Creative Sanctuary

Cuisine

Ore: a golden pause

By Allison

spring vegetable tarteletteVisiting the Château of Versailles can make for a long day: lines, crowds, and so much sumptuous history to take in!  For sanity’s sake, why not break up the day with a calm, delectable lunch?

Located on the grounds of the Château, Chef Alain Ducasse’s ORE serves carefully prepared, high-end café fare in a light, airy setting.  Ore means mouth in Latin and also plays on the French word for gold (or).  The gold décor and sunburst tableware speak to the historic setting, and the menus correspond to the seasons.  On my last visit I ordered a perfect spring vegetable tartelette resting on a green pea purée, followed by a verbena and raspberry soufflé. Disconnected from the effervescent commotion of the Château, my friends and I enjoyed classic French cuisine graced with touches of modernity, all in a discreet, elegant setting.

At ORE, The service is attentive and efficient, the food beautifully plated and delicious.  After a quiet, relaxed lunch, you will be ready to continue your visit of the Château.

Allison’s Tips
ORE teams up with the Château of Versailles to offer breakfast or lunch followed by direct access (no lines!) to the Château and its grounds.  Reserve for breakfast + direct access (40€) or lunch + direct access (60€).  The set menus vary according to the season.

Make a reservation for breakfast (starting at 12€), lunch (starting at 16€), or afternoon tea (35€)

Make a reservation for evening dinners, offered on select dates throughout the summer

Reserve ORE for a private evening function by calling +33 1 30 84 12 97

Access:  ORE is on the second floor of the Pavillon Dufour at the Château of Versailles.  From the security checkpoint on the Place d’Armes, enter the Cour d’Honner and hang left as you approach the Cour Royal and the Pavillon Dufour.  From the gardens, follow the signs to the Cour des Princes and access the Pavillon Dufour from the Cour des Princes courtyard.

Sydney Tea Scene

By Allison

Last year in Sydney, I drank smooth, creamy flat whites, but I also found my way to the city’s welcoming, vibrant tea scene.  While coffee is more prevalent in Australia, Sydney’s tea vibe drew me in.  The city boasts a warm, diverse, and growing tea community.  In fact, the fifth annual Sydney Tea Festival will take place on August 19th.  The celebration of loose leaf tea features a market, workshops, master classes, and a tea pairing dinner.  Clearly, I’ve only begun to scratch the surface of Sydney’s tea culture.  Here I detail some of my memorable Sydney tea experiences.

The Rabbit Hole Organic Tea Bar

rabbit hole organic shop[DECEMBER 2018 NOTE:  The Rabbit Hole’s Redfern location will close after December 23, 2018, but Barangaroo location will still be open.]

Co-founders of the Sydney Tea Festival, Corrine Smith and Amara Jarrett opened The Rabbit Hole Organic Tea Bar in 2010 as a way to bring new, creative sipping options to Sydney’s tea enthusiasts.  When I stepped into the Redfern location, studious-looking people filled the tables, mugs of tea placed next to each laptop.  I also spied a handful of Instagrammers snapping shots of their colorful tea lattes.  The space was open and airy.  Thanks to the yellow accents, it felt sunny and warm.  I sampled the perfectly pink Turkish Delight Latte and then moved on to The Rabbit Hole’s other tea offerings:  Lemon Aid (lemon myrtle, lemongrass, ginger), Grey Goddess (a delicate, citrusy white tea), and Lavender Cream (Milk Oolong with vanilla and lavender petals).  The Rabbit Hole organic teas are whimsical, tasty, and thought-provoking.

rabbit hole organic tea counter

rabbit hole turkish delight tea latte

The tea bar offers a full array of hot tea, tea lattes, and tea “mocktails”, but one mustn’t overlook the tea-inspired foods on the menu:  Earl Grey infused strawberry jam, Lapsang Souchong mushrooms served on sourdough toast with hummus and basil oil, and avocado toast with preserved lemon freekeh and hazelnut dukkha.  Sweets include puffy meringues, pretty nougats, and a daily cake offering.  Each food item is listed with a suggested tea pairing.

rabbit hole organic tea customers

Redfern Tea Bar
146 Abercrombie St, Redfern NSW 2016

Barangaroo
Shop 1, 23 Barangaroo Ave
https://therabbithole.com.au/

Teahouse at White Rabbit Gallery

The White Rabbit Gallery features one of the world’s largest collections of contemporary Chinese art.  Before spending time with the art, I relaxed for an hour in the gallery’s teahouse, enjoying savory dumplings and oolong tea.  I steeped the balanced and slightly floral Ti Kwan Yin several times.  Due to jetlag, I spent most of the time gazing at the fabulous birdcage-covered ceiling, but White Rabbit’s teahouse would be the ideal place to spend a rainy day—with a book, a friend, or both!

