Footloose Caboose

When my husband suggested we try out the Footloose Caboose with some friends, I was up for the adventure. 

The pictures on their website were intriguing as they showed a fancy train car with tables that were dressed in white linen, windows covered with a deep red window treatment and wooden high backed chairs - really, what self-respecting foodie adventurist could resist?

When I checked out the menu, I was even more excited. Salmon in maple Dijon mustard sauce and sirloin tips in a mushroom wine sauce were just some of the delectable sounding offerings.

Our first surprise came as we drove to the location. Although the website shows it as being outside of Tofield, we overshot the turn off by a few miles. To get there, head East on Highway 14 and take range road 204 south. This is the turn off opposite the one going to Hastings Lake Bible Camp. After going 9 km on the paved road, take township road 502 East (left). It is located on the left hand side.

We were early so we wandered around and took in some of the sights. They have several train cars on the property, an extensive telegraph insulator collection and an interesting display of farming barbed wire. I had absolutely no idea there were so many possible types of barbed wire!

Upon entering the train, I noticed it looked very much like the picture on their website, just minus the linen on the tables. We appeared to be rushing the staff as we were a couple of minutes early and the tables had not been set.

We chose a table and began to peruse the wine menu. I was quite pleased to find many wines from wineries that I recognized like Pelee Island, Sumac Ridge, Barefoot and Jacob’s Creek. It was fortunate we were familiar with the wines as the waitress confessed to not knowing much about them. When a fellow diner asked what type of scotch was available, the reply was “the kind in a bottle”.

I was starting to get very mixed signals about our evening. The website referred to a classy dining experience and while the setting was very nice, even without the table linens (I know, I know, let it go), the demeanor and knowledge of the waitress didn’t seem to suit the ambiance.

Each of us ordered an appetizer and an entrée. My husband and I decided to share the sautéed ginger shrimp ($12), one of our guests ordered the pickled herring ($9) and his wife tried to order the herbed potatoes ($5).

The sautéed ginger shrimp is described as a Spanish-inspired dish served with garlic French bread. My husband was pleased with the shrimp, although I couldn’t taste any ginger on it or any garlic on the bread.

The pickled herring was served with sliced tomato, marinated onions and rye bread. Apparently it was very good, although to be honest I didn’t ask to try it myself.

The odd thing was that the shrimp was brought to our table first. A little while later the herring arrived. It was only after waiting a while longer that someone went to the back to ask about the herbed potatoes. Apparently, the waitress thought it was supposed to come out with the entrée.

Once that misunderstanding was cleared up (my friend elected to have her potatoes with her entrée instead of the usual spaghetti), we sat back and sipped on our drinks and got caught up on the latest news in each other’s lives. We talked about the weather, local politics, our plans for travelling next year and anything else that came to mind.

Just as we were finishing off our bottle of wine, our house salad arrived. It was a simple but tasty salad of greens, red and green pepper, some tomato and a light oil and vinegar dressing.

At this point, it was about an hour and a half after our reservation time. We chatted some more and talked about our experiences on trains during our youth. We talked about how thankful we were to be past the small child stage and wondered when we would become grandparents.

Two hours after our reservation time, our entrees arrived. One of our friends and I had the pan-grilled medium-rare sirloin tips that were served in a mushroom wine sauce, herbed potatoes and green beans. The sirloin was tasty and the sauce was perfect. The potatoes were seasoned with a wonderful blend of herbs and fried to perfection. The beans had a really nice tang to them that complimented the potatoes and sirloin very well.

My husband tried the cracked pepper pork tenderloin with French-inspired sherry cream sauce, savory rice and beans. He wasn’t as pleased with his selection and felt it was a bit dry and bland.

Our other friend had the whole, boneless pan-fried trout that was stuffed with pieces of ginger and a ginger lemon butter sauce. He was pleased with his entrée and said it had good flavour.

At this point, the heat in the train was making it very uncomfortable. After some fiddling with the vent at our feet we discovered it had been closed all evening. As the blessedly cool air came up around our feet, we ordered dessert and leaned back to chat some more.

Two hours and forty-five minutes after our reservation time, half of our desserts arrived. The men had ordered the pears poached in a cinnamon red wine and sprinkled with icing sugar. They were gracious enough to share a couple of bites with us and we all agreed it had a nice flavour. We also all agreed it would have been even better with some freshly whipped cream.

