Recipe: Blackberry Iced Tea with Marigold Ice Cubes

BLACKBERRY ICED TEA

"The rich, deep flavors of orange pekoe and Darjeeling teas both lend themselves to the tartness of blackberries, but don't restrict yourself to this union. Try different kinds of fruit-and-tea combinations; for instance, sliced fresh peaches with amber-colored Formosa Oolong, whose taste has been likened to that of ripe peaches."

FOR THE MARIGOLD ICE CUBES:
1/2 to 1 ounce pesticide-free marigold flowers
FOR THE TEA:
4 cups hot black tea, such as orange pekoe or Darjeeling
1 cup blackberries
Honey, to taste

TO MAKE THE MARIGOLD ICE CUBES:
Remove the petals from the flowers. Place 3 to 4 petals in each compartment of an ice-cube tray. Fill the compartments halfway with water and freeze for at least 2 hours, then fill each compartment to the top with water and freeze until solid.

TO MAKE THE TEA:
In a medium-size bowl, combine the hot tea with the blackberries. Set aside to steep for 1 hour.

With the back of a wooden spoon, crush the berries against the side of the bowl. Pour the mixture through a fine-meshed sieve into a pitcher, pressing on the solids with the back of the spoon to extract all the liquid; discard the solids. Add honey to taste and chill for at least 2 hours.

Serve in tall glasses with the marigold ice cubes.

Makes about 4 servings
Source: Victoria - The Pleasures of Tea by Kim Waller