Christmas is around the corner and ‘tis the season to be jolly and celebrate with your loved ones. Plan your Christmas meal with Dilmah Tea to add just the right amount of festive cheer. Here’s a carefully curated beau-tea-ful three-course Christmas meal infused with the warmth and joy of tea that is sure to delight and entertain everyone this season.  

  

APPETISER - DILMAH GINGER TEA MARINATED RED QUINOA SALAD 

Ingredients: 

Dilmah Ginger Tea Marinated Red Quinoa Salad (Vegetarian) 

• 300gm Red Quinoa 
• 900ml Water 
• 2 tbsp Ginger tea leaves 
• 45gm Carrot (brunoised, blanched) 
• 45gm Celery (brunoised, blanched) 
• 90gm Kyuri (brunoised) 
• 6 tbsp Olive oil 
• 150gm Pomelo (shredded) 
• 60gm Tomato concasse (skinned, diced) 
• 2 tbsp Coriander leaves (chopped) 
• To taste salt & pepper 

For the salad 

• 50 pcs Asparagus tips (blanched) 
• 100gm Watercress 
• 30 pcs Romaine lettuce 
• 40 pcs Sundried tomato cherry 
• 5gm Chervil (garnish) 
• Ginger tea oil 
• To taste salt & pepper 

For the dressing 

• 30gm Shallots (fine chop) 
• 100ml Sunflower oil 
• 2 tbsp Sesame oil 
• 200ml White wine vinegar 
• 3 tbsp Chamomile Tea 
• 15gm Ginger (grated) 
• 100gm Water 
• 60gm Ketchup 
• 1 tbsp Sugar 
• 2 cloves Garlic 
• To taste Black pepper (crushed) 
• To taste Salt 

For the ginger tea oil 

• 200ml Vegetable oil 
• 20gm Dilmah Ginger Tea 

 

Method and Directions: 

Dilmah Ginger Tea Marinated Red Quinoa Salad (Vegetarian) 

• Firstly, mix the quinoa, water and salt in a bowl and then steam for 45mins. 
• Blanch the carrot and celery in a smaller pot till it has softened, ice bath, and drain off the water. 
• Remove the quinoa from the fire once it is cooked and cool it down. Add in olive oil, pomelo, kyuri, coriander, carrot, tomato and celery and season if needed.  

For the salad - 

• The lettuce and vegetables should be placed in a mixing bowl and drizzled with ginger tea oil. 
• Season with salt and pepper. 

For the dressing - 

• Place the vinegar and water in a small pot and bring to the boil. Add in Dilmah’s Chamomile tea and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the flavours steep for 15 minutes while it cools. 
• Once cooled, strain the mixture with a fine sieve. In a small bowl put the tea, vinegar, salt, sugar, pepper, onion, ginger, garlic and ketchup.  
• Pour in the oil slowly and whisk until it is emulsified. 
• Once that is completed, add in all the remaining ingredients and mix well. Season if needed. 

For the ginger tea oil - 

• Place all the ingredients in a vacuum bag and seal it. 
• Use a water circulator or a combi oven to steam it at 65°C for 45 minutes. 
• Remove from the hot water bath or combi oven and place in an ice bath to cool it. 
• Once the mixture has cooled down, remove it from the bag and keep it chilled for 10 days and let the oil infuse with the tea leaf. Strain the oil before using. 
• You can plate this course by using a base of cucumber in the center of the plate and placing the salad on top. Drizzle some dressing for that extra elegant and artistic touch.  

