Tasha Tudor's Birthday

Today is Tasha Tudor's Birthday. She was a special and unique woman. I treasure the books I have that she wrote or illustrated. In honor and to share here is her Stillwater Iced Tea receipt from The Tasha Tudor Cookbook.

As an introduction Tasha says "This is one of my specialties of which I am inordinately proud. You must start with real tea, made correctly - that is, with freshly boiled water steeped for no more than five minutes. Fresh spearmint is another must."

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

5 tablespoons either English or Irish Breakfast loose-leaf tea

1 quart fresh, cold water

6 fresh oranges

6 fresh lemons

6 fresh limes

1 quart ginger ale

fresh spearmint sprigs for garnish

To make the sugar syrup, place the sugar and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan. Bring just to a boil and simmer until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the flame and place the sugar syrup in a canning jar. Allow it to cool before placing a lid on it. Keep the syrup at room temperature, as it will congeal in the refrigerator.

Put the cold water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Place the tea leaves in a large pitcher and pour the boiling water over them. Steep for 5 minutes, stirring once. Pour off the tea through a strainer, into another pitcher. Allow it to cool but do not put in the refrigerator, as the cold will cloud the tea.

Allow the juice of half an orange, half a lemon, and half a lime per glass - squeezed, of course, and strained.

For each serving, put the fruit juice in a large glass, 10 ounces or so, pour in the tea to half-fill the glass, and then fill the remainder with ginger ale and 2 ice cubes. Add sugar syrup to taste. Place a sprig of fresh spearmint in each glass and serve.

Serves 6-12

Visit www.storybookwoods.typepad.com for more Tasha Tudor tributes.