, and absolutely delicious. My mom, her sisters, and my grandmother made some of the most amazing Southern desserts I’ve ever tasted! Some were incredibly simple and easy to make; others were so complicated you would swear they were trying to concoct a brew that was a potion for solving world hunger.

One of my favorite desserts Thelma (my mom) made was her apple crisp. The apples were always just the right texture and the topping was super crunchy and flavorful. My mom would say to me, “Baby, making a dessert is like making heaven on earth.” As a kid I always loved her expressions and even today I smile when I think of one that applies to what I’m doing. I guess that’s what parenting is all about— teaching your kids as much as you know about life and hoping they remember those lessons as they go off into the world.

But I digress. Another lesson my mom taught me was when cooking, you should listen to other people’s ideas/suggestions on how to prepare something and experiment with it to see if the idea improves your meal.

This week, I told a colleague that I was making apple crisp for my blog post. He suggested that I add pecans to the crust to add a nice nutty flavor. I must admit, I never thought of changing my mom’s recipe because I thought it was perfect, but adding pecans sounded intriguing. The result: an explosion of flavor and crunchiness that will make you salivate, especially when you add ice cream and the caramel drizzle.

Try this apple crisp with pecans recipe and I guarantee you will truly understand the meaning of heavenly surprise. A special thank you to Scott H. for the pecan idea. You rock buddy!

Making Apple Crisp With Pecans & Caramel Drizzle For Six:

Ingredients:

4 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced

¾ cup (135 g) firmly packed brown sugar

½ cup (40 g) of flour

½ cup (45 g) of oats

¾ teaspoon cinnamon

¾ teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup (150 g) crushed pecans

¾ stick softened butter

3 to 4 teaspoons caramel sauce

1 apple corer/slicer

1 square baking pan

 

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC, or gas mark 5).

2. Peel the skin off of the 4 Granny Smith apples.

3. Using the apple corer/slicer, cut each peeled apple into slices, then use a paring knife to cut the slices into 1/3-inch (0.85 cm) strips.

4. Butter the bottom of the square baking pan, then layer the sliced apples in the pan.

5. Continue to layer apples until all the slices are in the pan.

6. Place cup of brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, crushed pecans, and softened butter into a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.

7. Sprinkle the mixed ingredients over the top of the apples in the pan until the top is completely covered.

8. Plane the baking pan in the oven and cook for 30 minutes or until the apples are tender and the topping is golden brown.

9. Take the pan out of the over and let the apple crisp cool for 5 minutes.

10. Plate the apple crisp with a scoop of ice cream.

11. Place a light drizzle of caramel sauce over the apple crisp and ice cream.

12. Serve and enjoy!

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Taking something classic and giving it a new twist, An Apple a Day is a fresh, daily cookbook, filled to the brim with 365 apple recipes carefully selected to reflect the holidays, seasons, and months of the year (Pumpkin-Apple Soup in October; Grilled Turkey Burger with Apple-Chipotle Sauce in July), as well as current culinary trends and decorating projects.

Different from other apple cookbooks on the market, this extensive collection of recipes goes far beyond the tried and true apple dishes, to include novel recipes for savory meals such as Risotto with Apples and Crêpes, salads such as Thai-Style Pork Belly with Apples; cocktails such as Frozen Apple Daiquiri—and so much more. Nor are traditional favorites neglected; the book offers multiple ways to make applesauce, baked apples, pies, tarts, muffins, crisps, pastries, and cookies. The recipes in the book are accompanied by crafty, room decor and ambiance-enhancing projects such as seasonal centerpieces and apple-scented candles, designed for a delightful, multi-sensory apple experience.

Notes on apple varieties instruct on picking the perfect apple for any occasion and sidebars are used to reflect interesting apple stats, tales from literature and folklore, pairing tips, and surprising apple fun facts. Also sprinkled throughout are quotations and favorite apple recipes shared by some of today’s popular celebrity chefs, reflecting a variety of different cultures and styles of cuisine, such as Michael Gilligan and Ian Kittichai.

See, smell, and best of all taste for yourself, hundreds of ways to enjoy one of the world’s most versatile fruits of all time.