White Rabbit
30 Balfour Street
Chippendale NSW 2008
Teahouse

white rabbit ceiling birdcages

T Totaler

ttotaler figleaf white teaT Totaler is a homegrown tea business, focusing on Australian grown teas and botanicals.  Founded in 2012, Amber and Paul Sunderland make custom tea blends for restaurants, develop tea-based “mocktails”, and teach workshops.  At their Newtown tea bar, I sampled a dazzling Teagroni, an iced White Peony tea with rose petals, and a hot Australian grown Sencha with coconut and lemon myrtle.  Each one was perfect in its own way, and the tea bar’s decor was charmingly cozy with fiddle leaf figs and apothecary jars.  Since my visit, T Totaler has opened a second location in the center of Sydney, which is now their primary location.

ttotaler apothacary

ttotaler teas

T Totaler
555a King Street
Newtown 2042 [Weekends only]

The Galeries Tea Bar
26A, Ground Floor
The Galeries, 500 George Street, 2000
T Totaler Tea

Lotus The Galeries

lotus sydney tea cocktailOne of Sydney’s favorite dumpling restaurants, Lotus The Galeries also features a range of teas.  I had the privilege and pleasure of sharing dumplings and tea cocktails with Sydney’s own teagramming sisters Neha and Smruthi.  This charming and generous sister team marries the art of tea with the art of cocktails on their teatini__ Instagram page.  Using tea from small tea companies from Australia and New Zealand, Neha and Smruthi develop tea cocktail recipes that highlight rather than mask the taste of the leaf.  Their original recipes can be found on Instagram at teatini__.

Lotus The Galeries
Shop 6, level 1, 500 George Street
Sydney, NSW 2000
http://www.lotusdining.com.au/ 

lotus sydney tea cocktails

Photo courtesy teatini__

Afternoon Tea at the Langham

Langham sydney afternoon tea 4Sydney’s innovative and cutting edge tea scene also leaves room for traditional afternoon tea that showcases high end teas and fine pastries incorporating local ingredients.  I spent a leisurely and luxurious afternoon at the Langham Sydney.  This afternoon teatime is perhaps the most perfect I’ve ever experienced—attentive service, perfectly-infused teas, delightful savories and sweets, a cozy armchair.  The pink champagne enhanced my languorous afternoon!  I was able to sample a number of teas—a subtle Orange blossom tea, a creamy black Assam, and a white tea with melon.  The scones were warm and crumbly, and other sweets were graced with an Australian touch: a hibiscus and guava tart and a cherry lamington. The savories were traditional and spot on:  a curried free range egg finger sandwich as well as a prawn, shallot and dill finger sandwich.

langham sydney afternoon tea 3

langham sydney afternoon tea 2

Langham Sydney Afternoon Tea 5

The Langham Sydney
89-113 Kent Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
http://www.langhamhotels.com/en/the-langham/sydney/dining/afternoon-tea-with-wedgwood/

Mix and Match Summer Supper

By Allison

mix and match summer supperThe delight in this spontaneous dinner is in its mix and match nature:  a 15-minute meal built on little floral plates, purchased in flea markets and antique shops; an assembly of vegetables, herbs and cheese that I had on hand.  No fiddling, no stirring, no oven!  It was the happiest, most delicious meal I ate all week.

The key to an easy dinner is to keep a few basics on hand:  fresh herbs and seasonal produce are essential.  A block of feta also comes in handy.

Here’s a strategy to have dinner ready in 15 minutes:

Fresh Herbs
Snip a few herbs.  I used sage, sweet basil, and purple basil.  Chives, mint, and thyme would also be lovely.

