Tea

My sister likes to call this drink an adult Slurpee®. And in some ways she is right. It's really almost like a whiskey sour that's been frozen and stirred so that it crystallizes like a granita. It may be the ultimate hot summer day libation. But be warned, once you fix this for your friends and neighbors, they'll expect it all through the summer heat. And you can either brew the tea and let it cool, or use bottled or canned.

Although this is a chilled beverage, it is traditionally enjoyed in the winter. The "fire" of the cinnamon and ginger is supposed to warm you up, while the coolness of the beverage balances the heat. Not being much of a traditionalist, I like to make it during the summer and keep pitchers of it available as an alternative to iced tea.

Ma'Dear, my maternal grandmother, would sun-brew gallon jars full of Sweet Goodness on sweltering hot summer days. Recollections of those containers full of cinnamon-colored tea sitting on her back porch bring back sweet memories of simpler days. This version will satisfy the snootiest of Sweet Tea connoisseurs (read: my mom) and won't give drinkers an insulin spike since it is sweetened with agave nectar.

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.

Lapsang souchong, the variety of tea called for in this recipe, is made by smoking tea leaves over a cypress or pine wood fire. Steeping the tea in the milk mixture gives the dessert a subtle smokiness. Find Lapsang souchong at tea shops, specialty foods stores, and online at englishteastore.com. If you don't care for the taste of smoked tea, use Earl Grey instead.

"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.

The recipe below is part of a healthy and delicious spa menu developed exclusively for Epicurious by Ananda spa in India. Darjeeling tea and herbs, including star anise, cinnamon, and ginger, flavor the smoked duck breast, which is served with nutrient-packed pears, sweet potatoes, vegetables, and blueberries. If you are watching calories and cholesterol, take a small portion of duck and fill the rest of your plate with the veggies and fruit. If you are following an Ayurvedic diet, the experts at Ananda recommend this for vata and pitta doshas. Be sure to start this recipe one day ahead.

Just as they do in sweet Chinese bubble tea, fat, chewy pearls of tapioca bring a certain levity to pears in a fragrant spiced-cider "broth." Satsuma segments add hits of sweetness to this chic, playful dessert.

Why serve plain iced tea when you can punch it up with healthy, natural flavors like ginger, mint, lemon and peach, as in Bonaparte's version here? A good reason to steep and sip: Tea's polyphenols may lower your risk for cancer.

Just as a touch of bergamot brings hints of floral and citrus to the blend of teas in Earl Grey, the essence of Seville orange and lemon scents the Lady Grey brew. Here, lime and tarragon provide yet more layers of fresh flavor.

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 colonial twist on the ubiquitous — and potent — rum punch.

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

These buttery, crisp tuiles are made with tea and honey — the Earl Grey lends a sophisticated note of bergamot — and taste wonderful with an afternoon cuppa.

Though many people see smoking as a process meant for professionals, or at least for doing outdoors, this procedure—done mostly in a wok—is simple and produces a mean smoked duck. Try thin slices over a salad, or make smoked-duck sandwiches for a picnic. When smoking, be sure to seal the foil tightly to keep the smoke from infusing more than just your duck.

Buy baklava at Middle Eastern markets or order from parthenonfoods.com. Start making the granita a day ahead.