Friday, June 19, 2009

Pu-erh tea jelly and Jim McAuley

As many of you know, I am a big fan of Pu-erh tea. Here is a recipe involving it that I've never heard of, Pu-erh Tea Jelly. The link has it being used in an ice cream dish. The pertinent points by Fumiko Sasaki:

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Pu’er Tea Jelly

2 Tbsp. pu’er tea leaves (shu/ripe post fermented leaves)

1-1/2 cup of spring water brought to a furious boil! (serious, the tea is quite hard and needs boiling h20 to break down the composed structure of its clumped leaves.) *(220F/100C)

2.5 grams Agar Agar or Kanten strips.
2 tsp. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. floral honey
2 Tbsp. of pu’er tea leaves (shu/ripe post fermented leaves)

Put the leaves in a teapot and brew for 3.5 to 4 minutes with freshly boiled spring or filtered water. Do not allow to become bitter or astringent. Sip as it goes. :) Strain tea infusion thru a sieve lined with a paper towel. Measure about 1-1/4 cups of Pu’er infusion and transfer to a saucepan.

Add agar or kanten strips, cover with a lid and place over low heat to dissolve the strips throroughly. Add the granulated sugar and honey. Remove from heat

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and place in ice water to cool, stirring with a wodden spoon to prevent separation. When th emixture thickens slightly (around 95*F/35C Refrigerate till firm.
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By the way, I had an excellent cup of Pu-erh with Andrew Pask yesterday...Nice to be in LA for a moment. And wait till you hear the recording he is working on with Jim McAuley...

In the meantime, enjoy this performance by Jim, ends with a beautiful trio with Jim, Rod Poole and Nels Cline:

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