Feta Bites
Cut feta into ½ inch cubes.  Anticipate about four cubes per person.  Wrap each cube in a strip of prosciutto or Serrano ham.  Garnish with small sage leaves and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.  Finish with a few grinds of fresh, black pepper.  Set aside.

Tomato Salad
Slice one fresh, medium-sized tomato for each person—a bread knife works well here.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with fleur de sel.  Garnish with basil leaves. Set aside

While you let these two dishes rest, set the table.

Green Salad
Wash and dry lettuce leaves.  I had spring mix on hand, but romaine, red leaf, or green leaf would all work just as well.  Arrange on the plate and top with sliced vegetables.  I opted for radishes and sweet peppers.  I added a few sunflower seeds for crunch.  I drizzled a little vinaigrette just before serving.  If you don’t have any vinaigrette ready, you can use extra virgin olive oil and a little fleur de sel.

This is the easiest of dinners, but it’s feasible only if you have a stocked kitchen kitchen:  vegetables, herbs, and cheese. Bon appétit!

 

Inspirations

Maximizing summer herbs

Extended apéritif

Happy Office Lunches all Week

Tea Canvas

By Allison

iced tea garnishesSometimes I fantasize about being a cocktail maven.  A dainty antique cabinet would hold my liqueurs and artisanal bitters.  I would shake and stir highballs, sours, and eye-pleasing botanical libations.  If you were a guest in my home, I’d serve you the perfect cocktail in the perfect cocktail glass.

Sadly, I am not that hostess.  As much as I like the idea of cocktails, I usually find them to be too sweet, too expensive, and too alcohol-heavy.  Although I do make the occasional Aperol Spritz, I am usually happiest serving and sipping rosé.

Since the arrival of hot weather, my impulse to decorate drinks has been strong.  I accept that cocktails aren’t my thing, so I’ve turned to iced tea.  I make a cold infusion with this iced tea blend from the Nilgiri region of India.  My iced tea is smooth, crisp, and clear.  It is a refreshing canvas for my summertime decorations—sweet mint, cucumber, Thai basil, blueberries, strawberries, lemons…  These days, my iced teas are juicy and complex.   My culinary imagination blossoms as I slice, infuse, and taste.  My berry forward iced teas are buoyant and lush.  Basil and lemon give the teas a bite.  When I allow them to rest in the fridge for a few hours or even a few days, they develop depth.

Although I can’t garner much enthusiasm for Old Fashioneds or Mint Juleps, stunning teas and seasonal garnishes serve as my creative tools of experimentation.  I brew, smell, sample, and tinker.  Eventually, I achieve a drink that captures the moment–a modest, ephemeral taste of summer.

 

Inspirations

My Sparkling Apple Spice Tea Cocktail

Elmwood Inn Fine Teas’ Kentucky Tea Julep

The Tea Squirrel’s Summer Tea Mocktail

 

Ginger Water

By Allison

I can easily drink tea all day long, but I like to have some caffeine-free sipping options on hand as well—sparkling water, a chamomile infusion, or ginger water.  Ginger water is new in my kitchen.  I make it by the liter and drink it at room temperature—plain or with a squeeze of lemon juice.  A splash of sparkling water is nice.  For a little sweetness, you could stir in a tablespoon or two of honey before the water cools.

So why ginger water?  It is tasty yet gentle, and I find it to be simultaneously soothing and revitalizing.  I rehydrate with a glass first thing in the morning, and I often have another in the afternoon.  Drinking ginger water helps me to feel healthy, but if it weren’t delicious, I wouldn’t drink it.  It’s my no-sugar ginger lemonade.

 

Inspirations

The Chopra Institute lays out the benefits of ginger here.

If you’re craving something sweeter, I recommend Chocolate and Zucchini’s recipe for ginger lemonade.

 

Ginger Water

Created by on May 5, 2018

More than a recipe, this is a method.  Use a little less or a little more ginger, more or less water.  You could also boil the water and ginger on the stove top for a stronger ginger flavor.  I leave the pitcher of ginger water on the counter during the day and put it in...

Ingredients

  • 3 inch piece of ginger
  • 1 L filtered water

Instructions

  1. Peel ginger with the back of a spoon
  2. Slice ginger and place in large bowl
  3. Bring water to a boil, and pour over ginger
  4. Steep until water has cooled to room temperature, about 45 minutes
  5. Strain through a sieve and pour into pitcher
  6. Drink at room temperature or chilled. Ginger flavor is more pronounced when water is at room temperature.

