Homemade Chai Concentrate

Served hot or chilled, chai’s spicy flavor with an underlying creaminess is my idea of a comforting drink. It’s black tea brewed with warm spices  and sweetened with sugar and honey. I’ve ordered it at coffee/tea shops but the BEST cup of chai was one prepared by Raju Sivarama Dandu—it is the standard by which I now judge all others. Not sure I’ll ever be able to match his cuppa but decided to give this Homemade Chai Concentrate a chance. I love the idea of a concentrate that I can keep in the refrigerator. The recipes I found suggest a blend of 50% chai concentrate and 50% milk. I prefer to use about 25% milk and 75% chai.

Homemade Chai Concentrate 

5 cups water

1/2 cup brown sugar sugar

8 black tea bags, remove tags and tie bags in a bundle

4 cinnamon sticks

2 star anise

8 cloves

10 cardamom pods

5 black peppercorns

5 whole allspice

2” piece of fresh ginger, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

1. In a large saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil over high heat. 
2. Add the tea bags, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, cardamom pods, peppercorns, allspice and ginger. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. 
   
   
   
   
3. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl and discard the spices. Stir in the honey and vanilla extract.
   
   
   
4. Let the chai concentrate cool to room temperature before transferring to a jar and storing in the refrigerator.
5. Combine 1 part chai concentrate and 1 part milk (As mentioned above, I prefer 25% milk to 75% chai concentrate).
6. Heat the mixture or serve with ice.
   

Recipe without photos . . . Homemade Chai Concentrate 

5 cups water

1/2 cup brown sugar sugar

8 black tea bags, remove tags and tie bags in a bundle

4 cinnamon sticks

2 star anise

8 cloves

10 cardamom pods

5 black peppercorns

5 whole allspice

2” piece of fresh ginger, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

1. In a large saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil over high heat. 
2. Add the tea bags, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, cardamom pods, peppercorns, allspice and ginger. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. 
3. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl and discard the spices. Stir in the honey and vanilla extract.
4. Let the chai concentrate cool to room temperature before transferring to a jar and storing in the refrigerator.
5. Combine 1 part chai concentrate and 1 part milk (As mentioned above, I prefer 25% milk to 75% chai concentrate).
6. Heat the mixture or serve with ice.

Electric Pressure Cooker Recipe: Korean Pulled Pork Bowls

Chef Alli is the authority on electric pressure cookers. Her website, Chef Alli - Let's Get Cooking'! includes info about her speaking engagements and farm fresh recipes in addition to pressure cooking info and tips. Be sure to sign up for for her Electric Pressure Cooking Tips.
This is a yummy recipe she shared at the Cows, Cooks and Conversations cooking session she did at Hildebrand Dairy.
This recipe uses what Chef Alli calls "Asian ketchup" - gochujan. She believes it is an up and coming ingredient and will soon become mainstream. I found it in Dillions in Junction City. 
I did add rice to the mix and made just a few minor adjustment to Chef Alli's recipe. We've already made it three times and it is now a favorite one-meal dish!

Koren Pulled Pork Bowls (recipe posted with permission from Chef Alli)
3 to 4 lb. pork butt, cut into chunks
Olive oil for sautéing
Sauce:
1/2 cup sodum reduced soy sauce
2/3 cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1to 2 tablespoons honey
2 wolves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons gochujang (more or less, to your taste -- it's spicy!)
3 star anise
-----
Cornstarch to thicken sauce as needed -- after EPC has been opened
Prepared coleslaw (I dressed ours with Mom's Celery Seed Coleslaw Dressing mixed with just a little gochujang)
Cooked rice
Cilantro for garnishing

1. Set electric pressure cooker (EPC) to sauté setting and add a good drizzle of olive oil to the pot; when oil is hot, add pork butt chunks, working in batches to brown pork on all sized, removing them to a plate as you go, repeating with remaining pork until all of the pork is nicely browned.
   
