Tea Picnic

This post is for those of us who like the crusts cut off. The extra effort and attention that goes into making these beautiful tea sandwiches shows in every detail — the sweet shapes, the colorful combinations and, as always, the thoughtful flavor pairings. Make a platter for friends or a plate for yourself and enjoy a lazy summer picnic while the weather is fine. Since we're taking this picnic over the top, we've suggested some tea pairings as well. You can check out easy methods for cold brewing here!A bold curried egg salad is seasoned with our French inspired Vadouvan Curry, served on whole wheat bread and a cherry tomato topper. The flavor is deep and rich in this toasted blend with cumin, cardamom, mustard seeds, black pepper and fenugreek seeds. With a squeeze of lemon juice and watercress, these sandwiches go great with a malty Indian black tea like our Keemun black tea. For a cooling crunch with spectacular flavor, we seasoned the cucumber sandwich with our Orange Tarragon. This blend has chives, shallots, garlic and black pepper, adding many layers of flavor to the cream cheese spread complimenting the cucumbers. These cucumber sandwiches are anything but boring! Pair them with a cup of Rwandan Green Tea which is a vegetal green tea that will cut through the rich cream cheese and compliment the cooling cucumber. Because no picnic is complete without dessert, we made a sweet finish, open-faced mascarpone sandwiches. The creamy mascarpone gets its speckles from Madagascar vanilla beans that not only smell amazing, but go great with berries and a sprinkle of lemon zest. To finish off our tea picnic we paired a bold cup of Earl Grey with this sandwich. This classic tea is scented with bergamot, a perfect combo with the vanilla bean and sweet blackberries.

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Cold Brewed Iced Tea

With the heat of summer well on its way, we look to our favorite things to keep us cool. One of the best ways to beat the heat is by sipping on cold brew tea. Cold brewing has several advantages over the traditional hot water steeping. For one, it's incredibly easy to do. The low temperature also prevents tannins from developing and giving unwanted bitterness in the tea. Another benefit is that cold brewing preserves a higher amount of vitamin C while extracting less caffeine — making for a refreshing beverage to give a steady boost of energy without a caffeine crash. We advise steeping black tea leaves overnight or for 4 hours if using a green tea. Here we used Keemun black tea, commonly used to make other favorites like English and Irish Breakfast Teas. This tea is malty and rich, tasty on its own, and strong enough to stand up to additions like lemonade or fruit.

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Ranch Broccoli Salad

Ranch Seasoning is a summer favorite, and whether you like it as a dressing or a dipping sauce best, there is no substitute. In this salad, we chopped the classic crudité and dressed it with an easy DIY ranch dressing with buttermilk and mayonnaise. Bacon bits and crispy onions add an extra layer of flavor to take this salad over the top. A perfect salad to whip up for picnics and cookouts, it is a great summer go-to salad with plenty of hearty veggie crunch. Our Ranch Seasoning is salt and preservative free so you can adjust salt to taste and add as much of this bright and tangy seasoning as you like.

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Chimichurri Rhubarb Slaw

Rhubarb is the star of this stunning slaw. Often overlooked as a seasonal vegetable, the raw flavor is tart and fruity, with a satisfying crunch. Combined with a complimentary mixture of purple cabbage, carrots and shallot, it brings a rainbow of color and texture to your spring salad plate. To fancy it up, we created a crispy curl to the thinly sliced rhubarb by giving it an ice water bath. A vinegar based dressing seasoned with our Chimichurri Spice brings it all together beautifully. This blend has bold flavors with a mild fruity heat. Traditionally this Argentinian blend gets paired with fresh herbs and grilled meats, but here it adds earthiness to the salad. Because we couldn't resist, we topped it with a final wow factor with a sprinkle of brined Kampot peppercorns for a burst of salty spice.

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Pink Pepper Cardamom Bars

Rhubarb is a perfect flavor combination with strawberries. To jazz it up, we added spices! Piney Cardamom Seed and lime zest accent and elevate the fruit base. Crunchy walnuts add texture and to the oat crumb topping and Pink Peppercorn give a tingly pop of flavor. These fragrant bars are citrusy and have fruity sour layers, and the spices really bring something new to the table.Rhubarb and strawberries are delightful in these bars, but you can try other fruits and berries too, like raspberries, blackberries or blueberries. The recipe is endlessly adaptable. If you're feeling decadent, top the bars with whipped cream!

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Grandma's Lemon Wedges

You can never have too many lemon bar recipes, but this one is the only one that you need. This was my Grandma's recipe, and the stains on the recipe card are a testament to how often it's been made. Most lemon bars are made too sweet to cut the tartness of the lemon, but the addition of the glaze in this recipe balances out the sweet and tart lemon flavor perfectly. Sometimes I add poppy seeds to the shortbread crust or sprinkle sumac on top just for fun. These can be made in a square pan and cut into bars, but look pretty cut in wedges too. Make these and I'm sure that they will disappear as quickly as they always did in our home.

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Butterfly Horchata

Aguas frescas vendors line parks in Mexico with their rainbow of brightly colored beverages. Of them all, horchata is my favorite. A creamy rice and almond blended brew with wisps of mild and exotic flavor from true cinnamon. Refreshing and sweet, horchata cuts the heat from popular Mexican street food and makes a perfect pitcher for any backyard BBQ. This season, we've given it a festive color boost with ice cubes made with butterfly pea flowers. Start a day ahead to make the ice and soak the ingredients for the horchata. The next day blend it up and you're good to go! As the ice cubes, melt they'll turn your horchata a sweet lavender color. True cinnamon might be thought of as more powerful or better than cassia cinnamon, which isn't the case. Of the two, cassia actually has stronger and spicier flavors whereas true cinnamon is more mild and less heat-forward. True cinnamon's soft bark makes it quick and easy to grind at home but also makes it more evanescent. Having fresh sticks and only grinding when need makes all the difference!

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Sticky Tamarind Salmon

Here's a stunning, fresh new recipe for your next side of salmon. The sticky tamarind glaze is layered with flavor - toasted cumin for nuttiness and Limón-Chile for a touch of heat. This glaze comes together quickly and gets brushed on the salmon both before and after cooking. The fish is started on the stovetop and finished in the oven to create the perfect texture. Spoon a generous measure of glaze over the top to finish the salmon with cilantro and orange zest. Accompany this salmon with rice or turn it into a sweet and sour fish taco. There's a fusion of flavors on this platter that will become a favorite.

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Asparagus Mimosa

The complement of texture and flavors that come together in this simple dish are a celebration of spring. Tender asparagus is kissed with Provencal Seasoned Salt and a little char from the grill. Watercress is nested in and the salad is topped with finely grated hard boiled eggs. The fine, fluffy eggs are said to resemble mimosa flowers for which the salad is named.To keep it simple and bright, our vinaigrette combines Lemon Herb Pepper, white wine vinegar, and Dijon mustard. This dish is light, simple, and familiar. Easy to make ahead and serve cold. You can also add bacon, capers, radishes or other garnishes.

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