Traditionally, tea leaves are brewed into a soothing warm cup but sometimes tradition needs to be cast aside. Tea leaves play a different role in four recipes from Tea Company, DavidsTea, Teavana and the Food Network. There’s a strong black tea in a steak au poivre with garlic, creamy, moist decadent cupcakes and more. Read on for four tea recipes to spice up a dish.

Tropical Rush Ceviche
This simple seafood dish is the perfect appetizer or snack to help you escape to the tropical life. Food Network celebrity chef Elizabeth Falkner created this dish using Good Earth Tropical Rush tea which brings out the citrus flavor of the ceviche.

Ingredients
8oz. fresh fish, such as salmon, halibut, bass or scallops
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon jalapeno or Fresno chili, sliced in thin rings
1 teabag of Good Earth® Tropical Rush™ Tea tag removed from the tea bag
1 lime juiced
1 orange juiced
1/4 cup water
1/2 tea spoon salt
2 stems cilantro

Directions
Slice the fish.

Bring the water just to a boil and add the Good Earth Tropical Rush teabag. Steep for 4 minutes and then cool completely.

Remove tea bag and squeeze into the water. Discard the tea bag. Add the lime juice, orange juice and salt to the tea. Pour over the fish and mix gently.

Let the fish marinate in the liquid in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes. Once marinated, plate the fish and garnish with cilantro. Drizzle some of the marinade on the fish and serve immediately.

Ceylon Tea Steak au Poivre with Garlic Cream Sauce
Steak just got a bit more interesting thanks to this recipe by Tracy Stern founder of Tea Company. The strong black Ceylon tea leaves complement the hearty flavor of the sirloin steak. Comfort food with a twist.

Serves 8

Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Ceylon tea leaves
1 beef bouillon cube
Salt and pepper
Four 1 lb boneless sirloin steaks, about 1’’ thick
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper

Directions
To make the sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and sauté for about five minutes. Add the heavy cream and 1 teaspoon of the tea leaves and bring to a simmer. Stir in the bouillon cube and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for another 10 minutes, until reduced and thickened. Cover and keep warm while you cook the steaks.

Heat a large nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the steaks on both sides with the coarse pepper and the remaining 2 tablespoons of the tea.

Grill the steaks for four to five minutes on each side for medium rare. Slice the steaks in half, pour the garlic cream sauce on top of the steaks and serve immediately.

Maharaja Chai Cupcakes

Creamy, moist cupcakes get a spicy twist with the addition of finely ground Teavana’s MaharajaChai Oolong tealeaves. Known for its wide variety of teas Teavana chefs and mixologists often create recipes using their tea. Try out their Silver Needle White Fish for a sophisticated summer inspired dish or add some Raspberry Chutney created using Teavan Raspberry Balsamico Herbal Tea to a barbecue.

Serves 12 cupcakes

Ingredients
1 ½ cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp finely ground Maharaja Chai Oolong
2 eggs
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup buttermilk

Cinnamon Cream Ingredients
1 cup whipping cream
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
8oz mascarpone cheese

Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine flour, ground chai, baking soda and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then mix in sugar, vegetable oil and buttermilk.
4. Mix with the dry ingredients, creating the batter.
5. Pour into a lined cupcake pan and bake 15-20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool slightly, remove cupcakes and cool on rack.

Cinnamon Cream Instructions
1. Whip cream with sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.
2. When the whipped cream is light and fluffy, fold in the mascarpone cheese.
3. Spread over cupcakes and serve!

Detox Teani Cocktail

Tea and vodka? Yes, please. DavidsTea is known for its unique blend of teas. They created a non-traditional cocktail featuring DavidsTea Detox as a main ingredient, perfect for the holidays when you’re still trying to at least pretend to be eating healthy.

Makes 1 drink
Ingredients
1oz sfvodka
.5oz Cointreau
1oz fresh lemon juice
.5oz meyer lemon syrup
1 oz DAVIDsTEA Detox tea on top (tea is brewed to 3x recommended strength and cooled before adding to cocktail)

Directions
Combine vodka, cointreau, lemon juice and lemon syrup, shake and pour into a marini glass. Float cooled tea on top.