   
   
   
2. Measure ingredients for the sauce directly into EPC pot; stir, adding water if sauce is too thick.
   A tip from Chef Alli about liquid: Remember – pressure is made from steam; if there’s not enough liquid in the bottom of the pressure cooker pot to circulate and create steam, it absolutely cannot pressurize. Always be sure there’s a minimum 1/2 cup – 1 cup of liquid in the pressure cooker pot before you lock the lid into place to begin pressurizing. If, after lid is closed, the pot fails to go into pressure mode, open the pot and add more liquid.
   
3. Add browned pot, then lock EPC lid into place. Choose High Pressure setting for 45 minutes; when timer sounds, use a natural release to allow all pressure to remove itself from the EPC. According to Chef Alli: When cooking meat and vegetable proteins (such as beans), pressure must come down on it's own in order to insure food is tender.
   
4. Remove pork from sauce to a large bowl or work surface; use two forks to shred pork.
   
5. Pour sauce from EPC pot into a fat separator to remove fat from sauce. Once fat is gone, pour sauce back into EPC pots wet on sauté setting and simmer sauce until it cooks down and thickens --  remove a little sauce with a little cornstarch; add back to pot to speed up the thickening process .
   
6. Serving suggestions: Place cooked rice in bowl, top with warm pork and some sauce, add coleslaw and garnish with cilantro.
   
   
   
   

Recipe without photos . . . 

Koren Pulled Pork Bowls (recipe posted with permission from Chef Alli)
3 to 4 lb. pork butt, cut into chunks
Olive oil for sautéing
Sauce:
1/2 cup sodum reduced soy sauce
2/3 cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1to 2 tablespoons honey
2 wolves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons gochujang (more or less, to your taste -- it's spicy!)
3 star anise
-----
Cornstarch to thicken sauce as needed -- after EPC has been opened
Prepared coleslaw (I dressed ours with Mom's Celery Seed Coleslaw Dressing mixed with just a little gochujang)
Cooked rice
Cilantro for garnishing

1. Set electric pressure cooker (EPC) to sauté setting and add a good drizzle of olive oil to the pot; when oil is hot, add pork butt chunks, working in batches to brown pork on all sized, removing them to a plate as you go, repeating with remaining pork until all of the pork is nicely browned.
2. Measure ingredients for the sauce directly into EPC pot; stir, adding water if sauce is too thick. A tip from Chef Alli about liquid: Remember – pressure is made from steam; if there’s not enough liquid in the bottom of the pressure cooker pot to circulate and create steam, it absolutely cannot pressurize. Always be sure there’s a minimum 1/2 cup – 1 cup of liquid in the pressure cooker pot before you lock the lid into place to begin pressurizing. If, after lid is closed, the pot fails to go into pressure mode, open the pot and add more liquid.
3. Add browned pot, then lock EPC lid into place. Choose High Pressure setting for 45 minutes; when timer sounds, use a natural release to allow all pressure to remove itself from the EPC. According to Chef Alli: When cooking meat and vegetable proteins (such as beans), pressure must come down on it's own in order to insure food is tender.
4. Remove pork from sauce to a large bowl or work surface; use two forks to shred pork.
5. Pour sauce from EPC pot into a fat separator to remove fat from sauce. Once fat is gone, pour sauce back into EPC pots wet on sauté setting and simmer sauce until it cooks down and thickens --  remove a little sauce with a little cornstarch; add back to pot to speed up the thickening process .
6. Serving suggestions: Place cooked rice in bowl, top with warm pork and some sauce, add coleslaw and garnish with cilantro.

Chai Tea Concentrate for Hot Tea, Chai Latte, hot or cold

I have a weakness for Chai Tea Lattes, both hot and iced.  With a few whole spices and a little time, I now have a batch of concentrate ready to mix up in just minutes to satisfy my Chai Tea cravings!



