4 Tea Infused Recipes for Summer Picnics

Icy tea punches or straight-up chilled ice tea with a sprig of mint mean summer is finally here, but that’s just the beginning of delicious with “our” favorite ingredient: TEA. We’ve created an entire menu for an afternoon cookout that will satisfy even the most demanding palate.

Don’t have an outdoor grill? No worries. We’ve listed alternatives to create these dishes without a grill yet including all that outdoor worthy flavor whether in your backyard or on a picnic the park.

The suggested teas here are loose-leaf, but of course you can use teabag versions for ease of preparation and cleanup. And, the teas are just that, suggestions, so let your palate be your guide and your imagination lead the way.

Menu

The menu today includes four delicious tea-packed recipes of: Fruit salad with black tea-infused dressing, Asian-style slaw with Matcha dressing, Tea Leaf Rubs with your choice of protein (tofu, chicken, shrimp or beef), and Tea Popsicles. Make it easy on yourself by making the tea popsicles the day ahead, and make the dressings and rubs a few hours before cooking. Total preparation time and cooking time should be about an hour, especially if you call on the family to help!

1. Fruit Salad with Tea-infused Dressing

Yield: 4 to 6 portions

The genuine bounty of the season is all the sweet, luscious stone fruit (nectarines, peaches, plums and more) plus refreshing melons (honeydew, watermelon, cantaloupe, Crenshaw, etc.). Both types of fruit work well with a sprig or two of mint, and a “sauce” of infused tea.

For stone fruit, choose medium sized, and ripe, preferably a mixture of types to make up 4 cups of cut-up fruit.

Brew 4 cups of black tea (Golden Spring or Keemun Rhapsody work well). Sweeten the tea with honey, if desired, and allow to cool. You can also accent the fruits with your favorite flavored black tea.

Cut up the fruit over a bowl to catch those fragrant juices. Cover the chopped fruit pieces with the cooled tea, and allow to marinate for at least an hour. To serve, Ladle a scoop into an individual cup, ramekin, or small bowl. Pour extra liquid into a small pitcher to spoon more over the fruit, as desired.

Garnishes are legion: coconut flakes, chopped pistachio nuts, a garnish of a mint sprig or a dollop of whipped cream, thick lebne or Greek yogurt.

For melons, select enough to make 3-4 cups of cut up pieces; mix the types of melon. Brew 4 cups of green tea (Vanilla Green or Kukicha work nicely) to taste. Sweeten with honey, if desired, and allow to cool.

Peel, de-seed, and cut up the melons over a bowl. Pour on the cooled, brewed green tea, and allow to marinate for at least a half-hour. Serve in individual bowls. Shortbread or plain sugar cookies are the perfect accompaniment for these delicate melons.

2. Asian-style Slaw with Matcha Dressing

You’ll find yourself making this delicious dressing for all types of salads this summer, but we especially love it with this Asian-inspired slaw.

Dressing Ingredients

2 tsp Matcha

1/4 cup walnut or olive oil

2 T rice vinegar

½ T soy sauce

½ t fresh lime juice

Dressing Instructions

Measure and set the matcha aside.

Put all the other ingredients in a wide-mouth jar, cover, and shake thoroughly. (An immersion or traditional blender is fine, too.)

Add the matcha a large pinch at a time and whisk/blend, to avoid lumps. Let the dressing rest while you prepare the salad.

Salad Ingredients

3 hardboiled eggs, cut in half for 6 pieces

¼ c toasted peanuts, roughly chopped (If peanut allergies are a concern, use toasted almonds)

1½ cups cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped

½ serrano chile, seeded and cut into slivers

½ c fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped (or parsley)

¼ t crushed red pepper, as desired

4 cups shredded Savoy or Napa cabbage (or buy a prepared package)

2 limes for garnish, quartered

Salad Instructions

Hard boil and chill eggs. (Can be done the day before.)

Toast the nuts in a small pan only until lightly brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Chop the tomatoes. Shred the cabbage by cutting it into slabs, then chopping into shreds. Cut limes into quarters and put in a small bowl.

To assemble the salad, use a large platter or shallow pasta bowl. Spread a layer of the chopped cabbage. Whisk the dressing and lightly coat the cabbage. (Place any leftover dressing in bowl for those who’d like more.)

