Blackened Tuna (or Salmon) with Roasted Ginger-Orange Green Beans

In yesterday's post, I mentioned the recipe I made that incorporated the flavors of the soaps (click here if you need to refresh your memory or enter the giveaway). I chose citrus and ginger since that is the soap I'm currently using, and because I like cooking with both those ingredients.

I started by tossing fresh green beans with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Fresh ginger gets grated on top and mixed in, then slices of orange are placed on top of the green beans while it roasts. The ginger isn't overwhelming and the flavors taste pretty good. I was nibbling on them while the fish cooked.

As for the fish, I wasn't quite sure how I wanted to prepare it. It wasn't until I was getting a coffee at Victorian Pantry that I got an idea. I've mentioned before that Steve, the owner, has started selling specialty blended teas, which I once used in cupcakes. I saw a Tangerine Rooibos this time and figured it would taste pretty good as a seasoning for the fish, and keeping with the citrus theme. Rooibos tea leaves aren't as strong as black tea, so I didn't have to worry about the tea overpowering the taste of the tuna and salmon. Eventually, I settled on blackened fish, a dish I haven't made before.

Both tuna and salmon were on sale at the local store. I got some of each since I knew some of my eaters wouldn't feel comfortable eating seared tuna. The salmon was wild, and the tuna was sushi grade yellowfin.

So blackened fish. What is it? I looked up some recipes online and I found that it's just a paprika-based seasoning that completely coats both sides of the fish. The fish is then seared in a hot skillet, long enough for each side to develop a crispy coating that looks almost blackened, but isn't. You either finish cooking it in the oven, under the broiler, or in the case of tuna, you don't keep cooking it.

My seasoning mix consisted of the tangerine rooibos tea, paprika, oregano, onion and garlic powder, coarse salt, pepper, and a bit of sugar.

To prepare the fish, I melted butter in a skillet on low heat. Both sides of the salmon and tuna were dipped into the butter, then into the tea seasoning until completely coated. I seared the salmon on both sides for two minutes, then finished baking it in the oven for about seven minutes.

The tuna was given a two minute sear on either side, after which I sliced them up and plated it. Is there a proper way to slice tuna, like cutting steak against the grain? When I sliced the tuna, it either began to fall apart or looked flaky. Perhaps my knife wasn't sharp enough.

And that's how it went down. This was my first time eating tuna (aside from sushi), and I decided I liked it. It has a very meaty, rich taste different from other fishes. I like it, I want some more of it, but it's too expensive.

The tangerine rooibos coating was incredible. It was faintly floral and citrusy and was a good compliment to the light taste of both the fish. I didn't taste any of the salmon, but I think they liked it. (I hope?) If you made this, you could use any citrus rooibos tea available to you or any citrus-flavored herbal tea you enjoy drinking.

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Citrus Rooibos-Blackened Tuna
Recipe by Christina Provo

Serves 4

Ingredients -
2 tablespoons tangerine rooibos tea leaves, or another type of herbal tea
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 3-4 ounce sushi-grade yellowfin tuna pieces
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
A starchy side dish

Directions -

1. In a pie dish, mix together the tea, paprika, oregano, garlic and onion powders, salt, sugar, and pepper. In a large skillet, melt the butter over low heat. Working with one piece of tuna at a time, dip both sides in butter, then in the coating, making sure each side is completely coated. Place on a platter while you prepare the rest of the tuna.


2. Raise the heat to medium high. Add the tuna and sear for 2 minutes. Don't move the pieces or else you won't get a good coating. Using a spatula, flip the tuna over and sear for another 2 minutes. The tuna should still be pink in the middle. Remove to a cutting board.


3. Slice a piece of tuna and fan it out on the plate.

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Roasted Ginger-Garlic Green Beans
Recipe by Christina Provo

Serves 4

Ingredients -

1 1/2 pounds green beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt
black pepper
1/2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 an orange, thinly sliced

Directions -

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a 12x9-inch baking dish or a rimmed baking sheet, toss the green beans with olive oil, salt, pepper, and grated ginger. Place the orange slices on top and bake until green beans are tender, about 25 minutes.

