Pairing Tea and Food — Pomegranate Vanilla Scones and Sencha Tea

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This cook’s goal isn’t necessarily to come up with recipes that go with tea, but she often does just that. I have picked a baker’s dozen (13) of her recipes that seem especially appropriate for your tea time, and each month I’ll be selecting one of these recipes and pairing it with one tea. Some pairings will appear to be fairly traditional, while others will be a bit offbeat. All I can say is that, after reading my take on these, you might want to try out her recipe with some of the tea named and assess the pairing for yourself.

The recipe: Pomegranate Vanilla Scones with Pomegranate Whipped Cream

Pomegranate Vanilla Scones with Pomegranate Whipped Cream

Your first reaction here might be “Oh, gee, another scone recipe,” but you must trust me here — these are not your grandma’s scones. Inspired by a bottle of PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur and a jar of Singing Dog Vanilla Bean Paste lurking in her pantry, this cook was inspired to create scones beyond not only the mediocre but beyond the scone stratosphere. Then, she took it a step further with a pomegranate whipped cream topping.

Hopefully, you can now see that these are no run-of-the-mill scones. Pairing them with just the right tea is, therefore, essential.

The tea: Japanese Sencha

Japanese Sencha

A number of teas came to mind, mainly ones more typical of a British tea time where scones are traditionally served. Scottish Breakfast, a blend of orthodox Assam and Keemun, is always a fave with hubby and me, since it takes milk well and goes great with just about any baked item. Straight CTC Assam was another option, with its malty goodness made better with milk and sweetener. A black Ceylon tea was also considered, with its raisiny quality mingling with the toasty qualities of typical tea time treats. Then it hit me: black tea is too expected here, too typical. Such a unique recipe calls for a unique pairing with tea. Time to think “green” — Japanese sencha green, that is. Light, smooth, and a touch grassy. Just the thing to go with these wonderful scones and, since sencha is more of a sipper than a gulper tea, you will probably end up slowing down when you eat the scones, too. That will spread out your tea time and make it more enjoyable.

Hope this works for you. Feel free to comment here with your experience, and watch for the next pairing to be posted in May.

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