Raspberry Millefeuilles

Okay, okay... I'm on a raspberry kick, but I couldn't help but share this recipe from my new favorite book, Vintage Tea Party. During my college days, my friends and I would often wander down to the local tea shop and have high tea. There's nothing like being fancy and enjoying some delicious little treats like this one. If you haven't tried high tea, I encourage you to give it a shot. Heck, with this recipe, you can throw one yourself and wow your friends.

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Raspberry Millefeuilles
Excerpted from Vintage Tea Party by Carolyn Caldicott

As afternoon tea grew more popular, inspiration was sought from the great patisserie chefs of France and millfeuille, 'thousand leaf', pastry is a perfect example of this.

Makes about 12

250 g (9 oz.) puff pastry
110 g (4 oz.) icing sugar
Seedless raspberry jam
275 ml (1/2 pint) double cream, whipped
Raspberries, to decorate

1. Preheat the oven to 230 degrees C (450 degrees F, or gas mark 8).

2. Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface until 3mm/ 1/8 inches thick and cut circles of pastry, using a 6 cm (2 1/2 inch) diameter round pastry cutter (KF: or frankly you can use a glass if you don't have a fancy pastry cutter).

3. Prick the surface of each round repeatedly with a fork to ensure the pastry rises evenly; place on a non-stick baking tray with enough room to spread.

4. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until crisp and golden brown.

5. Remove from the oven and cool on a cake rack.

6. Lightly flatten each pastry a little, with your hand, and then cut in half with a thin, sharp knife.

7. Add water to the icing sugar a little at a time until the glace icing is smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

8. Ice the lid of each pastry and put to one side until set enough to handle.

9. Assemble each millefeuille by spreading the pastry base with a little raspberry jam, followed by piped whipped double cream, and then rest the iced lid on top. Pipe a little cream on the center of the icing and finally decorate with a raspberry. Once assembled, serve as soon as possible.

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Everyone loves a tea party. Mix-and-match crockery, bone-handled knives, lace and linen, sweet peas and roses, home baking and a slug of gin in the tea cup—they're all back in vogue. Indoors by the fire in winter or outside in summer sunshine, hosts and guests can relax together with none of the formality of a dinner party.

In Vintage Tea Party, Carolyn Caldicott shows readers how to recreate a world of nostalgic comfort, old-fashioned elegance and delicious treats. Try her recipes for cucumber sandwiches, Victoria sponge, rose petal jelly, strawberry and champagne jam, Earl Grey tea with gin and lemon, and much, much more.

White Raspberry Chardonnay Bundt Cake Recipe

White Raspberry Chardonnay Bundt Cake
Excerpted from Cheers to Vegan Sweets! by Kelly Peloza

This light bundt cake is filled with fresh berries, white chocolate, and white wine. Use any white wine, like chardonnay or rose. Champagne would also be delicious.

Yield: 12 to 16 servings

Ingredients:

For the cake
1 cup (225 g) margarine
1 1/4 cups (250 g) sugar
3/4 cup (90 g) powdered sugar
3/4 cup (170 g) berry or vanilla-flavored non-dairy yogurt
1/3 cup (80 ml) nondairy milk
1/2 cup (120 ml) white wine
2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups (405 g) flour
1 1/2 tablespoons (21 g) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (155 g) chopped fresh raspberries
1/4 cup (44 g) white chocolate chips

For the ganache
1/4 cup (44 g) white chocolate chips
2 tablespoons (30 ml) white wine
1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar

Coconut or other non-dairy whipped cream (optional).


To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC, or gas mark 4). Grease the insides of a 12-cup (2820 ml) standard bundt pan with oil or margarine.

Cream together the margarine and sugars until smooth, then add the yogurt, milk, wine, and vanilla extract. Continue mixing until everything is combined.

Reserve 2 tablespoons (15 g) flour. Sift in the rest of the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk until almost combined.

Toss the raspberries with the reserved flour, then stir into the batter along with the white chocolate chips. The batter should be somewhat thick and fragrant.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is firm and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. After 30 to 45 minutes, loosen the edges with a knife and turn out the cake. Let the cake finish cooling completely.

