WOOD-FIRED LONDON FOG WITH MASON JAR VANILLA CREAM

LONDON FOG TEA

You can make this tea on your next camp trip or at your backyard campfire. We love to use the top of our wood-burning stove to boil water for tea with our morning fires. Of course you can just put a tea pot of water on the stove and give it a boil but if you're able to enjoy the healing properties of a real fire do it! And make this soothing tea to keep you company. You can serve this tea with some shortbread cookies for a light dessert around the campfire. Or with biscotti for a sweet breakfast treat. Get everyone involved in shaking up the Mason Jar Vanilla Cream, by passing it around the campfire. It won't take long, so remember to listen to the cream as you shake it up. Over shaking it will turn the cream to butter.

YOU'LL NEED:

Per cup of tea you make:

8 oz of filtered water

1 1/2 tablespoons of loose leaf Earl Grey Black Tea

1/4 cup Vanilla Cream (recipe below)

pinch of dried lavender

HOW TO: 

1. Bring water to a boil over a campfire, on your wood-burning stove in your home or even just a regular burner.

2. Once boiling remove from hear and pour water over  1 1/2 tablespoon of tea, allow to steep 3-5 minutes.

3. Strain tea or remove tea bag.

4. Top with a large spoonful of vanilla cream and sprinkle with some dried lavender. 

VANILLA SUGAR

As you use the vanilla sugar, replace it with more plain sugar and give it a stir. It will keep permeating the new sugar you add for quite a while. You can use vanilla sugar in your coffee, tea, on some berries you cook up that are starting to go squishy, which you can then serve over ice cream or a biscuit with cream. Really anytime you feel you'd like to add a little vanilla flavor when you would just add plain sugar.  

YOU'LL NEED:

2 Cups of evaporated cane juice

1 Vanilla Bean

HOW TO:

1. Pour sugar into jar with lid.

2. Cut vanilla bean down the center, scrape out seeds with the tip of your knife. 

3. Put all of the vanilla seeds into the sugar and stir until mixed well, use your clean fingers to break up any seed clumps.

4. Place scraped vanilla bean in sugar & put a lid on the jar.

MASON JAR VANILLA CREAM

Makes enough cream for 4-6 teas depending how much cream topping you like. Listen to the cream as you give it a shake. The cream will move around less as it thickens. This will help you judge the cream is thick enough.

YOU'LL NEED:

8 oz of heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoon vanilla sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

HOW TO:

1. Place all ingredients in jar with a tight fitted lid.

2. Give it a shake until it thickens to soft cream. 

TIP: Don't overshake the cream or you'll end up with butter.