Chai Tea for an Autumn Afternoon

Celebrate autumn's splendor with afternoon tea in the crisp, cool air.

I recently tried a delicious new recipe for chai tea. Eight-year-old son Christian took one sip of this warm, comforting drink and said, "Mmmm ... this tastes like a mother's love."

Our chai tea was perfect served with cranberry scones, jam and almond cream.

Our chai tea recipe came from this sweet little cookbook a friend gave me after my back surgery this summer.

 

Chai Tea

Warm up a fall afternoon with a steaming cup of comfort.

1 cup of water
1 small stick of cinnamon
6 cardamom pods
6 whole cloves
1/5 inch fresh ginger root (sliced thin
1/2 cup of milk
4 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons loose Darjeeling tea

Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil; cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add milk and sugar. Return to simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, add tea leaves, and cover. Let steep for 3 minutes and drain. (Note: I quadrupled this recipe to serve our family at afternoon tea, using four single-serving tea bags. I found cardamom pods at World Market for a fraction of the price I would have paid in my local grocery store.)

"It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life." -- P.D. James