Cheese Monster and Tea

If Mr. P truly is the cheese monster you say he is -- then sharing with you the perfect accompaniment to most of his cheese fixes.

We've all tried pairing membrillo, quince or even fig with our cheeses, at one point or another right? But black tea??? Who would have thought it would go just perfectly?

In one of the local coop's here in the city, I discovered this bottled preserve that hails all the way from Wisconsin. The jams are carefully handcrafted by a couple passionate about creating perfect artisan preserves. Sounds super fancy I know, but what I find, is that this recipe is fairly easy to make.

If you ever find the time to make your own preserves, just by substituting the liquid component of the recipe to a potent brew of your favorite tea you'll end up with this sophisticated blend of flavours. 

I actually haven't tried altering this recipe to include tea in it just yet... but maybe Mr. P might beat us to it.

My Version of Fig and Tea 

Ingredients

• 16 cups fresh figs
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 12 cups of strong boiling earl grey tea  (I would think something like Earl Grey will works best)
• 8 cups white sugar
• 4 cups water
• 1 lemon, sliced

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl place figs and sprinkle with baking soda. Pour the boiling water over the figs and soak for 1 hour.
2. Drain figs and rinse thoroughly with cold water. In a large Dutch oven combine the sugar and the 4 cups of water; bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Add the figs and lemon slices to the syrup in the Dutch oven and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
4. Spoon figs into hot, sterilized jars and spoon syrup over figs, leaving 1/2 inch of head space. Top jars with lids and screw bands on tightly. Process for 10 minutes in a hot water bath.