In preparation for my live cooking demo next week, held by the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada and hosted by the stupendous Shabnam Weber, here are some soggy oats.
Kidding, of course. Soft and slightly custardy, actually, this recipe is healthy and full of things Canadians grow or consume a lot. We grow oats and blueberries and when we drink tea, we often have Earl Grey. It is the most popular scented black tea in Canada, second in popularity to plain breakfast tea. Bergamot is an enticing scent, and makes a lovely addition to baked goods as well as tea leaves. But here, we shall have both, and it will be delightful.
I have used microground tea here, as I did in my Really, Really Strong Earl Grey Simple Syrup. Cooking with tea often involves steeping and cooling, which is more work than you want for overnight oats. Sometimes it involves chewing actual tea leaves, which I’m not against at all, but might be a bit much at breakfast time. I’m so enamoured with the ease of microground tea and its smooth appearance in baked goods, as well as its intensity. Microground tea can be used as you would instant coffee, although in general it’s a much nicer product.
To learn more about why microground tea is such a versatile and flavourful ingredient, and how easy it is to use, please check my article on the topic.
Tea sommeliers are quick to point out with matcha comes increased antioxidants, because the whole leaf is consumed, rather than just drinking an infusion. You’re eating it, really. Well, same thing with microground tea. And it, too, has health benefits. They are not lesser than matcha’s benefits, just different and not as well studied. Instead of the high amounts of EGCG, a flavonoid found in green tea, microground black tea has thearubigens and theaflavins, as well as amino acids, phenolic acids, and methylxanthines, all of which are terribly good for you. Don’t ask me why, look it up for yourself.
I’v added a lot of chia both for the texture and also because they are good for you. If you want to add sunflower seeds or nuts of some kind, you can soak them overnight to make them easier to digest, or add them on top for crunch.
Fresh blueberries are lovely in season, but thawed from frozen is great, too. You can spoon blueberries artfully on top, or you can mix them throughout, but you will be changing the colour. However, the oats are grey to start, so pick your palette, and enjoy. I don’t find the juices overwhelm the Earl Grey flavour, but I do prefer them as a last minute addition.
Please join me next week on March 25th at noon for a more detailed conversation about the glory of cooking and baking with microground tea. More info to come!
Ingredients
- ½ cup full fat plain yoghurt
- 1 cup milk, water or cold tea
- ½ cup large flake oats not steel cut and not instant
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (or honey) (or to taste)
- ¾ tsp Earl Grey microground tea (also known as superfine latte powder)
- fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed
Instructions
- Stir everything together and let it sit overnight in the fridge. Make sure to stir well to thoroughly dissolve the tea powder.
- In the morning, give it all another stir before serving up individual portions. If you want it to be a little looser, stir in more liquid, a little at a time.
- If you want to add protein powder, do it at the time of serving. Letting it sit overnight will allow it to develop an unpleasant sour taste.
- Top with fresh blueberries if you have them, thawed from frozen if you have those. Frozen with their juices actually make a lovely runny topping that disperses more blueberry flavour to the oats.
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