Green Tea

This dish takes a little planning ahead but is well worth it. Don’t be scared—it’s a show-off dish. You may, however, have to shop around for some of the makings. A trip to your local Asian market or a surf on the Internet should do it. Start by marinating the duck the night before you plan to serve it. A smoker isn’t required, but you will need a wok with a domed lid and wire rack insert (sorry, an electric wok won’t work). Serve with steamed Asian greens like bok choy or Chinese broccoli. Round out the meal with Perfect Steamed Jasmine Rice (page 240).

Sara adds a spoonful of bee pollen granules to this flowery smoothie, which she thinks turns it over-the-top sublime. Bee pollen is a storehouse of all naturally occurring multivitamins, proteins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes and hormones. Mary, however, is not wild about bee pollen's sweet-but-raw earthiness and chalky texture. With or without a dash of pollen, the BEE-ootiful combination of jasmine and pure raw honey calls to mind the rare deliciousness of wild honeysuckle. Remember, the floral splendor of this smoothie lies in the quality of honey that you use. If you prefer a fruitier flavor, mango-peach tea works well, too. Feel free to use frozen peaches as a substitute when fresh peaches are out of season.

Many teas and herbs you savor as beverages can transform your daily beauty routine into a refreshing interlude. Here are three blends made almost entirely from tea, kitchen herbs, and pantry spices. Each blend has a suggested essential oil that will intensify the fragrance.

Leafy green vegetables are an ideal source of iron and calcium, but cooking them can destroy many of the water-soluble minerals you hope to gain from eating them. This preparation retains most of the nutrients that would otherwise be lost in the cooking process and imparts an earthy green flavor that you will surely enjoy.

"Anyone who has spent time in any North African country has stories about mint tea so sweet that the glass sticks to their lips," says Zadi. His version, though a strong tea, is light on the sweetening.

You can barely take a step in the markets of Marrakech without tripping over fresh mint, or at least without being offered a glass of hot, sweet mint tea.

A tisane is a tea-like aromatic infusion; this one is a lovely partner to the cheesecake.

Scott Uehlein, executive chef at the renowned Canyon Ranch Health Resort in Tucson, Arizona, says this broth is delicious over seared tuna or noodles.

Mint tea is considered the national drink of Morocco, although tea was introduced there only as recently as the 1850s, brought from the Far East by British merchants. Fresh mint and sugar are always added, and the tea is served in small glasses.

Brewed green tea is a delicious, aromatic broth for scallops in this refined rendition of Japan's ochazuke, or "tea rice." The comforting soup-like dish evolved from using hot tea to rinse out rice bowls at the end of meals. Serve this as a light lunch or as an appetizer, followed by teriyaki-marinated chicken or salmon and some steamed Asian greens.

If you’re looking for the most summery of punches that doesn’t overdo it on the booze, have your people call our people.

The quintessential summer quencher gets an aromatic twist thanks to jasmine green tea.

Rather than tossing your orange peels, add a few to a batch of warming chai for a soothing sick-day (or any-day) beverage.

The roasted, earthy notes of the hōjicha (roasted green tea) carry the warming toasted baking spices for a comforting low-caffeine wintertime brew.

The origins of this recipe are incredibly simple—leftover rice with hot water, broth, or tea poured over. We started there, then kept going. All of the finishing touches (ginger, furikake, and nori) make this feel less like a snack and more like a balanced dish.