Amy Williams Wins Gold on Tea Tray

Hurtling head first at 90 MPH down an ice track on a tea tray named Arthur gave Amy William a gold medal in skeleton for Great Britain. Check with your Great Gran before borrowing the sterling silver tray in the dining room.

Two Thermal Mugs of Tea

Megan's husband* Dr. Paul has introduced Todd & Holland Tea to his British friends on his base in Afghanistan. It turns out our tea is quite a hit with the English at tea time. "It's great an American can teach an Englishman about tea!" quips Dr. Jon. Earl Grey is his current favorite.

*Megan is the voice of mail order

Love and Chocolate

A special chocolate threesome for your Valentine. A gift that says love you, like you, or thinking of you in a delightful way. Included are: Truffles, Honeybush Chocolate Torte and Pear Helene. (.8oz[23 gr] of each for $11

Tea (and Apple Crumble) in the Big Apple

While in New York for the International Gift Fair, we took a break from looking at decorative Austrian eggs to have dinner at Pearl Oyster Bar, a fantastic little spot in the West Village. The lobster rolls and the company were superb, but the tea could have used some work. No matter, we were too absorbed in the apple crumble pie blanketed in ice cream to notice.

Bill's Back from Sri Lanka!

Little did he know he was spending two weeks in the #1 travel destination according to this New York Times list. Read about his trip and view some photos in our on line newsletter.

Former NYTimes Critic, William Grimes: Tea Drinker!

Last month, Grub Street asked former New York Times food critic, William Grimes, to describe his eating habits for a week. In his food diary, he explains that he prefers tea over coffee, (fantastic!) but that he makes his own English Breakfast blend out of someone else's black teas (ouch!) Surely, our English Breakfast blend would change his mind...

You can read his entire "New York Diet" diary here.

It's Not Just for Drinking...

This recipe (courtesy of Gourmet) produces delicious Parisian macarons lightly flavored with Earl Grey tea. For a stronger flavor, try using our Earl Grey Double Bergamot and brew yourself a cup to dip your macarons in.

CHOCOLATE EARL GREY MACARONS

MAKES 2 1/2 DOZEN SANDWICH COOKIES

ACTIVE TIME:1 HR

START TO FINISH:4 1/2 HR

Ingredients:

• 3 oz almond flour (2/3 cup) or blanched sliced almonds (3/4 cup) or slivered almonds (2/3 cup)
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
• 3 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa (preferably Valrhona)
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature 30 minutes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon Earl Grey tea (from 1 tea bag)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (60 to 64% cacao if marked), finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 
  

MAKE MACARON BATTER:

• Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Grind almond flour or almonds with confectioners sugar and cocoa powder in food processor until powdery, 30 seconds for almond flour, about 2 minutes for almonds. (If using grinder, grind in small batches.) Sift through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl (if not fine enough for almost all of nuts to go through sieve, regrind). Sift again into a large bowl.
• Beat egg whites with salt in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until they just hold soft peaks. Beat in granulated sugar, a little at a time. Increase speed to high and beat until meringue holds stiff, glossy peaks, about 1 minute. Fold meringue into almond mixture with a rubber spatula until completely incorporated. (Meringue will deflate and batter will be loose.)
• Grind tea to a fine powder in grinder.

PIPE AND BAKE MACARONS:

• Put small dabs of batter under corners of parchment to secure to baking sheets.
• Spoon half of batter into pastry bag. Holding bag vertically just above baking sheet, pipe 1 1/2-inch-wide mounds of batter about 1 inch apart, stopping pressure and flicking tip sideways to avoid peaks (tamp down any peaks with a wet finger). Refill pastry bag and repeat. Sprinkle tops with about 1/4 tsp tea powder (reserve remainder). Let macarons stand, uncovered, at room temperature until a light crust forms, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 300°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.
• Bake macarons, switching position of sheets halfway through, until crisp and interior does not give easily when a macaron is gently pressed, 22 to 28 minutes total. Cool completely on baking sheets (for residual heat to harden bottoms) on racks, about 30 minutes. Loosen macarons from parchment with offset spatula (they will be fragile).
• Meanwhile, bring cream and remaining 3/4 tsp tea powder to a simmer in a small heavy saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate and butter until smooth. Chill, whisking occasionally, until thickened, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer to sealable bag and snip off corner.

ASSEMBLE COOKIES:

• Pipe about 1/2 tsp ganache onto flat side of half of macarons, then sandwich with remaining macarons. (There will be ganache left over.)
• Layer macarons between sheets of parchment in an airtight container and let stand at room temperature at least 2 hours to soften before eating.

Filled macarons can be kept in an airtight container wrapped in plastic wrap, chilled 2 days or frozen 1 month. Bring to room temperature in wrapped container (to avoid condensation), about 1 hour if chilled or 2 hours if frozen.