Tunes: Under Ping in the Itunes store, search "Jessie Weber" in Montreal. The mix is called "Chai Tea." Artists in this playlist inlcude Cat Power, Feist, The National, Band of Horses and more...
Chai
This is ridiculously simple, and WAY better than powdered Chai! You have no reason not to make it! Plus, I read recently that the dried spices in your kitchen have the most antioxidants of any food. Cloves top the list. Get some nice (organic if possible) dried spices and Chai it up!
Per cup:
- 1 cup 1% milk (or higher fat content if you want a richer Chai, soy is fine here, I'd recommend vanilla)
- sprinkle each of: cloves, nutmeg, cardamom (cloves are the most important here, the others can be skipped if you don't have them)
- double sprinkle each of: cinnamon and ginger (note that fresh ginger is better - just chop & peel a little knob)
- 1/2 tbsp honey (you can add more if you like it sweeter)
- 1 bag Republic of Tea's Vanilla Almond Black Tea (the sweetness of the flavors in this tea really works well here! if you don't have this particular type, use a plain black tea and 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract. If you want caffeine free, I highly recommend Republic of Tea's Good Hope Vanilla Roiboos)
Bring all ingredients to a light simmer in a saucepan and immediately transfer to a cup. Let steep for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add more ginger if you like a spicy chai, more honey if you like it sweet, higher fat milk if you're in for something creamy.
Coming attractions: I'm going to translate this recipe to a semifreddo... I'm thinking it'd be amazing over poached pears or peaches. May take a few tries, so bear with me!
