A Page of Tea Recipes

Cranberry-Orange Iced Tea

2 quarts brewed tea
1 can (6 oz.) frozen cranberry concentrate,
partially thawed and undiluted
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar

Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher. Chill. Serve in ice-filled glasses.

Makes 8 servings.

Vietnamese Lemongrass Iced Tea

4 cups boiling water
1/4-cup chopped fresh lemongrass tops
or 2 tablespoons dried flakes
4 teabags
Sugar to taste

Add lemongrass and tea bags to boiling water. Turn off heat and steep 8 to 10 minutes. Strain. Chill, sweeten to taste and serve in tall glasses with ice.

Makes 4 servings.

Thai Iced Tea

4 cups boiling water
5 tea bags
8 heaping teaspoonfuls brown sugar
16 teaspoons half-and-half

Add tea bags and brown sugar to boiling water. Stir. Remove from heat and let steep 15 minutes. Remove tea bags and place liquid in covered glass, pitcher until chilled. Serve in ice filled glasses. Add 4 teaspoons half-and-half per glass.

Makes 4 servings.

Honey Raspberry Iced Tea

2 cups freshly brewed tea
2 cups cranberry-raspberry juice
1/4 cup honey

In a large pitcher, whisk together all ingredients until thoroughly combined and honey is dissolved. Chill until ready to serve. To serve, pour over ice.

Makes 4 servings.
(Recipe courtesy The National Honey Board, honey.com)

Iced Blueberry Tea

Add two tablespoons blueberry drink base (below) to each glass of prepared iced tea. Stir well and garnish with a lemon slice. Guaranteed to wow your guests.

Blueberry Drink Base
4 cups fresh or dry-packed frozen blueberries, rinsed and drained
2 cups water
1 cup sugar

Place blueberries in a saucepan with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Set sieve or colander lined with cheesecloth over a bowl and pour in the blueberry mixture. Gently press out the juice with a spoon or by twisting the cheesecloth. Discard the pulp and measure the juice into saucepan. Add 1/2 cup sugar for each cup of juice and cook over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes. Chill and pour into covered jar. Store in refrigerator.

Yield: about 1 pint

Special Occasion Iced Blue Brew

2-1/2 cups fresh or frozen, thawed blueberries
1-1/4 cups brewed tea
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1/4 cup milk
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a blender whirl blueberries, cooled tea, ice cream, milk and cinnamon until smooth. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 one-cup servings.
(Recipes inspired by the North American Blueberry Council)

Peppermint "Party" Punch

1 gallon vanilla ice cream, room temperature
Peppermint extract to taste
Green food coloring
10 quarts chilled tea

Mix ice cream, peppermint extract and green food coloring in a large punch bowl. (Add peppermint extract one drop at a time— its flavor is potent.) Add chilled tea to ice cream mixture. Serve over ice. Makes enough for a thirsty crowd.

Healthy Fruit Tea Slush

3 cups brewed tea
2 cups sugar
6-ounce can concentrated orange juice
8 bananas
20 ounces crushed pineapple

Mix sugar and tea. Make orange juice following instructions on can. Mash or purée bananas. Mix all ingredients together in blender or food processor. Freeze in covered plastic container. Stir mixture occasionally to keep slushy. If it freezes too hard, thaw at room temperature.

Makes 8 generous servings.