Tea Infused Salad Dressing! …part three?
This is one of two teas that kind of originally inspired this idea, the other being Spicy Pina Margarita. That’s because I really just did not like the tea on its own but found it unique enough to hold on to because I was convinced I could find something brilliant to do with it culinary-wise.
So, here’s the recipe that I used:
- 1/3 Cup of Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 tablespoons of tea
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 2/3 Cup of Avocado Oil
- Black Pepper & Salt to Taste
- Mason Jar
- Cheesecloth
I started by bringing the vinegar to a boil in a saucepan on the stovetop, then immediately removing it from the heat and adding in my tea and letting that “steep” in the hot vinegar until completely cold. Then I strained it into the mason jar using the cheesecloth, and added in my honey – shake that all up until it’s combined, then added in the oil slowly, shaking throughout that process until fully emulsified. Add in your spices/salt/pepper to taste – in this case I actually added lemon pepper instead of salt/pepper.
What I was going for here was definitely something with my tangyness to it; hence the decision to use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar. I needed some sweetness to balance all that acidity, so I did use honey instead of a different type of emulsifier (egg white, for example) but I stuck with plain honey so as to now introduce another flavour into the mix to wreck my vinegar/tea pairing. I used avocado oil for a similar reason; I obviously needed oil for the recipe but this is a kind that practically has no flavour, so it worked in regard to making sure the other flavours really came through. The tea itself has tomato, apple, ginger, chili, and pumpkin in it – so it’s already got some sweetness in addition to the savory/spicy elements. I wanted to really create something that was both savory and sweet; just like how a tomato can be on its own. I think this one turned out great! I don’t love it quite as much as I do the whisky dressing I made earlier in the day, but I think it’s still delicious and ultimately still tastes like the tea in addition to all of the other things in the recipe. Plus, it allowed me to find a use for a tea that I simply didn’t enjoy drinking. All the flavours come together really nicely!
The only thing that I think I might have done differently if I was recreating the recipe was add some fresh dill into the hot vinegar/tea mixture to steep in some aromatics as well. I think the dill would have been a nice compliment to all the other flavours going on, while highlighting the “Caeser” element of the tea in a different way.
C’est la vie.
EDIT: I forgot, I kind of took a picture of this dressing!