Cupcake Fail = Cake Ball Win

It wasn't my intention to make cake balls. I made them once before for New Year's Eve, mixed in too much frosting with the cake, and ended up with something that disgusted me. Initially, I planned on making cupcakes flavored with Celestial Seasonings' Sugar Plum Spice tea.

Every year, mid-November, their holiday teas reach the shelves of the grocery store. I really like all their flavorings, like Gingerbread Spice, Nutcracker Sweet, and Candy Cane Lane, a peppermint green tea. I haven't tried Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride yet, so I can't say what it's like. But my favorite of them all is Sugar Plum Spice. It's spicy with a floral note and perfect to sip when the weather outside is frightful. While drinking a cup, I thought back to previous cakes I made with tea and figured Sugar Plum Spice would make for a delicious cupcake flavor.

I have my favorite go-to cupcake recipes, though today I mixed it up and used the Amy Sedaris Vanilla Cupcake recipe,, but halved the original recipe (the link I gave shows the original cupcake recipe scaled in half). I figured that although I hadn't tried it before, I'm sure it would work out well. It looked like a basic recipe.

To begin, I scalded milk and steeped two tea bags in it. After five minutes, I removed the bags and let the milk cool to room temperature.

I also cut open a tea bag and added the leaves to the butter and sugar. I found this adds even more flavor to the cake and you don't notice the tea leaves when you eat it.

When you make a pot of Sugar Plum Spice tea, the tea has a reddish plum color. That wasn't going to work with the cupcake batter because the steeped milk was a little gray, so I added a tiny bit of Wilton food gel coloring to the butter and sugar.

After those two little additions, the recipe proceeds like standard cake recipes. The eggs and vanilla are added to the creamed butter and sugar followed by the flour, in three additions, and the milk in between the flour. I always give cake batters one final stir with the spatula.

I noticed that there didn't seem to be much batter and I was worried the cupcakes weren't going to look very impressive. I like tall, domed cupcakes, not small squatty cakes. There wasn't enough batter to fill the cups up 2/3rds of the way, which technically is what you want. Personally, I always fill them up a little higher when I make cupcakes but there wasn't anywhere near enough to do that this time.

As I expected, the cupcakes didn't really rise much higher than the top of the tin. I also failed to grease the tin properly and almost all of the cupcakes tore as I prodded them out with a butter knife. Failure. Fortunately, they at least tasted flavorful and buttery, with a delicate crumb that melted in your mouth.

I didn't really know what to do with the cupcakes until I decided to turn them into cake balls.

U-G-H.

Thinking back on my last cake ball venture didn't leave me with fond memories. Because I didn't want to waste perfectly good tasting cake, so I proceeded with the idea, making a quick batch of buttercream. I may have made a bit too much because the mixture was kind of tacky after combining the buttercream with the crumbled cake. I stuck it in the fridge overnight and hoped it would be edible.

The next day, I melted two cups of white chocolate chips over a double boiler with shortening. Shortening helps create a smooth consistency that makes it much easier to coat the balls. I don't know how much I used, but it was probably close to 1/3 of a cup until I got the consistency I wanted. It easily flowed from a spoon and wouldn't result in a gloppy mess. I would use Wilton Candy Melts or bar chocolate next time since they melt more easily than chips, which are made to keep their shape. Chips can be used and I often use them because that's what I usually have in the pantry, but it takes longer.

The process went quickly and the cake balls were firm enough to be rolled in the chocolate without melting. I think I was a little sloppy when I transferred them to the wax paper-lined baking sheet, though, because mini disks of chocolate spread out underneath. The tops of the balls were sprinkled with coarse sanding sugar mixed with raspberry jello powder to make a subtle pink sugar. They looked pretty and festive.