Sharing Soup, Sharing Stories

By Allison

When it came to throwing a party, my Grandma Rose Mary was a pro.  While I was lost in a mass of aunts, uncles, and cousins, she was making the party happen.  Her presence was strong yet subtle.  Her gatherings taught me to value my extended family.

As a child and then a young adult, I got to know Grandma in more intimate settings.  We shared dozens of lunches over the course of many years.  During these meals, I learned about her.  She and I had attended the same elementary school, and so I loved her stories about the nuns, about early morning music lessons, and about the time she won a radio at field day. As I got older, she told me about her travels to India, Afghanistan, and other places I will probably never see.

Sometimes we dined at the Younkers Tea Room, and sometimes we shared soup in her kitchen.  I still see myself in that farm kitchen, seated on a bench against the wall…  asking lots of questions, drawing her out, and seeing the stories flow into one another.  Once, when I was learning to cook, she passed on a few of her favorite soup recipes.  I love her soups and I love that her handwriting is mixed in my messy recipe files.

Grandma Rose Mary’s Ground Beef Soup with Rosie Stars is a winter standard in my home.  Over the years, I have adapted it to my tastes.  Although it comes together quickly, it has smooth, rich flavors.  Tomato juice and Italian parsley lend it brightness.  Shredded cabbage makes it mellow.  Ground beef and pasta give it heft.  I make this soup on Sunday and eat it throughout the week, thinning it with water as needed.

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Savory Valentine Biscuits

By Allison

savory valentine biscuitHeart-shaped cookies abound!  In the spirit of the season, I developed a savory cut out cracker recipe for a Valentine aperitif.  Since I forego frosting and sprinkles, this treat is relatively low maintenance.

My heart biscuits contain a few ingredients, two of which stand out:  Parmesan cheese and Piment d’Espelette.  Piment d’Espelette is a sweet, flavorful red pepper grown in a Basque village called Espelette.  I bought mine in France, but it’s available dried and ground in specialty markets and online.  I use it anywhere I’d use black pepper—in vinaigrettes, on roasted vegetables, and sprinkled on soup.  It’s a little deeper and sweeter than black pepper.  And it’s so pretty.  The subtle, red pepper flakes make my rustic crackers worthy of Valentine’s Day.

If you don’t have Piment d’Espelette in your spice drawer, I suggest using ground pink peppercorns.  They lend a deep pink-purple hue to the crackers and taste just as delicious.

What should you sip with your heart biscuits?  Something bubbly: Champagne, Prosecco, a white beer, or sparkling water with a twist of lime.  Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Snowy Day Breakfast Salad

By Allison

snowy day breakfast saladHere at the hermitage, in deep snow, everything is ordinary and silent.
—Thomas Merton, 1963

Last week, snow slowed me down.  After many busy weeks, I welcomed a few quiet, snowy mornings.  I moved slowly and intentionally.  Minutes and hours seemed to expand.  These mornings were ordinary and uneventful.  I gave more time to waking up and more time to breakfast.

My “breakfast salad” is so simple that it doesn’t require a recipe.  But it does have a few components and is not for busy work mornings.

Here’s how to pull it together:

“Jammy” Eggs

Bring saucepan of water to a gentle boil.  As water is coming up to temperature, prepare an ice water bath in a large bowl.  Place on counter, next to burner.  Once water boils, use a large spoon to ease eggs into the bowl, one by one.  Boil gently, for 6.5 minutes.  (7 minutes if you want a more solid yolk.)  Use spoon to move eggs from saucepan to ice water bath, to stop cooking.  When they’re cool enough to handle, remove peels under running water.  Set peeled eggs aside.

Bread

Prepare toast and set aside.  I made pita toast last week.  Use whatever bread you have on hand.  No need for butter.

Salad

Chop English cucumber, tomatoes, and radishes in to bite-sized pieces.  Place in a small bowl.  Toss with a little extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.  If you don’t mind onion in the morning, add a little red or green onion.  Set aside.