To make the ganache: Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler on the stove over medium heat or in a glass bowl in the microwave, then stir in the wine and powdered sugar. Let cool slightly before drizzling onto the cake.

Serve with cherries or berries and a dollop of whipped cream.

Recipe note: The raspberries can be replaced with another fresh fruit, like cherries or strawberries.

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Cheers to Vegan Sweets is an innovative vegan baking book that features 125 deliciously fun drink-inspired dessert recipes. It’s a cookbook that takes readers on a delicious tour of cafés, cocktail bars, and lemonade stands, where all the drinks come in dessert form. Imagine your morning vanilla hazelnut mocha re-imagined as a muffin, or relax on the beach with a margarita biscotti, or stop by the bar and order your brew in Guinness cake form. Instead of sipping your drink, now you can indulge in it!

Author and vegan baker extraordinaire Kelly Peloza has carefully formulated each recipe to deliciously highlight the flavors of its drink counterpart. From Apple Cider Doughnuts to Chai Spice Baklava to Gingerbread Stout Cake, you’ll be amazed at how deliciously well your sips transform into sweet, satisfied—and vegan!—bites. And with alcoholic- and non-alcoholic recipes, you’re sure to find something perfect for every party and special occasion.

Ginger Scones Recipe from Baking Artisan Pastries and Breads

World Baking Day is around the corner (May 19th) and so I've been thinking more about baking recipes and what I plan on making. This recipe combines two of my favorite things: scones and ginger. :) Definitely a contender on my list.

Ginger Scones
Excerpted from Baking Artisan Pastries and Breads by Ciril Hitz

Ginger is a spice derived from the root of the ginger plant native to Southeast Asia. It can be bought whole, pickled, dried, ground, or in this case, candied. Candied ginger provides the perfect combination of warmth and sweetness to dress up a basic scone, while being moist and tender enough to add a nice texture, too. Herbalists recognize its ability to heal and soothe, while culinarians capitalize on its distinct strong flavor in a full range of dishes, from appetizers to entrées to desserts—ginger even finds its way into beverages and cocktails.

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups (440 g) all-purpose or bread flour

1/4 cup (55 g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon (4 g) salt
2 tablespoons (18 g) baking powder
10 tablespoons (148 g) unsweetened butter
1 egg + 1 egg white

1 cup (8.1 oz) buttermilk

1 cup (110 g) candied ginger

Egg Wash

Crumb Topping

Procedure

 

1. Preheat a convection oven to 350°F (180°C, gas mark 4).

2. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, granulated sugar, salt, and baking powder.

3. Slice the cold butter into small cubes (approximately 1 tablespoon [14 g] each). Using your fingertips, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter pieces are no larger than a pea.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk.

5. Make a depression in the center of the crumbly dry ingredients and pour the liquid ingredients into

this well.

6. Using a rubber spatula or a plastic dough scraper, blend the two together by folding the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

7. When the batter just comes together and is still a little lumpy, add the candied ginger and hand

mix briefly.

8. Place the batter on a flour-dusted surface and fold together using your hands, until the batter is manageable. Do not overwork the batter.

9. Shape into a large ball. Press down or roll until 5⁄8 inch (1.6 cm) thick. Using a 3-inch (7.6 cm) biscuit or circle cutter, cut out rounds. Gently fold the excess dough together and press down or roll out again to continue cutting out shapes.

10. Place the scones on a parchment-lined half sheet pan or cookie sheet and let rest for 30 minutes.

11. Brush with egg wash. If desired, prepare Crumb Topping and sprinkle on top before baking (optional). Bake in the preheated convection oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and let cool on the sheet pan or cookie sheet. You can place the scones on a wire rack to cool if you need to reuse the sheet pan.

Crumb Topping (optional)
1 1/3 cup (160 g) bread or all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (120 g) light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon baking powder

Combine all of the ingredients into the mixing bowl of a 5-quart (5 L) stand mixer, and use the paddle attachment to blend together until the desired texture is achieved. Take care not to overmix. This can also be done by hand using a pastry cutter or by using two sharp knives, finishing with your hands.