They tasted really good, too. The spiciness was dulled a little by the frosting (which I didn't flavor with more tea for whatever reason), though they still were good and the tea flavor did come through. The white chocolate coating wasn't overpowering, either. All in all, success!

Kalahari Tea Sampler

I'm officially the worst blogger in the history of Al Gore's internet. Really. At least I really haven't been baking much, though that seems like a pitiful excuse because in the end it's me who has to eat crap.

But I'm reviewing another product right now. Kalahari Tea sent me their sampler pack consisting of all four varieties from their ChocoLatte line, and a selection from their red teas. If you remember from my previous review on the products I won, Kalahari teas primarily use rooibos, a South African plant. When dried, the leaves of the plant turn a shade of red that later on makes for a red cup of tea. Naturally caffeine free and full of flavor, this tea would make a great addition to your selection.

My first taste from this sampler was the Matcha Mint. I was sick anyway and it seemed like a good choice. The green tea flavor, in my opinion, was rather light as the mint seemed to be the prominent flavor, but it was richer than any other mint tea I've tried, and I'm assuming that was from the roasted cacao's depth and smokiness.

The Safari Lullaby was really soothing and now I wish I had gotten that as one of my selections back during the World Cup contest. Imagine infusing a cup of milk with a tea consisting of rooibos, chamomile, spearmint, lemon grass, Valerian. If you don't fall asleep, then you're crazy! The flavor was so mellow and smooth and perfect to sip before bed. They also have a rooibos-chamomile tea that doesn't include the Valerian, too.

Next try was the Kalahari Reserve, which is their basic rooibos tea. You really got a sense of the brightness of the rooibos here as it wasn't paired against another flavor.

I tried the Zambezi Red Chai again (this was the first flavor I've ever tried) and once again fell in love with the blend of Indian spices paired with rooibos. Many chai teas are lacking in spiciness and depth, but here it's perfect and delicious.

The scent from the Raspberry Truffle is amazing. I drank this with a bit of sugar and whole milk, just so you know. The raspberry flavor blends nicely with the roasted cacao, and the flavors linger on your tongue long after you finish taking a sip. It really does seem as if you just ate a raspberry truffle.

The other flavors I haven't tasted yet (I have a strong aversion to hazelnut, unfortunately), but the Cherry Vanilla and Highlands Honey I reviewed previously. Again, I want to mention the genius of their ChocoLatte line. Their pairing of the ingredients is spot on and neither too rich nor too weak.

If you're new to the Kalahari Tea brand, I strongly urge you to try at least one flavor, and I hope my review of their sampler gave you a better feel for their teas.

Coconut Rooibos Cupcakes

These are some fantastic cupcakes, people. My inspiration for the mods to the recipes I used came from a new tea from Victorian Pantry. Steve, the owner, uses a unique, personalized blend of coffee that he has roasted just prior to shipping. He now offers a selection of specially blended teas that I decided to try. Obviously, I am using the coconut rooibos as the flavoring in the cupcakes.

Rooibos is a South African red herbal tea and has a light, unique flavor. It also looks pretty, tinting the water red. Since it's herbal, it's also caffeine free. Coupled with coconut, how can you go wrong here? My only concern was getting the flavor from the tea to come through in the cupcake completely. To do this, I decided to infused the liquid in the recipe (the milk in both the cupcakes and frosting) and let the milk for the cupcakes come back to room temperature.

You may notice specks. Specks in the frosting and specks in the cupcake itself. That's because I chose not to strain the tea leaves because I liked the look. There really is nothing wrong with eating the tea leaves (I already ate a cupcake and didn't die) and it looks pretty.

For the cupcake, I chose a recipe from Joy of Baking for vanilla cupcakes. Unfortunately, the cupcakes were a little on the dry side. I kind of figured, using only 1/4 cup of milk, and I should have increased it to 1/2 a cup. Or I don't know, because it would have ruined the yield. Anyway, they rose nicely and had perfect domes. I added 1 1/2 teaspoons tea leaves to the milk after it had been scalded.