Chai Tea Concentrate      Makes about 3 1/2 cups
12 cardamom pods, gently crushed
8 whole black peppercorns
8 whole cloves
4" piece of fresh ginger, cut into slices
4 cinnamon sticks
3 whole allspice
4 tablespoons brown sugar (more or less to taste)
2 star anise
1 vanilla bean, sliced down the middle
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
4 cups water
4 black tea bags

1. Bring all ingredients, except tea bags, to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce to medium-low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

   

   Spices in saucepan.

   

   Water added to spices. 

   

   Mixture after being simmered for 15 minutes.

2. Turn off heat, add tea bags, cover again and allow to steep for about 8 minutes.
   
3. Pour mixture through a strainer to remove spices. 
   
4. Allow concentrated tea to cool to room temperature and then store in the refrigerator.
   

To use concentrate: Mix equal amounts of concentrate and milk (for hot or iced Chai Tea Latte, or water for Chai Tea).

Recipe without photos . . .
Chai Tea Concentrate      Makes about 3 1/2 cups
12 cardamom pods, gently crushed
8 whole black peppercorns
8 whole cloves
4" piece of fresh ginger, cut into slices
4 cinnamon sticks
3 whole allspice
4 tablespoons brown sugar (more or less to taste)
2 star anise
1 vanilla bean, sliced down the middle
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
4 cups water
4 black tea bags

1. Bring all ingredients, except tea bags, to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce to medium-low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
   
2. Turn off heat, add tea bags, cover again and allow to steep for about 8 minutes.
3. Pour mixture through a strainer to remove spices. 
4. Allow concentrated tea to cool to room temperature and then store in the refrigerator.

To use concentrate: Mix equal amounts of concentrate and milk (for hot or iced Chai Tea Latte, or water for Chai Tea).

Fruit Salad Christmas Tree -- fun, festive & nutritious!

  This is the fruit salad I put together for USD 435's Parents as Teachers holiday  
  meal . . . 

Fruit Salad Christmas Tree
Halos or clementines, peeled and divided into segments
Strawberries, hulled and cut in half
Apples, cored and sliced thin (dip in lemon juice to prevent browning)
Kiwi, peeled and cut into slices
Grapes, cut in half
A couple of cinnamon sticks
1 star anise
Fresh mint
Celery Seed Dressing

This is the way I assembled the fruit salad. (Vary amount and types of fruit to suit your own needs.)

1. Create a base with the orange segments. I stacked them a couple of layers high.
2. Add a second layer of strawberries; taper this layer to begin narrowing the tree, as shown above. Each subsequent layer should continue to taper to ultimately form a triangle shape.
3. At this point, I just left a space for the apples as I wanted to add them at the last minutes. (I assembled the rest of the salad several hours in advance of the party.)

   

   I also went ahead and added some grape decorations to the fruit on the platter and cut some extra (which are located near the top of the platter) to add to the apple section).

4. Add a layer of kiwi slices.
5. Add grape decorations to the "tree."
6. Add cinnamon sticks to the bottom of the tree to create a tree trunk.
7. Add a star anise to the top for the "star."
8. Tuck a few springs of mint into the "tree."
9. Drizzle fruit lightly with Celery Seed Dressing.

Raise a glass of Spiced Cranberry Sparkling Cocktail

This is definitely a perfect drink for the holiday - festive looking and delicious!.It is   is another cranberry recipe from our cousin Judy McMullen. She suggests making the Spiced Cranberry Syrup (which is actually a reduced liquid versus an actual syrup) a day or two ahead; it can then be stored in the refrigerator.

Barry raises a glass of Spiced Cranberry Sparkling Cocktail in a holiday toast!

Spiced Cranberry Syrup (make ahead and store in the refrigerator)

2 quarts cranberry juice cocktail

8 slices peeled ginger (each about the size of a quarter)

2 cinnamon sticks

2 star anise

Pour the above ingredients into a saucepan and simmer over the lowest temperature until reduced by about one-third—this should take about 2 hours and will result in about 5-6 cups of remaining liquid. Remove the ginger and pour liquid into a jar (Judy leaves the cinnamon sticks and star anise in with the liquid). Refrigerate until ready to use.

