Hibiscus tea (white)

Our hibiscus bush is extraordinarily profuse this year, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to try and make some hibiscus tea; but first I had to find a good recipe... 

As I began to forage around on the internet, the first thing I discovered is that our hibiscus flowers are
not really the right type for making tea, being (I think) an Indian white variety, and not the traditionally-used Jamaican red variety. However, a little comment I came across on a YouTube video suggested that the white variety are still usable, though they make a more delicate, mild tea.

The first thing to do is pick the flower heads and steep them in boiling water.
I picked ten flowers, pulled off the stamens and calyces, and put them in a jug with a pint of water. Then I left them for about ten or fifteen minutes, while I squeezed half a lime, in preparation for the next stage.

Interestingly, I read online that the red Jamaican flowers turn the water a deep red-violet colour, which turns to a deepish pink after the addition of the lime juice; but when I added water to the white flowers, the liquid turned yellow, so I wasn't in the least sure it would work. I thought I might as well continue to the end however, so when the flowers had steeped for long enough, I removed them with a strainer and added the lime juice. And lo and behold, the yellow liquid turned to pink!

A pleasing flavour, reminiscent of grapefruit juice...

N.b Red hibiscus tea is recommended iced, but I tried my white tea when it was still warm, and found I preferred it that way. If you like your tea sweetened, add honey or sugar before the lime juice, whilst the liquid is still hot...


Addendum: We later took this on a picnic; we had it cool, with one soup spoon of honey to one pint of tea, and enjoyed it very much!





  

Recipe: Chocolate Slab With A Difference!

 Non-gluten, low-sugar, chocolate dessert

 

Utensils

1 round tin, greased (I used a 4 1/2" one, with a removable base)

1 bowl for mixing base together

1 small bowl for melting butter

1 glass bowl and 1 saucepan for melting topping

Ingredients

Base: 

Walnuts

Almonds

Brazil nuts

Pecan nuts

Butter, melted
Freshly grated nutmeg

Topping:

70% dark chocolate (I used Green and Blacks)

Single cream

1tsp blackstrap molasses

Method

Take roughly equal quantities of walnuts, almonds, and brazil nuts, and a smaller amount of pecan nuts, and put them all in a food processor until ground into small pieces (but not powdered). You want enough to cover the base of your tin and be about 1/3 of an inch thick.

Melt butter in the microwave and stir into nuts. The mixture should be fairly moist, so that it will stay together once it's been packed into the tin. Grate some nutmeg over it and stir.

Press the mixture firmly into the tin and put in the freezer.

Put some water in the saucepan and place the glass bowl on top. Break the chocolate in small pieces (I used about two thirds of a 100g packet) and put in the bowl, with a little cream. Melt slowly, stirring the mixture constantly, and adding more cream whenever necessary. When all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is the consistency you want, add the molasses and stir well. 

Now take the base out of the freezer and pour the chocolate mixture on top, spreading it evenly over the base. Put it back in the freezer.

When serving, make sure you take the chocolate slab out of the freezer far enough in advance for it to completely de-frost, but not so far in advance that it melts. I cut my 4 1/2" slab in quarters, to serve four.

Serve with fresh berries and a drizzle of cream if desired. Enjoy!