The flour frosting I made is something many of you might think unusual. It's more like a Swiss meringue buttercream than a standard buttercream, though instead of an egg white-sugar mixture you make a quick pudding with flour, sugar, salt, and milk. To this mixture, right in the pot, I added 1 1/2 teaspoons tea leaves. Once the pudding mixture has cooled (I beat it for a bit, let it set, beat some more, etc.), you add in all the butter and beat until the butter emulsifies into the pudding and thickens to a frosting.
A few tips: This pudding only turns the texture of a paste. It won't be thick, but should still pass the spoon test. Make sure the butter is at room temperature -- a bit cool, but can easily be indented with your finger. If it's too soft, the frosting will be soft.
My overall thoughts on this recipe is that it made a good amount for just 12 cupcakes with just a bit extra. It seemed less temperamental than a Swiss meringue buttercream, as you can add all the butter at once and I didn't have any issues with separation. I made a pastry cream frosting a while ago for the Hostess Orange Cupcake birthday cake and really liked it, though it's not quite as sturdy. Anyway, it's really easy and delicious.

As for the tea itself, the flavor was light with a floral note, and had a smooth coconut essence. I felt it was enhanced by a bit of sweetener. The scent was incredible, and I have to say its one of my new favorite teas.

Next time you want a dessert with a unique twist, get creative with the flavorings by adding different teas to the mix. Even if you aren't a big tea drinker, you will still appreciate how tea enhances baking.

World Cup Fever and Kalahari Tea

You thought you were safe from hearing any more about soccer and the World Cup, weren't you?

WRONG!

I've rather enjoyed the coverage, as I enjoy watching most sports because I like seeing people do something they're passionate about. Soccer for me isn't about the goals, but the control of the players and their athleticism. And I do get a big kick (ha) out of karate tactics on the field. Shaolin Soccer, anyone?

My brother really got into it, as he joined a fantasy league and stuff, looking up statistics and making some good guesses. We both signed up for Kalahari Tea's World Cup Contest on Facebook. Kalahari Tea is based of the South African rooibos tea, a caffeine-free herbal tea which grows on bushes. After the processing, the leaves turn reddish-brown color that you see after your tea steeps. It's really pretty and lovely, and has turned into my favorite flavor after going through a box of Kalahari's chai rooibos tea.

Anyway, I placed second in the first round of the contest, and my prize was being able to pick two teas out of the offered selection.

My choices were ChocoLatte Cherry Vanilla and Highlands Honey.

The ChocoLatte Cherry Vanilla intrigued be by the blend of roasted cacao with rooibos, vanilla beans, and cherry flavor along with a few other ingredients. I was particularly interested in finding out how the cacao flavor would come through.

I quickly set off to steep a cup. What I tasted was a subtly sweet tea with the flavor of the roasted cacao as a backdrop, intermixed with the essence of vanilla. I would say there was a fruity note throughout the whole cup, but I couldn't pinpoint the cherry specifically. What I liked the most was the "dessert-essence" quality of this tea, and it makes a perfect accompaniment to after-dinner desserts since it has the richness you would expect from coffee thanks to the roasted cacao, with the bonus of being caffeine-free.

The Highlands Honey has a natural honey and vanilla flavor with their rooibos tea. The description on the website says it has a subtle sweetness, though I'm not sure I necessarily tasted that. In fact, I didn't really taste the honey flavor at all because the vanilla stood out to me the most. I'm not ruling it out, though I have a tendency to detect vanilla in foods more easily so it may have simply been my palate. I like to drink this tea before going to bed, or in the morning before heading out on a run.

So thanks to Kalahari Tea for running this contest, and giving me the opportunity to taste some of their teas I can't find in the stores!