Ingredients are heated on a low temperature to reduce the amount of liquid, both concentrating and blending flavors.

Spiced Cranberry Sparkling Cocktail     Makes 16 servings

Granulated or fine sugar for rimming glasses (red sugar adds another festive touch) + a little cranberry juice cocktail

Brandy — ½ to 1 cup (vary amount according to your preference)

Spiced Cranberry Syrup (see previous recipe)

Cranberries, fresh or frozen, for garnish

3 (750 ml) bottles of sparkling wine, Champagne (such as Brut), or Prosecco (Wine containing significant amounts of carbon dioxide is referred to as sparkling wine. Champagne is the classic example of a sparkling wine but it is produced exclusively in the Champagne region of France. Other countries and regions produce their own versions, such as Italy’s Prosecco.)

1.  Rimming glass—Place sugar and a little cranberry juice cocktail in shallow containers that are wide enough to accommodate dipping the rim of a champagne glass. Rim glasses by dipping in a little cranberry juice and then into the sugar (make sure the cranberry juice for dipping is very shallow; if too deep, the sugar runs down the glass). Ideally do this ahead of time so the sugar can harden. 

After dipping the glass rim in cranberry juice, it goes into a bowl of red sugar.

2.  Adding Brandy to Spiced Cranberry Syrup—Add ½ to 1 cup of brandy to the chilled Spiced Cranberry Syrup; stir. Once the brandy is added, this mixture can continue to be refrigerated for several weeks.

3.  To Prepare Individual Glasses for Serving— Add 3 cranberries to the prepared glass.  Pour a jigger (about 2 tablespoons) of the Spiced Cranberry Syrup (with added brandy) into a glass, and then fill with sparkling wine. Stir carefully and ENJOY!

Glass is ready to add syrup-brandy mixture & sparkling wine. 

Barry tops the Spiced Cranberry Syrup mixture with sparkling wine/ 

Recipe without photos . . .
Spiced Cranberry Syrup (make ahead and store in the refrigerator)
2 quarts cranberry juice cocktail
8 slices peeled ginger (each about the size of a quarter)
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise

Pour the above ingredients into a saucepan and simmer over the lowest temperature until reduced by about one-third—this should take about 2 hours and will result in about 5-6 cups of remaining liquid. Remove the ginger and pour liquid into a jar (Judy leaves the cinnamon sticks and star anise in with the liquid). Refrigerate until ready to use. 

Spiced Cranberry Sparkling Cocktail     Makes 16 servings

Granulated or fine sugar for rimming glasses (red sugar adds another festive touch) + a little cranberry juice cocktail

Brandy — ½ to 1 cup (vary amount according to your preference) 

Spiced Cranberry Syrup (see previous recipe)

Cranberries, fresh or frozen, for garnish

3 (750 ml) bottles of sparkling wine, Champagne (such as Brut), or Prosecco (Wine containing significant amounts of carbon dioxide is referred to as sparkling wine. Champagne is the classic example of a sparkling wine but it is produced exclusively in the Champagne region of France. Other countries and regions produce their own versions, such as Italy’s Prosecco.)

1.  Rimming glass—Place sugar and a little cranberry juice cocktail in shallow containers that are wide enough to accommodate dipping the rim of a champagne glass. Rim glasses by dipping in a little cranberry juice and then into the sugar (make sure the cranberry juice for dipping is very shallow; if too deep, the sugar runs down the glass). Ideally do this ahead of time so the sugar can harden.                              

2.  Adding Brandy to Spiced Cranberry Syrup—Add ½ to 1 cup of brandy to the chilled Spiced Cranberry Syrup; stir. Once the brandy is added, this mixture can continue to be refrigerated for several weeks.

3.  To Prepare Individual Glasses for Serving— Add 3 cranberries to the prepared glass.  Pour a jigger (about 2 tablespoons) of the Spiced Cranberry Syrup (with added brandy) into a glass, and then fill with sparkling wine. Stir carefully and ENJOY!