Yogurt Base

For each serving, scoop 3-4 generous tablespoons of whole milk or Greek yogurt into another small bowl.  Squeeze juice of ½ lemon into yogurt, more if you’re preparing multiple servings.  Add a pinch of salt and stir.  Spread onto breakfast plate(s).  Set aside.

Assembly

Gently place salad on yogurt.  Slice eggs(s) the long way and nestle into the yogurt.  Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil, squeeze a little lemon juice, and sprinkle with salt and pepper (Piment d’Espelette, if you have it.)  Serve with toast.

Revel in your slow morning.

Hygge for One

By Allison

Although there is much to be done in the coming days, I am taking a hygge day—choral Christmas music, ginger spice candle, fuzzy clothes, baking,and tea…

I realize that community is central to the Danish practice of hygge—coziness, togetherness, sharing, and reciprocity…  board games, comfort food, and mulled wine…

Seeing that my near future holds an abundance of family time, I am content to build a solo hygge experience right now.  Let’s hope that this cozy “me time” helps me to refrain from snapping at my family next week.  (Who are we kidding?  I will be short with them!)

Later today, I will prepare a savory pork roast.  I will roast vegetables.  I will sip lush red wine.  I will listen to podcasts, and I will write in my journal.  Maybe I will Netflix and chill.

But for now, I am indulging in freshly baked cookies:  David Lebovitz’s Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies.  They’re earthy, sweet and robust.  I pair them with an appropriately cold-weather tea—Nilgiri Frost Oolong.  This rare tea—from India—develops its intense fruitiness during chilly winter months.  Its assertiveness stands up to the chocolate, buckwheat and walnut.  This cookie-tea pair is quintessential winter fare.

My solitary hygge day is not lonely—I deliver Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies to a baker friend, I chat with my stylist about her holiday plans, and I text a sleepy friend in Europe.  My hygge mindset weaves a web of meaningful togetherness that will gently carry me into the chaos of the coming weeks.

 

Inspirations

The New York Times on Hygge

The New Yorker on Hygge

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Rooibos Season

By Allison

My former student and friend Maggie Heine of Louisville, Kentucky kindly agreed to contribute to Creative Sanctuary this month.   Her thoughtful piece celebrates autumn, rooibos, and wanderlust.  Thank you, sweet Maggie!

If you ever find yourself in southernmost South Africa, pay attention to its strange, shrubby fields. You may happen to see an odd little plant with needle-like leaves, covered with tiny golden flowers. Aspalathus linearis. You won’t find this bush, somewhat unremarkable at first glance, growing anywhere else in the world—farmers ranging from China to the U.S. have tried to harvest it in their home countries and failed. That’s because of the wonderfully strange ecology of South Africa’s Cape region: our planet is composed of six floristic kingdoms, or geographic areas with relatively similar plant species. If you’re reading this, chances are that you’re in the gigantic Holarctic kingdom, which comprises the vast majority of North America, Europe, and Asia. The Cape kingdom, on the other hand, is miniscule, containing only the very southernmost tip of the African continent. Despite its small size, it’s extraordinarily rich, and the majority of plants that call this kingdom home can only be found in that dot on the tip of South Africa.

The entire area is beautiful beyond comprehension, nearly extraterrestrial with its mountains that jut up against the sea, its preponderance of baboons and ostriches, its wide blue skies that become enveloped in clouds in an instant. Now that fall has finally arrived, I find myself thinking about that remote speck and all of its ecological strangeness regularly. I’ve been to South Africa twice, once in the southern hemisphere’s winter, and once in its early spring. During these trips, about six weeks in total, I was rarely without a cup of tea clasped between my hands. This brings us back to Aspalathus linearis, or as it’s commonly known, rooibos. When its leaves are plucked, dried, and steeped, they create an infusion that’s smooth, nutty, and the slightest bit sweet. It’s sold en masse in South Africa like we sell our Lipton green tea—clearly, it’s nothing fancy,  but it’s my constant companion when the weather turns chilly. I love the drink for its flavor, but it’s also more than that. For me, rooibos is the feeling of bundling up at daybreak to search for zebras and lions from an open-sided Jeep; it’s looking out over the expanse of the ocean from 4,000 feet up a mountainside; it’s falling asleep to the sound of rain on an old tin roof. It’s South Africa, in all its botanically bizarre wonder.