Artfully arrange the tomatoes, eggs, and toasted nuts over the cabbage. Garnish with chopped serrano, cilantro, and red pepper. Using two large forks, scoop out a generous portion to serve each guest. Pass around the bowls of lime pieces and extra dressing.

3. Tea Rub for Grilling

Whether you have a tiny Hibachi grill or a mammoth king-of-the-grill outdoor stove, grilling makes everything taste better. No outdoor grill? No worries. Use a very hot cast iron pan on your kitchen stove. Some cast iron pans come with raised lines that will give foods that wonderful “charred” lines.

Another alternative to use is the broiler setting on your stove or toaster/convection oven. Take care to line the pans with foil for easy clean-up. Now, let’s do a tea rub!

Black or green teas work well for these rubs. For a flavorful twist on the tea, consider adding a natural smokiness with Lapsang Souchong to beef or chicken, Or, consider the clean taste of Dragonwell for shrimp or tofu or the soft edge of either green or black Yunnan to pork or chicken.

This benchmark combination of spices and tea leaves is perfect with everything, from tofu, to chicken, pork, lamb, shrimp or beef.

Combine 4 T of finely-crushed tea leaves with 1t salt, and ½ t pepper. Mix thoroughly. This is enough for 4 portions, and the rub can easily be doubled. Try the gritTea grinder to help crush your tea leaves for this recipe.

Instructions

Rinse and dry your food of choice. Crush the tea and mix in thoroughly with the seasonings and cover a plate. With a pastry brush, lightly brush the protein or vegetables then dip it into the rub coating completely both sides. Grill 5 minutes or longer on each side, to taste, and enjoy!

This basic rub recipe invites experimentation, so add your favorite spices:

crushed fresh thyme or rosemary with lemon zest

fennel fronds and thinly sliced limes

crushed garlic or garlic powder and olive oil

turmeric and freshly-ground black pepper

chili powder or red pepper flakes and oregano

Vegetable “steaks” of cauliflower, eggplant, and squash also benefit from a flavorful tea rub. Slice vegetables into ½” slabs or thicker, rinse, and pat dry, and lightly drizzle on some olive oil. Top with the rub and grill, 3-5 minutes on each side, or longer to taste. Colorful carrots or beets, potatoes and corn on the cob also benefit from a little olive oil and tea rub heated on the grill.

4. Tea Popsicles

Having popsicle molds makes this recipe convenient to make, however, small waxed paper cups with wooden sticks are available at any grocery store and make great popsicle “molds”.

While the basic recipe is brewed tea and a sweetener, give a delicious “pop” to these icy desserts with berries, mint leaves, or pieces of banana, peaches or another fruit.

Tisanes/herbals are ideal not just for their flavor, but their color, such as Peach Bellini, Berry Blast, Kona Pineapple, or Mango Melange.

Choice of sweeteners is legion from honey to agave, sugar to Stevia, but also consider a complementary fruit juice or pureed fresh or frozen fruit to enhance the fruitiness of the popsicle.

Want a creamy taste? Choose coconut milk or cream, yogurt for a tangy taste, condensed milk or heavy cream. Almond and soy milks offer thinner “milkiness” than oat milk, if that’s your choice. Traditional cow’s milk is also works.

Instructions

Cold-brew your tea or tisane or brew with hot water using double the amount of leaves. Strain the leaves (although leaving a few can be an interesting design.)

Teabags are great for making popsicles! Pour the hot water onto the bags versus dipping the bags into the water. That way, you’ll elicit more flavor. Remove the bags, squeezing out every delicious drop.

Add 1 teaspoon of sweetener per 6-8 oz. of brewed tea, or more to taste. Honey and liquid sweeteners dissolve easily with a quick stir, however, sugars require more time to completely dissolve in the hot tea. If desired, add 1 T of milk or cream, pureed fruit or fruit pieces, or more, to taste.

Mix again then pour into paper cups or molds, and put the molds on a small tray. Cover with parchment paper, foil, or waxed paper and put into the freezer for at least two hours.

If using waxed paper cups and wooden sticks, place the stick in the center of each cup, making sure it is only halfway through the cup. Otherwise, your first bite includes the stick!

To serve, remove from the freezer, remove from mold, and serve immediately.

If making popsicles with a dairy ingredient, you can eliminate the wooden sticks and serve the popsicle like ice cream, in a bowl with a spoon.

NOTE: These taste best made and eaten within 48 hours.