Chai Tea

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends!

Fall is all about comforts.

Like curling up in a blanket with a warm cup of tea and a good book.

I think I can say that it finally feels like fall now. You know those big dark clouds that blow over with a deluge of rain and then move off to let the sun come out, only to let another round blow in. Yeah, that's how you know it's fall around here. Not to mention the big gusty cold winds. It is certainly sweater weather. And let's not forget the pumpkins, squash and fall mums taking over at the market.

That's why I whipped up my own batch of chai tea.

There are fewer things more warming than a brewed cup of chai tea that's been made with freshly toasted spices. If you want to make your home smell like fall this will definitely do the trick. Homemade bags of chai tea make a great holiday gift too.

I know it's not Christmas but the pink peppercorns in this add a bit of holiday colour. These will add some heat so if that's not your "cup of tea" (couldn't resist) then cut back on them. They really are pretty though. Cardamom has a unique taste and is intensely aromatic. You want to get the green cardamom pods. It comes from Malaysia and works better in sweet recipes than it's black counterpart, which comes from Asia & Australia and is much stronger and smokey flavoured. Black cardamom is used often in garam masala to make curries. Make sure you buy the pods instead of ground cardamom. Ground will lose it's flavour and aroma quite quickly.

Sometimes you'll find fennel seeds in a well made rye bread. They have an intense anise-flavour. It has a taste and smell that is licorice-like, but is sweeter and less intense.

I think one of the things I'm most forward to this fall is soups, homemade bread and roasted delicata squash. If you haven't tried this squash before you'll be in for a treat. Before I get all caught up lets get to that recipe for homemade chai tea!

Chai Tea (makes 12 teabags)

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Ingredients:

• 16 green cardamom pods
• 1/4-1/2 tsp pink peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp whole cloves
• 1 Tbsp fennel seeds
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 Tbsp candied ginger, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup loose leaf black tea (I used Scottish breakfast - it goes wonderfully with milk)

Directions:

1. Pre heat oven to 325*F.
2. With a small sharp paring knife, split the cardamom pods in half, and remove the seeds. Combine with next 4 ingredients, through to cinnamon, and place on a baking sheet. Gently toast the spices in the oven for four minutes until fragrant. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes.
3. Using a mortar and pestle (or rolling pin), crush the spices together. Make sure you snap the cinnamon stick into a few smaller pieces first.
4. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the crushed spices, candied ginger and tea.
5. Viola! You now have a lovely chai tea. You can store this in a container. If you use a glass jar, make sure you keep it in a dark area as all teas and coffee should be kept from light for best quality.

Feel free to adjust any of the spices to your taste and liking. Tea and coffee is quite a personal thing.

Be on the lookout for some chai tea lattes on the blog and have a wonderful thanksgiving weekend!

P.S. I smell pie!

I'm making apple and pumpkin from scratch as well as the pastry for Thanksgiving dinner!