Earl Grey Tea Shortbread Cookies

On my recent trip to Paris earlier this month, I made a return visit to the Marais neighborhood branch of Le Mariage Frères. To call it a tea shop would be like calling Hermès simply a scarf shop. Yes, they sell tea, and scarves, respectively, but there is so much more to discover, including lunch and desserts, at Le Mariage Frères. I wrote about the store nearly fifteen years ago, and you can find that post here. The tea selection is dizzyingly extensive, and this time I stayed with a familiar name, albeit one with a slight twist. 

If you're a tea drinker, you know about Earl Grey tea, flavored with bergamot, a citrus grown almost exclusively in Calabria, Italy. But Earl Grey French Blue tea adds petals of blue cornflower, adding a colorfully, sweet note. I brought some home with me and set about looking for another way to use the tea leaves, other than just making a cup of tea.

I found the perfect solution in a recipe from the New York Times for Earl Grey shortbread cookies. They were simple to make in the food processor, and so deliciously addictive, I'll have to banish them to the freezer to keep myself from binging on too many (actually, my husband is willing to do his part to reduce the amount of cookies on hand).

Once you've mixed them in the food processor, place the dough on some plastic wrap and squeeze/roll it into a log about 12 inches long. Place it in the refrigerator for at least 1/2 hour, to make it easier to slice.

Slice into discs about 1/3 inch in thickness and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Remove from the oven after about 10-11 minutes and place on a cooling rack.

The edges and bottoms should be slightly tan but not too browned.

They're a delicate but sturdy cookie, making them ideal for gift giving.

That is, if you can keep from eating them all.

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Earl Grey Tea Shortbread Cookies

New York Times recipe (except for my addition of orange zest)

makes about 40 cookies

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons loose Earl Grey tea leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup (2 sticks) room temperature butter

grated rind of one orange 

Directions

1. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, tea, and salt, until the tea is just spotted throughout the flour. Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla, butter and orange zest. Pulse together just until a dough is formed. Place dough on a sheet of plastic wrap, and roll into a log, about 2 1/2-inches in diameter. Tightly twist each end of wrap, and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
3. Slice the log into 1/3-inch thick disks. Place on parchment or silpat lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart (2 probably needed depending on size of sheets). Bake until the edges are just brown, about 10-11 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and cool to room temperature.

Raspberry Creme Brulee Tarte and a giveaway

I admit it. The scale doesn't lie. I was naughty in Paris. Let's not talk about the creamy cheeses and wonderful wines I indulged in. We'll go straight to dessert for this post - something I'm not averse to when you're in a city with the plethora of exquisite sweets that Paris offers. I ate pastries, cakes and ice cream at least once a day, sometimes twice a day. All of them were delicious and some of them were divine - including this raspberry creme brulee tarte from Mariage Freres, a place that holds sweet memories for me in more ways than one. 

Mariage Freres has several locations in Paris, including its flagship store and restaurant in the Le Marais neighborhood, the one I've visited on past trips. The business started back in the 17th century when King Louis IV and the French East India Company dispatched a man named Nicolas Mariage to Persia to sign a trade agreement, while Nicolas' brother traveled to Madagascar on behalf of the same company. Centuries later, other Mariage descendants opened the first retail establishment in 1984 and the tea is considered by many connoisseurs to be the best in the world. It's where Claridge's of London gets its tea and what Japan Airlines serves to its first class customers.   

You know they're serious about their teas when you're handed a more than 100-page booklet of descriptions of the various teas to choose from. 

The tins are lined up on a wooden shelf, resembling an old apothecary shop, while the waiters run back and forth to grab their orders from the tea-brewer.

The china teapot is delivered table-side inside a silver caddy to keep it at the perfect temperature.

Naturally, there are desserts to accompany the tea, including the raspberry creme brulee tart at the top. I've eaten it there before, but didn't see it on the menu this time. When I asked the waiter about it, he produced it from the kitchen for me, providing me with another trip down memory lane. But truth be told, I did start with a more appropriate lunch - an absolute work of art that turned out to be the most expensive cream cheese and smoked salmon sandwich I'd ever eaten. But then again, I've never eaten bread made with green matcha tea or a smoked salmon sandwich decorated with fish roe and pansies. 

Whether you simply have tea or eat lunch at Mariage Freres, be prepared to open your wallet.  It's not just a Lipton tea bag plunked into a mug. But the experience at Mariage Freres - from the service to the carefully prepared and presented food - is worth every centime. That's why I'd like you to share in a bit of the experience with me and why I'm giving away a tin of one of Mariage Freres' most popular tea varieties - Marco Polo. If you read French, you can read the description for yourself below. Otherwise, take my word for it that it's a blend of scents of fruits and flowers from China and Tibet, and its extraordinary bouquet is one of the most mythic of all perfumed teas. Just leave a comment in the comment section of this post - and an email address so I can have some way to contact you if you win.

You can also actually order Mariage Freres tea from the company's website (click here) and it will be sent to you from France. Some stores in the U.S. (like Williams Sonoma and Dean and Deluca) also carry a small selection of Mariage Freres tea. And if you're not afraid of facing your scale and want to try to recreate that creme brulee tarte ('tis the season - be brave and forget the calories), here's a recipe that will give you even more of the Mariage Freres experience.

Raspberry Creme Brulee Tarte





Printable Recipe Here



For tarte shell:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour


• 4 T. sugar


• 1/4 t. salt


• 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes


• 4- 5 T. ice water

For custard filling:

• 1/2 vanilla bean


• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream


• 2/3 cup whole milk


• 4 large egg yolks


• 1 whole large egg


• 1/4 cup sugar


• dash of salt

For the bruleed topping:

1/4 cup sugar plus 2 more tablespoons sugar

1/2 pint fresh raspberries

In a food processor, place the flour, sugar and salt. Give it a whir to blend everything, then add the butter and pulse a few times. Add the ice water until it forms a ball, or nearly forms a ball. You don't want to overwork the dough or it will be tough.

Roll it out on a floured board and place it inside a 12 inch tart pan, overlapping the inside edge to make it twice the thickness. Prick some holes in the bottom and place in the freezer for 20 minutes to a half hour. After you remove it from the freezer, blind-bake the crust at 350 degrees. To blind-bake it, place a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper inside the crust and weigh it down with pie weights or use beans and rice, as I do. Bake it for about 20 minutes with the weights inside, then remove the weights (carefully) and bake another 10 to 15 minutes until the shell is golden brown.

Let the crust cool. When ready to make the filling, line the inside of the tarte shell with the fresh raspberries. Cook the filling in the following manner: Split the vanilla bean down the middle and place it in a pot with the milk and cream. Cook them together at a simmer for about 10 minutes or until piping hot, then turn off the flame and let the bean sit in the liquid to absorb the flavor more.Whisk the egg yolks and egg with the sugar and salt. Slowly add them to the milk and cream mixture until blended. If you're worried about any particles that may have formed, place the mixture through a sieve after everything is all mixed together.

Carefully pour the mixture into the shell over the raspberries. Place the tarte pan on a cookie sheet and bake in a 300 degree oven for about 25 to 30 minutes or until it's set but still wobbly in the center. It will set more after you remove it from the oven.

Before serving, sprinkle the remaining sugar on top and either use a blow torch or place it under the broiler for a few minutes, making sure to rotate the tarte to get the entire surface exposed to the flame until it's browned and crunchy.