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Baking Artisan Breakfast Breads and Pastries offers illustrated recipes that cater to all breakfast needs: from muffins ready within the hour to more decadent treats, such as lemon brioche doughnuts and chocolate croissants. The formulas are generally progressive—the easier recipes are at the beginning and more complex ones are later. The step-by-step full-color process shots of techniques and inviting beauty shots of finished products coupled with clear directions will instill confidence in even the most novice baker. A short (20-30 minute) DVD accompanies the book, adding an invaluable level of instruction.

Mother's Day Homemade Gifts: Dessert with Roses

You always think about giving roses WITH dessert, but why not use the roses IN the dessert? Yeah, go there. You won't want to go back.

For my last Mother's Day week homemade gift suggestion, why not make Mom one of (or both) these scrumptious and eye-catching, rose-adorned desserts from Love Italian Food?

Rose Crème Brûlée
Excerpted from Love Italian Food by Maddalena Caruso

1 Bourbon vanilla pod (bean)
500 ml (17 fl oz/3 cups) single (light) cream
1/2 teaspoon rose essential oil for human consumption
5 egg yolks
100 g (3 1/2 oz/ 1/2 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
6-8 tablespoons granulated pure cane sugar
12 fresh rose petals, to decorate

Serves 6

Preheat the oven to 130 degrees C (250 degrees F or gas mark 1/2). Cut the vanilla pod (bean) open and use the tip of a knife to scrape out the seeds. Put the seeds and the cream in a small pan, place over medium heat and bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Remove from the heat, leave to cool for 10 minutes, then add the rose essential oil. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks and caster (superfine) sugar together in a large bowl until well blended. Pour the cream over the sugar and egg yolk mixture and mix well.

Prepare 6 small ovenproof ramekins by wetting them, then pour in the cream and egg yolk mixture. Put the ramekins in a roasting dish two-thirds filled with water, then place in the preheated oven and cook for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Check them from time to time. They are ready when the surface is firm and golden brown.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool, then cover the surface with the cane sugar and caramelize using a blowtorch (KF note: seriously the most fun part!) or by placing under the grill (broiler) for 1-2 minutes. To serve, decorate with rose petals.


Sweet Rose Torta with Crystallized Petals and Angelica
Excerpted from Love Italian Food by Maddalena Caruso

300 g (10 oz / 2 cups) 00 flour, sifted
10 eggs, separated
200 g (7 oz / scant 1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
For the crystallized rose petals  

1 egg white
15-20 fresh rose petals
50 g (2 oz / scant 1/3 cup) icing (confectioner's) sugar, sifted
For the glace icing (frosting)  

220 g (7 1/2 oz / generous 1 1/3 cups) icing (confectioner's) sugar, sifted
2-3 tbsp warm water
a few drops of rose pink food coloring
To decorate  

3 stems of candied angelica
handful of raspberries
Prepare the crystallized rose petals. Place the egg white in a bowl and whisk lightly. Quickly immerse the petals one by one in the egg white, shake off any excess, then arrange on a wire rack. Dust with the sifted icing (confectioner's) sugar and leave until completely dry.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F, or gas mark 6).

Put the 10 egg yolks and the sugar in a large bowl and beat together until thick and creamy. Set aside.

Put the 10 egg whites in a second bowl and whisk to form stiff peaks.

Add the sifted flour to the egg yolk and sugar mixture, then fold in the beaten egg whites and the lemon juice. Pour the mixture into a 23 cm (9 inch) diameter rose-shaped silicon cake mould. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes, taking care not to open the oven during this time. When the sponge has risen and is springy to the touch, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin (pan).

Meanwhile, make the glace icing (frosting). Put the icing (confectioner's) sugar in a bowl and add 2 tbsp of the water. Mix together carefully with a wooden spoon until smooth and of a good, thick coating consistency. It may be necessary to add more water; if so, add a few drops at a time. Beat in enough rose pink food coloring to create the shade required.

Turn out the sponge and put on a serving plate. Cover with the glace icing (frosting) and when this has set, decorate with the candied angelica, crystallized rose petals and a few raspberries.
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Maddalena Caruso’s stunning Italian home provides the backdrop for this supremely beautiful guide to seasonal Italian food and a relaxed Mediterranean lifestyle.

