|
Southerners swear by their traditional sweet ice tea and drink it by
the
gallons. In the South, ice tea is not just a summertime drink,
it is served
year round with most meals. When people order tea
in a Southern restaurant,
chances are they will get sweet ice tea.
Andra Cook, a friend and co-author of my first cookbook,
makes delicious sweet tea using a sugar substitute in place of some
of the
sugar. You will definitely love this sweet tea!
Check out Linda Stradley's
History of Ice Tea and Sweet Tea.
Check out more of Linda's
Beverage Recipes
Andra's
Sweet Tea
5 cups water, divided
2 regular-size tea bags
Pinch baking soda
2 (1 grain each) Saccharin tablets*
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups cold water
Ice cubes
* A white crystalline powder
having a taste about 500 times sweeter than cane sugar, used as a
calorie-free sweetener.
Bring 3 cups water to a boil; remove from heat. Add tea bags and baking
soda; let steep 1 minute and then remove tea bags. Add remaining 2 cups
water.
In a large pitcher, add saccharin tablets and sugar. Add warm tea and
stir. Add additional 3 cups cold water and stir until well mixed. Cool and
serve in tall glasses over ice.
Yields 1/2 gallon.
|
Secrets To Making Clear Tea
When tea steeps, tannins (the natural compounds that color tea
leaves) are released into the boiling water. The heat helps
dissolve them, and the brew is clear enough to see
through. Refrigeration can cause tannins to separate out again,
turning the tea murky. Generally, higher-quality tea contains
more tannins (because it is richer in solids) and is more likely
to become cloudy.
-
Hard water
can also make your iced tea cloudy. Also the minerals in
your water could be causing the cloudiness. Try using
bottled or filtered water and let the tea stand at room
temperature for an hour after steeping.
-
Do not use
cold water (use room temperature water).
-
Do not add
ice to hot tea, only add the ice cubes to your drinking
glass and then pour the tea over the ice cubes.
-
Do not put
it straight into the refrigerator after it's made. Let it
cool at room temperature first. THEN put it in the fridge.
Cooling too fast makes the tannin settle out, causing cloudy
tea.
-
If the tea
turns murky in the refrigerator, add a cup of boiling water
to one quart of tea - it should clear up the cloudiness.
Remember, it will also dilute the tea, so add less ice.
|
|