Celebrate Easter with Recipes from Bigelow!

Easter is here already, with an early jump on the Calendar for April 12th. And along with Easter comes family fun, painted Easter Eggs, chocolate bunnies, and the traditional Egg Roll, including the famous White House Easter Egg Hunt. The White House Easter Egg Roll dates back to 1878, and is designed to encourage children and their families to come outdoors and celebrate the start of the spring season.

Bigelow Tea also wants you to enjoy the new spring season too, and if you are entertaining a large extended family gathering for this Easter, or just having a quiet dinner with your immediate family and friends, we have a couple great suggestions for a festive dinner. Make Bigelow Tea a part of the celebration feast with this outstanding recipe; pairing the traditional Rack of Lamb with our own Plantation Mint® Tea Sauce.

A delicious traditional meal with a striking Bigelow Tea twist. And once you look over this grand entrée, check out this equally grand dessert idea that everyone will love from Bigelow Tea — Constant Comment® Spice Cake. The best of the season to all from Bigelow Tea!

Rack of Lamb with Plantation Mint® Tea Sauce

Ingredients for the sauce:
1 cup canned beef broth
6 Bigelow Plantation Mint Tea bags
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter, unsalted, at room temperature
Ingredients for the racks of lamb
2 racks of lamb (about 1- ½ pounds each), frenched*
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 small clove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Yield: 2 racks of lamb

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Brush racks of lamb with oil and place them meat-side down in a heavy, low baking dish.
Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the bread crumbs, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Turn the racks of lamb over, brush with mustard, and then apply the crumb mixture with a cupping motion. Drizzle the melted butter over the crumbs and return to the oven for another 10-12 minutes for medium-rare.
Prepare the Bigelow Plantation Mint Tea Sauce while waiting for the lamb to cook. –
Remove the rack of lamb from the oven, let stand for 3-4 minutes, then slice chops. —
Serve a generous spoonful of sauce over each chop.

Method for the sauce:
In a small saucepan, bring beef stock to a boil.
Turn off the heat. Add the teabags and steep for 10 minutes, making sure they are all submerged. Remove the teabags to a small strainer and using the back of a spoon, press as much liquid as possible back into the pan.
Stir in the honey and return to a boil, stirring until the honey is incorporated.
In a small custard cup, combine the flour and butter into a smooth paste, using a fork. –
Just before serving, bring the liquid to a boil.
Turn off heat, add the butter/flour mixture, bit by bit, and whisk until it is incorporated and the sauce thickened.

Constant Comment® Spice Cake

Ingredients:
½ cup milk
5 Bigelow “Constant Comment”® Tea Bags
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1-2/3 cups flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Confectioners sugar

Yield: Yields one 9” round cake.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 9″ round cake pan
Combine milk and tea bags in a small saucepan. Heat over medium/low heat until bubbles form around the edge, stirring occasionally. (DO NOT BOIL.)
Remove from heat and let cool (15-20 minutes); remove tea bags squeezing out liquid. — Set aside.
In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth.
Add the eggs and whisk to blend. Add the cooled milk; continue to whisk until thoroughly combined.
Add flour and baking powder; mix until a smooth batter forms.
Pour batter into pan. Bake approximately 35 minutes, or until center of cake springs back when touched. Cool on wire rack before removing from pan.
Let cool completely before serving. Dust top with confectioner’s sugar.