Once the men were done their desserts, our crepes arrived. The fruit crepes were made with Saskatoons, raspberries and rhubarb and were sweet and tasty. The only drawback was the crepes themselves were a bit thick and appeared to have been fried in a bit too much oil. Again, we all agreed the crepes would have been improved with whipped cream or even ice cream.

Overall, our experience was very mixed. We all agreed we would like to come back, but maybe to try a lunch or breakfast. The food was decent, but not spectacular. The atmosphere was nice, but not a fine dining experience as the pictures and description on their website had implied.

More than anything, we were frustrated by the length of time it took. In the end, we spent more than three hours from the time of our reservation until we walked back out the door. Our food was not delivered at one time so some of us were eating while others were still waiting.

Our meal included four appetizers, three hi-balls, a bottle of wine, two sodas, four entrees and four desserts and came to $157.

Dining at the Footloose Caboose Lodge
20324 Twp. Rd. 502
Reservations 780-662-2372

Capital Region Rocks the Food World

by Carla Howatt

Fiona Beland-Quest at Savour Strathcona

I would never call myself a foodie, that is  something I leave to those who know the  difference between iceberg lettuce and  escarole.

However, as anyone who has met me  knows, I love my food! It doesn’t much  matter if it is steak and potatoes, pizza, Thai  or East Indian, as long as it doesn’t involve  insects I’m all over it.

Luckily, I have lived in the Capital Region  almost my entire life and so I’ve been able  to satisfy my food cravings quite easily.

Sherwood Park has Forza,  a small Italian trattoria, Pasta Pantry for homemade pasta, New Asian Village for delicious East Indian food.

There are exotic wines to be found at Baseline Wines,  delicious Greek dining at Vicky’s and fine dining at Café de Ville.

Greek Dining at Vicky's

When I am further north than Sherwood Park, I love to visit the The River House in St. Albert and enjoy their crispy rabbit croquette or soy lime beef short rib, as well as enjoying beautiful surroundings.

While in Spruce Grove, check out the retro style dining of Jack’s Drive-In or Redline Diner. If you are looking for some good homestyle cooking for breakfast or lunch, visit The Loft Restaurant at Sandyview Farms, located right above their deli.

It isn’t just the restaurants that make the Capital Region such a gastronomical delight, it is also the food events like Savour Strathcona, Taste of Edmonton a corn fest and a Heritage Festival.

In the Capital Region there are even several businesses and organizations that exist just to make the most of the wonderful food world we live in. Organizations like Dishcrawl  and Cravings, a culinary adventure company in Sherwood Park.

So whatever you happen to be craving, satisfaction isn’t far away, because the Capital Region rocks the food world!

This article was written in response to the Capital Region Rocks initiative started by FusedLogic.

Adventure on the High Teas!

Dreaming of a time when having a cup of tea in the afternoon was a grand affair? Yearning to sip tea like royalty?

Well here is your chance! 15 Adventurers will be transported to a time gone by. Ladies, put on your loveliest chapeau. Gentlemen, perhaps a cravat? Sip tea, nibble on cucumber sandwiches, scones and cream, shortbread and dainty squares. Learn about the traditions behind serving high tea and enjoy a grand afternoon on Whyte Avenue. Afterwards, you may choose to stroll down the Avenue and take in some great Fringe entertainment too!
 
Where?

Cally's Teas

10151 Whyte Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta

When?

Aug. 25, 2013 at 2 p.m.

Menu

A choice of one of four teas, scones, fresh cream and lovely jam. Cucumber sandwiches, savory shortbread and goat cheese and a variety of dainty squares.
 

To purchase tickets please Click Here

French Fusion Dinner Adventure at Café de Ville

www.spcravings.com                                             info@spcravings.com

 

What a wonderful experience it is to let perfectly crafted food melt in your mouth. The sensual experience leaves your taste buds ecstatic with pleasure! That is exactly what Cravings members experienced at Sherwood Park's French Fusion restaurant: Café de Ville.

 

Fusion cuisine is cuisine that combines elements of different culinary traditions. It is a combination of traditional French cuisine and a variety of other cuisines such as Japanese, Italian and North American. Some of the most well known fusion cuisine combines European and Asian foods.

 

El Petit Bonhomme

Our evening began wonderfully with a glass of El Petit Bonhomme. Anita Jarmolicz from International Cellars shared her knowledge of this  bold blended Spanish red by Montreal's Nathalie Bonhomme from Bodegas Juan Gil. This blend is made up of half Monastrell, some Garnacha, and a little Syrah. Spicy with a hint of licorice and plum, it was a lovely start to our meal.

