Which Expedition can we tempt you with?
Expedition Sour, Expedition Chocolate Truffles or Expedition Infused Poached Pears?
Over the last few years, we’ve tasked our good friend and star chef Peter Gordon to inspire us by creating some easy-to-make recipes for the festive season using our invigorating and replenishing EXPEDITION TEA.
Over the last few years, we’ve tasked our good friend and star chef Peter Gordon to inspire us by creating some easy-to-make recipes for the festive season using our invigorating and replenishing EXPEDITION TEA.
Known for his unique approach to mixing the most exotic ingredients from around the world to deliver his delicious fusion cuisine, the talented Mr Gordon created cocktails and yummy desserts, which recipes we share here for you to impress friends and family, effortlessly!
AN ADVENTUROUS TAKE ON TWO CLASSICS:
EXPEDITION SPRITZ AND EXPEDITION SOUR
“I wanted to create two cocktails that really tasted of the Expedition tea blend’s aromatic herbs – rooibos, honey bush and liquorice. Baobab adds no discernible flavour when cold-brewed like this but its antioxidants add goodness to the mix. I steeped mine for 2 days, but if you’re in a hurry you could use it after just one. Because these cocktails were really good, I’m now going to make 7 times the recipe (350ml of each spirit) which I’ll strain after two days and store in an empty gin bottle.
Expedition Spirit — alcohol base for two cocktails
Ingredients:
3 tsp loose Expedition tea or 2 opened teabags
50ml gin
50ml vodka
1 tsp raw sugar (or other sweetener e.g.: honey, maple syrup, agave)
Method:
Place everything in a jar, place the lid on top and shake. Leave the liquid at room temperature for two days. Gently shake a few times each day. Strain before using.
EXPEDITION SPRITZ - light and fruity
Ingredients (makes one cocktail):
50ml Expedition Spirit
6 thin slices lime
A handful of ice
125ml apple juice – I juiced 1½ apples, choose ones that aren’t too sweet nor too sour or use a commercial juice
Sparkling water
Method:
Use a highball glass.
Tuck ice cubes and lime slices into your glass to ¾ fill it.
Pour in Expedition Spirit then the apple juice, gently swirl around making sure lime slices are visible.
Top with sparkling water.
EXPEDITION SOUR - rich, sour and boozy
Ingredients (makes one cocktail):
50ml Expedition Spirit
25ml ginger syrup (we make our own at The Providores by juicing fresh ginger and simmering with water and golden caster sugar, but you can also buy some lovely ginger syrups)
20ml lemon or lime juice
1 egg white (adds texture to the cocktail)
A small handful ice cubes
Method:
Use a chilled martini glass.
Place everything in a cocktail shaker (or a jar with a tight-fitting lid) and shake vigorously – you want to whip some air into the egg white.
Pour into a chilled martini glass.
EXPEDITION TEA INFUSED CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES
Ingredients to make around 25 of these deliciously simple chocolate truffles:
4 teaspoons of Dr Jackson’s Expedition Tea, or the contents from 2 Expedition teabags
250g double cream
25g unsalted butter
200g dark chocolate (65 – 80 %), chopped - if the pieces are too large, the chocolate may not melt and remain lumpy
4 tablespoons cocoa powder for rolling
Method:
Place the Expedition Tea and cream into a small saucepan and slowly bring to a simmer, gently stirring as it warms up.
Put a lid on, turn the heat off and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.
Bring back to a simmer, then add the butter and stir until it has melted.
Have the chocolate in a clean heat-proof bowl.
Strain the hot cream over the chocolate and gently stir until the mixture becomes smooth and all the chocolate has melted.
Leave to cool at room temperature for 15 minutes, then cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours to firm up.
Scatter the cocoa on a large plate or tray.
Use a teaspoon to scoop out the mixture at whichever size you like.Using both hands (and you might want to wear gloves) roll the pieces into balls (they don’t have to be perfectly round) and then roll these balls in the cocoa powder to coat evenly. You can do this in 4 or 5 batches.
Store in the fridge in a single layer in an airtight container.
Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before serving so they soften up a little. If the cocoa has become patchy on them, simply re-roll in extra cocoa powder.
These wonderful chocolate truffles are great to have with a strong coffee after lunch or served after dinner as a caffeine-free treat.
EXPEDITION POACHED PEARS
Poached pears are lovely thinly sliced and mixed into leafy salads with crumbled blue cheese or feta, toasted pumpkin seeds, a good splash of extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. Cut them into chunks and add to porridge or a chia breakfast bowl, or serve them as dessert with a dollop of vanilla yoghurt or ice cream.
You can also add a handful or blueberries or blackberries to the poaching liquid in its last 5 minutes of cooking to add a lovely hue to the pears. Once the pears are eaten, you can use their poaching liquor to cook one more batch of fruit or use the liquid in smoothies or freeze in ice-cube trays for use in other drinks.
Ingredients:
3-4 ripe pears
2 Dr Jackson’s Expedition teabags
150g honey (or agave syrup)
20g fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
Method:
Place the teabags, honey and ginger to a wide pan large enough to hold the pears and add 1 litre of water.
Slowly bring to a simmer. Simmer with a lid on for 8 minutes.
Remove the teabags and discard.
Peel the pears. Cut them in half lengthways, remove the seeds and core (use a small teaspoon) and add the pear halves to the liquid.
The pears need to be just submerged in the liquid – add extra water if needed.
The pears need to be just submerged in the liquid – add extra water if needed.
Bring back to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Lay a paper cartouche (*) on top of the pears, put a lid on and cook for 30 minutes.
Turn the heat off and leave the pears to cool in the liquid – although you can eat them hot.
Store the pears in their liquid in the fridge, covered, for up to 5 days.
Store the pears in their liquid in the fridge, covered, for up to 5 days.
* A cartouche is a piece of baking parchment cut a little larger than the size of the lid of the pot. Lay the lid on top of a piece of baking parchment and mark it with a blunt pencil or satay stick – you don’t want to eat pencil lead. Use scissors to cut it out 1cm wider than you’ve marked. Fold it in half and then half again. Cut the point of the paper out, 1/2cm in, and unfold. You will now have a round piece of paper with a small hole in the middle. This is a cartouche.
Recipes and imagery: @chefpetergordon