Thanksgiving is less than a week away! Bigelow Tea loves the season and preparing food for family and friends who will gather for the holiday! It’s a joy to give thanks for the bounty that we enjoy. Whether you are more excited about the turkey and stuffing, the shopping on Black Friday, or just relishing the upcoming quality time together with family, Thanksgiving is a special time of year!
To help with your holiday planning, Bigelow Tea is passing on some of our favorite recipes—enough options for a complete meal. Enjoy!
Roasted Turkey with Constant Comment® Glaze
Ingredients:
Glaze:
12 Bigelow®Constant Comment® Tea Bags*
1 cup (250mL) boiling water
2/3 cup (160mL) brown sugar
2 tablespoons (30mL) butter
½ cup (125mL) cranberry juice
Turkey and Gravy:
1 10-15 pound (5-7.5g) turkey (thawed if previously frozen)
1 lemon, cut into four pieces
1 onion, peeled and cut into four pieces
1 cup (250mL) chicken stock
2 tablespoons (30mL) cornstarch
Salt and pepper to taste
Prep Time: 20 min. – Cook Time: 10-12 min. per pound -un-stuffed
Yield: Serves 8
*Variations: Try using Bigelow Orange and Spice Herb Tea
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350º.
Steep tea bags in 1 cup boiling water for 5 minutes. Squeeze excess liquid out of tea bags and discard. Reserve tea.
Meanwhile, prepare a glaze by heating butter, brown sugar and cranberry juice into a saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Add tea and reduce mixture by cooking over medium high heat for 15 minutes. Set aside.
To prepare turkey, remove giblets and neck from turkey, rinse inside and out and pat dry. Place a cut lemon and a cut-up onion into the cavity and truss the turkey. Place in an open roasting pan breast side up. Brush skin with glaze. Bake turkey in preheated oven. Keep glaze warm on stove and continue basting with glaze every 20 minutes.
Remove turkey from oven and let stand for at least 20 minutes before carving. Discard any unused glaze.
To make gravy, dissolve cornstarch in chicken stock. Place roasting pan on burner over medium heat, scraping browned bits. Add stock whisking constantly until thickened; about 1 minute. Strain gravy and serve with turkey.
As a nice alternative, use a 9-11 pound oven stuffer roaster chicken in place of the turkey. For best results, tie the chicken with string at the legs and the wings. For the glaze reduce the number of tea bags from 12 to 8.
Ingredients:
6 medium sweet potatoes
4 Bigelow® Ginger Snappish or Bigelow®Constant Comment Tea Bags
½ cup (125mL) whipping cream or half & half
½ teaspoon (2.5mL) salt
2 tablespoons (30mL) unsalted butter
1 egg beaten
*Optional – 1 cup (250mL) miniature marshmallows
Prep Time: 10 minutes – Cook Time: 1 hour
Yield: Serves 8
Instructions:
Boil sweet potatoes with skins on until tender, 15-18 minutes. Peel and mash.
While potatoes are cooking, heat cream, add tea bags and remove from heat. Let steep for 5 minutes.
To the mashed potatoes, add salt, butter, egg, tea infused cream. Beat until smooth.
Place in 2 quart buttered baking dish, (sprinkle with marshmallows if desired) and bake in oven at 375º for 15-20 minutes or until heated through (and marshmallows are browned*).
Serve hot.
* If made ahead, bring to room temperature, heat for 25 minutes. Top with marshmallows, if desired, and bake another 10 minutes or until marshmallows are browned.
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons (60mL) butter, melted
1 1/4 cup (310mL) gingersnaps, crushed
1 tablespoon (15mL) brown sugar
1 teaspoon (5mL) cinnamon
10 Bigelow Ginger Snappish Tea Bags
10 Bigelow Pumpkin Spice Tea Bags
1 1/2 cup (375mL) heavy cream
24 ounces (750g) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups (375mL) sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (375mL) pumpkin pie filling
1/4 cup (60mL) pecan halves
Prep Time: 35 minutes – Cooking Time: 70 minutes
Yield: Serves: 10
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325*F (160*C).
To make the crust, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Mix the gingersnaps, brown sugar and cinnamon together. Add the melted butter and mix together with a spoon.
Spray a 10″ (25cm) spring-form pan with cooking spray. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom.
Filling:
Add heavy cream into saucepan, heat over medium heat, be careful not to boil.
Add Bigelow Ginger Snappish and Bigelow Pumpkin Spice tea bags and steep cream for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and squeeze out excess cream. Set aside to cool.
Beat cream cheese in large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy, gradually add sugar, beating well. Add the eggs one at a time and beat the mixture until it is fluffy and pale. Add the cooled cream and beat well. Stir in the pumpkin pie filling, combine well and pour the cheese mixture into prepared springform pan.
Place pan into a larger pan and fill with hot water halfway up. Bake for 60-70 minutes. Do not over bake, the middle should have a little jiggle. Refrigerate at least 3 hours to chill thoroughly.
Remove cheesecake from the pan, decorate the edge of the cheesecake with pecan halves, cut into wedges and serve with whipped cream if desired.
Ingredients:
¾ cups (180mL) boiling water
6 Bigelow®Spiced Chai Tea Bags
1½ tablespoons (22.5mL) unsweetened cocoa
2 tablespoons (30mL) sugar
2 cups (500mL) whole milk
3 cinnamon sticks
Whipping cream, optional
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: N/A
Yield: Serves 3
Instructions:
Pour boiling water over Bigelow®Spiced Chai tea bags and let steep 5 minutes. Remove tea bags, squeeze out excess tea from tea bags.
Place tea in saucepan, stir in cocoa, sugar and cook until dissolved or just until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in milk and continue to heat until mixture is thoroughly heated. Pour into cups and garnish with cinnamon sticks and whipping cream, if desired.
Top Image by rfduck via Flickr.com