Chef Paul Campbell

Chef Paul Campbell, co-proprietor and Chef de Cuisine at Café de Ville, knows his French Fusion. He  creates new recipes or takes recipes, changes them, adds his unique "Je ne sais quoi" and creates bites of food that explode with flavour in your mouth!

What a wonderful menu Chef Paul created just for Cravings.

The evening began with two tempting Amuse-Bouche morcels. An Amuse-Bouche, or Amuse-Gueule, is very similar to an hors d'oeuvre but not quite the same. It is an extra little freebie to tempt you before your meal is presented to you. They are not ordered by you, instead, they are prepared by the chef as a little treat to show off his talents and prepare you to the meal to come. Translated from the French, it means mouth amuser. Something to make your taste buds happy!



One of the two amuse-bouche Chef Paul chose to serve us this evening were a flavorful Confit of Lamb, Wild Mushroom and Walnut Tartelette. The lamb was cooked using the sous-vide method, then confit with duck fat  and served in a small tartelette shell. The confit literally melted in our mouths (to find out more about the "sous-vide" method see Cravings'  "Fusion Cuisine" blog). Chef Paul uses locally grown and locally raised ingredients as much as possible in his recipes. The lamb used in the Confit was raised by  Barr Estates in Strathcona County.

Pan Seared Diver Scallop with a White Chocolate Beurre Blanc (bottom left)
Confit of Lamb, Wild Mushroom and Walnut Tartelette (top right)

The second amuse-bouche was a Pan Seared Diver Scallop served with a White Chocolate Beurre Blanc. This was the tenderest and most succulent scallop I have ever tasted. The fact that it was infused with white chocolate and Sambuca had absolutely nothing to do with it. Alright, perhaps it did.  The scallop was perfectly seared and the white chocolate beurre complemented it perfectly. Diver Scallops are different from the scallops you find in the seafood section of your corner grocery store. They are sea scallop that are hand-picked off  rocks by scuba divers. Diver scallops are not as gritty as boat-harvested scallops, which are dragged by nets at the ocean bed. Chef Paul shared a little chef's secret, the more colour you want your scallop to have, the drier the scallop needs to be.

Cravings is very lucky as Chef Paul has generously agreed to share his Scallop recipe with us!(see below) I will have to try making it but am pretty sure that it would never be as fabulous as his...



Chicken Consommé with Braised Leek

The next dish was a rich and flavourful Chicken Consommé with Braised Leek. Consommé is not a broth, it is a very strong, concentrated and clear stock that is simmered for a long time, filtered, and contains very little fat.

Following the consommé was  the entrée, an exquisite Beef Bourguignon served in a light and flaky puff pastry bouche. Once again the sous-vide method was used to prepare the meat. If I was not sold on the use of this cooking method before, I have become a great fan after tasting this dish. The cut Chef Paul used in this recipe was a flank steak. I could have sworn that he used tenderer cut. The small cubes of beef melted like butter in my mouth. I was not the only one ooing and aahing after each bite!  The beef was served in a bacon flavoured, velvety Bourguignon gravy with tender morsels of Field Mix mushrooms ( Crimini, Portobello, Button ) and onions. This lovely puff pastry nest was presented on a bed of Buttered Potatoes and accompanied by Roasted Vegetable Provence ( carrots, parsnips, broccolini )

Beef Bourguignon

This amazing meal was beautifully finished with a superb Poached Pear dessert. The pear was slowly and gently poached in Merlot wine mulled with cloves, cinnamon and orange juice. A sweet mascarpone cream dollop topped the pear. The silkiness of the cream was the perfect match to the grainy feel of the pear.

Merlot Poached Pear with Mascarpone Cream

Chef Paul emphasized that the choice of wine doesn't really matter. It is the pear that will sweeten it. This great recipe was also shared with us below by Chef Paul.

Café de Ville and Chef Paul do not only create delicious dishes, they create visually pleasing dishes that start your mouth watering as soon as the plate is placed in front of you! If you are looking for a restaurant that is a guaranteed to please even the most the discerning palate, look no further than Café de Ville.

Cravings guests will definitely be returning to Café de Ville again and again!

Café de Ville is located at:

25 Sioux Road
Sherwood Park, Alberta

To make reservations, please call: 780-449-4765 / 1-877-504-4765

~ Monique

Join us on our next Cravings Culinary Adventure: An Arabian Nights Adventure. Enjoy Middle Eastern Food, Belly Dancing, Shisha and more!  March 6, 2013 at 7 p.m.

