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.
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
- 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.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- 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.