Love Italian Food follows the course of the year from spring to winter, with each season sub-divided thematically. The Spring chapter consists of Spring Cooking, Asparagus and Lunch with Roses; Summer features include Kitchen Garden, Figs and Sunny Summer Colour; Autumn is divided into Garden Harvest, Autumn Comfort, Vineyard Picnic, Pomegranates and Jam Session; Winter brings Cosy Celebration with Friends, Radicchio, All Sorts of Cabbages and Sunday Brunch. Throughout, the sumptuous reportage-style photography transports the reader to a world where family and friends come together to enjoy the bounty of the seasons. They may be sitting al fresco enjoying the first warmth of the sun’s spring rays, gathered at a table set in the middle of the herb garden in summer, entertaining a crowd in the orchard at harvest time, or seated round a table glowing with candles for a cosy winter celebration. Wherever they are and at whatever time of year, readers are invited to join them.

Mother's Day Homemade Treats: Mint Hibiscus Lemonade

Sometimes the best gift for Mother's Day is something sweet and simple. May I suggest giving Mom some time on the back porch with an ice cold glass of Mint Hibiscus Lemonade? If it were me, I'd go with the addition of vodka, but every mom is different. ;)

Mint Hibiscus Lemonade

Excerpted from Clean Eating for Busy Families by Michelle Dudash

 

This gorgeous, ruby red tea originates from the leaves of the hibiscus flower, a plant you’ve probably spotted in lush landscapes or tropical climates such as Mexico or Hawaii.

Many coffee shops and tea brands market hibiscus tea under the name “Passion” or “Red Raspberry.” Read the label and look for “hibiscus” listed as a main ingredient. The amount of agave nectar used will appeal to most partygoers; however, for light everyday sipping, I prefer a little less sweetener. For a boost, I might even fill half the glass with unsweetened brewed tea. For adults only, try stirring in 1 1/2 ounces (42 ml) of vodka per 3/4 cup (175 ml) lemonade.

1 large “Red Raspberry Zinger” tea bag (or 4 small “Passion” tea bags)

5 medium mint sprigs (about 3 inches [7.5 cm] each), plus extra for garnish (optional)

½ cup (120 ml) fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

½ cup (160 g) light agave nectar

Total Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes, plus chilling • Yield: 6 servings, ample ¾ cup (175 ml) each

In a saucepan over high heat, bring 4 cups (1 L) of water to a boil. Place tea bag and mint in a heatproof glass pitcher or bowl. Once the water begins to boil, remove from heat and allow to rest 1 minute so as not to damage the tea leaves.

Pour the water into the pitcher and steep for 10 to 15 minutes, covered. Discard tea bag and mint. Stir in the agave nectar until dissolved and add lemon juice. Cool the tea until it nears room temperature and chill for 1 hour, up to 5 days.

For a more refined, clarified version, you can strain the tea through a fine sieve or coffee filter before serving cold over crushed ice.

Go Clean

Research shows that hibiscus is high in antioxidants, including vitamin C and anthocyanins. Animal studies indicate that it may be helpful in lowering cholesterol, blood pressure, fever, and pain.

Recipe Note

If you’re craving a Mexican-themed meal, this recipe easily transitions into that flavor profile by substituting lime juice for lemon. You can use tequila instead of vodka and add a splash of triple sec if you’re feeling feisty!

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Michelle Dudash is the author of Clean Eating for Busy Families. Michelle is an award-winning registered dietitian, writer, television personality, and recipe developer, and is nationally recognized as an expert in teaching people how health and food can happily co-exist. 

Michelle is the health expert for www.sheknows.com, a website engaging nearly 18 million unique visitors monthly and has her own column. She is also the nutritionist for the web show Delicious Life Challenge. Writers frequently quote her in publications such as Prevention, Family Circle, SELF, Woman’s Day and Women’s World. Michelle contributes regularly to ABC15.com, has written articles for Paramount Farms’ PistachioHealth.com, Kashi.com, ADA Times and Raising Arizona Kids, and has written recipes for Sargento, Whole Living, Today’s Diet & Nutrition and Betty Crocker magazines. She lives in Gilbert, Arizona.