For tickets, please click here:  Arabian Nights Dinner Tickets

Pan Seared Scallops with white chocolate beurre blanc and chiffonnade of basil
 

6 x Large (10/20 size) Fresh Scallops – Cleaned

2 Tbsp Clarified Butter
Salt and Pepper
2 Fresh Basil Leaves – Chiffonnade

For the seared scallops: In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the butter over medium-high heat until it has a nice sheen and you can feel the heat coming off of the skillet. Dry your scallops well using paper towel, sprinkle each side with salt and pepper and add them to the hot skillet. Once the bottom of the scallops start to brown around the edges, flip the scallops and cook until golden brown on each side and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Beurre Blanc

1/2 Tbsp olive oil

1 large shallots, chopped

1/8 cup Sambucca

1/2 cup Whipping Cream

1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 ounces white chocolate, broken into pieces

Heat the oil in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and sweat until just softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the Sambucca simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the cream (this will help stabilize your sauce and keep it from breaking) and simmer until reduced by one-third, 5 to 7 minutes. Strain the sauce into another warm saucepan over low heat. The sauce should remain warm, but never hot, or the sauce will break. On low or no heat, whisk in a few pieces of the butter at a time. Wait until each addition is incorporated before adding more butter. Once all of the butter is incorporated, whisk in the white chocolate.

Top each scallop with some beurre blanc and garnish with a bit of the basil.

Poached Pears
 

3¾ cups (one 750-ml bottle) Cabernet Sauvignon wine
1 grated orange zest
1½ cups fresh orange juice
1 cup sugar
½ Tablespoon grated lemon zest
½ vanilla bean
1 cinnamon stick
2 firm Bartlett pears, peeled, halved, and cored

In a saucepan, combine the wine, orange zest and juice, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla bean, and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil over high heat and reduce heat to a simmer. Add the pears and poach for about 1 hour, until tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Lift the pears from the pan.

Strain the poaching liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Reserve ½ cup of the liquid and pour it over the pears. Cover and refrigerate.

Assembly

½ cup mascarpone cheese

1 Tablespoon sugar

In a small bowl, whisk together the mascarpone cheese and sugar. Spoon the sweetened cheese in a pastry bag fitted with a #3 plain tip.

 

Remove the pears from the refrigerator and place each pear half in a shallow soup plate. Pipe a little of the sweetened mascarpone into the cored space in the pears. Spoon a little of the reserved poaching liquid around the pears.

Wine Not? How to Relax and Enjoy Your First Wine Tasting

So, you are going to a wine tasting for the first time. Are you a bit nervous? Intimidated? Or just plain curious? For many people, the idea of attending a wine tasting brings to mind snooty people sniffing their wine and spitting it out after making rude noises swishing it around in their mouth.

The truth looks nothing like that. Or at least it shouldn’t. Well, ok, it might. But a good wine tasting will consider people with all levels of wine knowledge and experience. A great place to consider for your first wine tasting experience is Baseline Wines, located on Athabascan Avenue in Sherwood Park.

The crew at Baseline Wines is both knowledgeable and friendly. When you enter the store, you will notice that the wine tasting room is located just to the left of the store. You can’t help miss it, because it is a glassed in room that is the focal point of the store.

The staff will help you deal with any coats or baggage you have and get you seated. There is no set seating so grab whichever looks the most comfortable.  All the seats offer easy viewing for the big screen TV where your host may show pictures of the wineries he is discussing.

In front of you, are glasses sitting on top of a paper placemat. On the placemat are the names of the wines you will taste.

•       top line refers to the winery.
•       second line is the type of wine and the year.
•       final line will tell you the name of the country. 

There are also communal plates of crackers, cheese or bread along the table. This is for eating between the wines so your tastebuds are cleaned off from the previous wine. Please refrain from snarfing. There are also carafes of water provided.

I have noticed that those who have a vast amount of knowledge about wines are quite eager to help those just starting out, so don’t hesitate to let people know this is your first time. I found our host at Baseline Wines, Ryan, to be very approachable and if he knows it is your first time, he can help coach you through.

Once the wine tasting begins, the host will pour a small amount of wine in your first glass. This is where most newbies start to sweat. But have no fear, you learned to drink as a baby and your years of experience will serve you well. It is perfectly acceptable to take a small sip of your wine and see how you like it. No one will snicker or point fingers and proclaim you a blasphemer.

