Dried fruit in spiced tea is a real flavor booster
Dried fruit is a dependable pantry staple for breakfasts, desserts, and even main dishes. However, it can be pretty boring on its own. To really pump up the flavor and plump up the texture, I like to reconstitute dried fruit in a very warm, strong tea with whole spices. This Tip ‘n’ Trick was applied to my Spiced Apricot and Golden Raisin Oatmeal. This recipe uses a peach and ginger black tea to enhance the natural apricot flavor. Shards of a cinnamon stick and a star anise pod further complement the golden raisins, infusing them with warm spice. The combination of the tea and spices with the natural juices of the reconstituted fruit is marvelous!
Please save the liquid!
As a matter of fact, the natural juices that are extracted from the reconstituted fruit are vital to making your recipe shine. I recommend saving the liquid and turning it into a syrup by adding a sweet element, like honey, maple, or sugar. Cook the liquid to reduce it by half and you will have a gorgeous light syrup. This type of syrup is lovely in oatmeal (obviously, lol), perfect to pair with white meats, and even nice sweetener for beverages. If you are looking for a thicker syrup for drizzling over pancakes and waffles, just add more sugar so that the liquid thickens even more when reduced.
Create your own dried fruit, tea, and spice trio
As mentioned in my Spiced Apricot and Golden Raisin Oatmeal post, I encourage you to choose whatever dried fruit, tea and whole spice combinations you want. For example:
- Chai tea with dates, figs, honey, and a pinch of five-spice
- Raspberry tea with peaches, strawberries, a spoonful of preserves, and cinnamon
- Blackberry tea with raisins, prunes, a pinch of allspice, and vanilla
- Citrus spice tea with mango, pineapple, coconut milk, and shaved toasted coconut
This is an easy tip that allows you to explore a variety of flavor profiles. Have fun with it!
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