  

MAIN COURSE - DUCK CONFIT BLUEBERRY AND CLOVE GEL 

Ingredients: 

Confit Duck 

• 6 Duck Legs 
• 2 kg Rock Salt 
• Thyme 
• Bay Leaves 
• Peppercorns 
• Orange Zest 
• Oil 
• 2l Duck Fat 

Blueberry and Clove Gel 

• 1 cup of Frozen Blueberries 
• 500ml White Chicken Stock 
• 2 teaspoons Balsamic Vinegar 
• 6g Natural Infusion of Blueberry and Clove Infusion 
• 10 cloves 
• Sea salt 
• 8g agar-agar 

Method and Directions 

For the Confit Duck - 

• Cure the duck legs in salt and mix of herbs for 6 hours.
• Rinse off the salt, the herb mix and vacuum pack (seal in a plastic bag) with oil. 
• Sous-vide at 80 degrees overnight  

For the Blueberry and Clove Gel - 

• To make the Blueberry and Clove gel place blueberries in a saucepan with all ingredients except the agar-agar. 
• Bring to boil and let simmer for 20 minutes. 
• Then strain the mixture and return to pan and reduce to 500ml, add agar-agar and cook till that has dissolved. 
• Cool over in an ice bath until it sets. Once it has set, transfer to a blender and puree until you get a smooth dressing.  
• Strain once again and keep in the fridge. 
• For plating, place two pieces of the duck confit on a plate and drizzle with the blueberry and clove gel and decorate as you wish.  

  

DESSERT - PAVLOVA 

Ingredients: 

Pavlova 

• 100g Egg White                 
• 200g Castor Sugar 
• 10g Corn Flour 
• 5g Vinegar 
• 2g Vanilla Essence 
• 10g Macadamia, chopped 
• 3g Roasted Wattleseed, ground  

Vanilla Cream 

• 250g Cream 
• 75g Mascarpone 
• 35g Icing Sugar 
• 1g Vanilla Essence 

Dilmah Vivid Natural Lemon Verbena Curd 

• 110g Lemon Juice            
• 10g Dilmah Vivid Natural Lemon Verbena 
• 140g Castor Sugar 
• 140g Eggs 
• 5g Gelatin 

Dilmah Vivid Pure Peppermint Caviar 

• 10g Dilmah Vivid Pure Peppermint, brewed in 250ml water for 5 mins 
• 50g Castor Sugar 
• 2g Algin 
• 500ml Water 
• 2.5g Calcic 

Method and Directions: 

For the Pavlova- 

• Beat the egg whites until you get soft peak meringues. Add the cornflour, vanilla essence and castor sugar mixture and whisk to a stiff peak. Add vinegar. 

• Place the mixture in a piping bag and pipe to the shapes you would like. Sprinkle the shapes with macadamia and wattleseed. 

For the Vanilla Cream - 

Whisk all the ingredients into a stiff peak and place in a piping bag and reserve in the fridge. 

For the Dilmah Vivid Natural Lemon Verbena Curd 

• Pour lemon juice into a small pan and bring to boil. Infuse with tea and strain. 
• Pour mixture over castor sugar and egg mixture. 
• Bring back to the stove until it thickens. 
• Add the soaked gelatin in to the mixture. 

For the Dilmah Vivid Pure Peppermint Caviar 

• Mix the calcic and water and refrigerate overnight. 
• Mix the castor sugar into the brewed Pure Peppermint tea and add algin while it’s warm. Cool down to 32°C. 
• Use a pipette or a syringe and drop the second mixture into the calcic mixture at room temperature. 
• Strain out the caviar in 10 seconds. 
• To plate this pipe a layer of the Lemon Verbena Curd onto the plate, then pipe the vanilla cream on top and place the pavlova and decorate with the Vivid Peppermint Caviar and fruits as desired.  

To end your sumptuous meal why not gather around for a lovely cup of Cinnamon Curry Darjeeling Tea? It is a great way to wind down for the night and relax after a filling meal.   

Ingredients: 

Cinnamon Curry 

• 25ml Dilmah Darjeeling Tea  
• 75ml Apple juice 
• 75ml Water 
• 3 inch Cinnamon Stick 
• Sprig of Curry Leaves 
• Sugar to taste 

Method and Directions: 

Cinnamon Curry 

• To make the perfect cup of tea brew 2g of Dilmah Darjeeling tea in 25 ml of hot water for 4 minutes. 
• Add the remaining ingredients of the apple juice, water and cinnamon stick into a pan and bring to boil. 
• When it starts to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 4 minutes. 
• Strain into a cup and serve for all to enjoy.