You may notice that those around you are doing other things with their wine. They may be swirling it in their wine glass. This is to let the wine aerate a bit – or “letting it breathe”. This helps the less desirable elements of the wine evaporate and brings out the more desirable and aromatic elements.

Another thing you may notice is people sniffing their wine. Part of the enjoyment in tasting wine is experiencing all aspects of it and smelling the wine and discovering its “nose” is one aspect. When people sniff the wine, they are inhaling the aroma of the wine and trying to figure out what it smells like. Many wine tasters will refer to it as having a “nose of…” or a “aroma of…”

One of the more disconcerting and rather intimidating things you may notice is people doing odd things with the wine once it is in their mouth. It can appear rather odd to see and hear a grown adult swishing the wine around in their mouth with their cheeks puffed out. We usually give kids heck for pulling this trick. What they are doing is drawing air into the wine to enhance the tasting experience. It is not necessary for you to do this or to feel in any way inferior because you don’t. Frankly, your seat mates may silently thank you.

Of course, you can learn to introduce more air into the wine in a discrete way so you can more fully enjoy the process. Sip a small amount of wine, let it pool around your tongue and teeth, part your lips slightly and quietly suck in air, almost like a relaxed, reverse whistle. You will notice that the aromas of the wine fill your mouth and the flavour intensifies. Practice this at home, before the wine tasting so you are comfortable and confident you won’t end up with wine dribbling down your chin.

It is considered good etiquette not to say anything about the wine until every one has had a chance to try it. If you shout out “it tastes like wood chips!” before someone has had a chance to taste, it is considered the equivalent of shouting out “the butler did it!” in a movie theatre before the end of the show.

Don’t worry if you have nothing to say about the wine other than “I like it” or “I don’t care for this”. As you try more and more wines, you will become more discerning and understand why you like some wines more than others.

If you don’t like a wine, listen to how the more experienced wine tasters describe it. If they refer to it as being very oaky or full-bodied, then that might mean oaky, full-bodied wines are not for you. If you love it and others are calling it light and fruity, then you know where your palate lay.

If you find a wine you really love, make sure to make note of it. The Baseline Wines tastings provide slips of paper where you can write down your first, second and third choice. If you taste a wine you don’t care for, don’t feel you need to finish drinking it. Simply let it sit in the glass.

Throughout this process, your host will be providing information about the winery, the region the grapes were grown and any other interesting tidbits he comes across. This helps you gain a better understanding of the wines you are tasting.

After everyone has sampled the wine and compared notes, you can take a piece of cracker, cheese or a sip of water to cleanse your mouth from the taste of the wine and prepare for the next glass.

Sometimes, your host may say that a particular wine goes well with the cheese they have provided. By all means, pop a piece in your mouth and sip more wine. If you have the cheese and wine in your mouth at the same time, bite down on the cheese and let the flavours mix to get the full effect.

You will go through this process several times until all the different types of wine have been tasted. Once it is all done, you will be able to hold your head up high. You have survived your first wine tasting without ridicule and maybe even enjoyed yourself. 

But wait, it isn’t over just yet! At Baseline Wines, they offer all participants a 10% discount off the wines that were tasted.

Baseline Wine Tasting Schedule

Fusion Cuisine

www.spcarvings.com                                         info@spcravings.com

 

Fusion cuisine is cuisine that combines elements of different culinary traditions. French Fusion is a combination of traditional French cuisine and  a variety of other cuisines such as Japanese, Italian and North American. Some of the most well known fusion cuisine combines European and Asian foods.

Fusion cuisine finds its roots in the 1970s when Nouvelle Cuisine surfaced in France. Nouvelle Cuisine combined elements of French and mainly Japanese cooking (Sokolov, 1992). As Nouvelle Cuisine’s popularity reached other countries, it started combining French cuisine with each country’s own local cuisine.

 

 

The majority of fusion culinary experiments turn out wonderfully, but sometimes some do not. It is part of the joy of experimentation for chefs. That is what is exciting about fusion cuisine, the experiment, the invention of new dishes from blending two or more recipes into a brand new one.
The best fusion cuisine uses ingredients and various cooking techniques that work well together.

French fusion chefs take recipes from around the world, change them using French cooking techniques and create uniquely French recipes with just enough “je ne sais quoi” from other cultures. This makes food aficionados stop after the first bite and say “WOW!” You get an explosion of flavour prepared in a refined way. The butter reductions, the sauces, creams, pastries burst with new spices and ingredients never before combined but that still remain French.

 

The Edmonton region has many fusion restaurants, including several French fusion restaurants. Sherwood Park has one of the best in the region, Café de Ville.  Chef Paul Campbell’s creative culinary talent in Café de Ville’s kitchen is magical. His French fusion dishes are a gustatory delight that guarantee you will be returning time and time again.

Cravings’ next Culinary Adventure Dinner is a French Fusion Adventure exclusively prepared for us by Chef Paul Campbell at Sherwood Park’s Café de Ville.

 

To purchase tickets to this limited seating dinner, please click on French Fusion Adventure Dinner.

 

 ~ Monique

 

           References:

·         Sokolov, Raymond. Why We Eat What We Eat: How the Encounter between the New World and the Old Changed the Way Everyone on the Planet Eats. New York: Summit, 1991.

·         Gale Encyclopedia of Food & Culture: http://www.answers.com/topic/fusion-cuisine

Photos: Free Photos via Google 

 

www.spcravings.com.                          info@spcravings.com

 

A Short History of Chinese Tea

    www.spcravings.com                              info@spcravings.com
         

Oolong, Black tea, Green tea, White tea...Next to water, tea is the second most popular drink worldwide.  People enjoy tea first thing in the morning with their breakfast, during their breaks at work, in the afternoon with friends, and in the evening to relax. Many specialty tea shops have been popping up all over the place during the last few years as more people have found the joy of preparing and drinking loose leaf tea.

According to legend and a few historians, the origin of tea in China can be traced back to Emperor Shen Nong around 2737 B.C. The wise Emperor believed that drinking boiled water was very important to one’s good health. He required that all his subjects and servants boil water before drinking it. One late summer day, as the legend goes, the Emperor was travelling and stopped to rest. He asked his servants to boil some water for him. While the water was boiling, some leaves from a camellia bush fell in the water and turned it brown. The Emperor, curious by nature, decided to taste it and quite enjoyed the flavour! He had his servant harvest some of the dried camellia leaves to take along and use during their travels. He felt that it gave him vigor and energy. That is how tea drinking for medicinal purposes came about.

Tea, as a common drink, took a little longer to become popular, that happened around 300 A.D. But it wasn’t until 780 A.D. that tea became part of Chinese tradition. By 900 A.D., tea drinking reached Japan and Chanoyu, the Japanese Tea Ceremony, was created. It was around 1669 that tea was introduced to England. It was an aristocratic drink as it was very expensive. Soon Britain started to import tea in larger quantities and eventually all classes were able to afford it.

The word “tea” comes from various Chinese words used to describe it “Tay”, “Cha” and “Tchai”. It is indigenous to China and India. Two main varieties are cultivated as well as many hybrids.

There are various grades and types of tea:

White Tea

 

 

White tea is the purest and least processed of all teas.  It has very little caffeine. It is mostly grown and harvested in the province of Fujian.  White tea comes from the buds and leaves of the Camellia plant. These are left to wither in natural sunlight before they are lightly processed to prevent oxidation or further processing. Its’ name comes fro the fine silver-white hairs on the unopened buds.

Green Tea

Green tea is the most popular tea. Some green teas are flavored with flowers or dried fruits. It is made from leaves that have had very little oxidation during processing.  Green tea is processed and grown in many different  ways, depending on the type of green tea that is wanted.

Oolong Tea

Oolong tea, or wu long tea, is full-bodied with a flavorful fragrance and sweet aroma. It is semi-fermented. It is the most common tea served in North American Chinese restaurants.

Orange Pekoe or Black Tea

A common mistake is to think that Orange Pekoe is a type of tea. Actually, Orange Pekoe is a grade of tea. Tea is graded on the size of the processed black tea leaves. There are 7 grades of Orange Pekoe tea. Orange Pekoe grade teas have a woodsy and slight bitter taste with floral aromas. Black tea is a type of tea that is more oxidized than the other teas.  Black tea is generally stronger in flavor than the less oxidized teas.

If you would like to find out more about Chinese tea and sample some, join us on January 30, 2013 on a Chinese Tea Tasting mini adventure. Huku’s Chinese Bistro’s owner, Andy, has brought back several teas for our Cravings event from his last trip to China. We will be sampling various green teas and enjoying Chinese delicacies at 7 p.m. Purchase Tickets.

~Monique

References: Chinese, Historical and Cultural Project http://www.chcp.org/tea.html

                      The Ivy Keep http://blog.ivykeep.com/?p=68

                    Teavana  http://www.teavana.com/tea-info/types-of-tea

                Wikipedia  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_tea