FIVE ROSES TEA 
IN TOWN & COUNTRY
AT MONT ROCHELLE 

Newly rebuilt, serene and stylish Mont Rochelle Hotel & Mountain Vineyards, sets the scene for a stunning Five Roses Tea in the country.

A mecca for gourmets from both South Africa and abroad, Mont Rochelle graces the mountain slopes above Franschhoek. Mange Tout is their elegant signature restaurant, known for its exquisite table and cutting edge cuisine orchestrated by Erwin Schnitzler and Executive Chef Ryan Smith. Their new rustic Mont Rochelle restaurant in shades of warm cognac and lavender offers a taste of Provence set among the most exquisite vineyards. 

Charismatic Reggie Rajiah Tea Master, Chief Buyer of teas for Five Roses/National Brands and a perfectionist takes us through a tea tasting!

Sri Lankan, Reggie Rajiah, has spent a life time in the study of tea, learning and honing his understanding of this vast and fascinating subject, perfecting his considerable skills under expert experienced Tea Tasters during his years at one of the oldest tea broking houses in London.

For Reggie blending tea is an art. There is an art to putting together different teas from over 50 estates from origins around the world. Producing the exclusive Five Roses blend is an intricate subtle process, one that continuously fuels his passion and as he explains, "This is about tracking the progress of the teas from the tea estates until the brew reaches your cup!" 

As Tea Master he is the custodian, ensuring exacting standards of Five Roses, for quality and consistency.

The beginnings...

Reggie buys from auctions worldwide to very strict specifications. He is extremely particular about origins of teas and tastes around 300 teas in a day as every tea is unique. He tells us, "Growing tea is in a sense similar to winemaking. You have to take seasonality of growth into consideration; the climate, the weather, the soils, the gentle breezes and humidity, all influencing quality. During dry weather the bushes are under some stress and give out enhanced quality."

Reggie Rajiah chats to Erwin Schnitzler discussing the finer points of tea tasting. 

At charming Mont Rochelle Restaurant with its lavender shutters is set among the vineyards adjoining the Wine Tasting Centre. On fine days lunch at tables set on shady terraces and sample the superb wines of the estate. 

Ryan Smith, hot from St Petersberg, masterminded the creation of the exquisite cakes and pastries for the Five Roses Tea in Town & Country. Sublime and delicious, they would have been perfectly at home in top patisseries worldwide. 

A glorious afternoon tea at Mont Rochelle. Tables dressed in snowy white damask with a silky sheen and the perfect fine bone cups in which to sample a choice of Five Roses teas.

Among them elegant Earl Grey, delicately fragrant with Bergamot, an Indian citrus fruit. Prince of Wales, a superb blend of Ceylon and African tea, reminiscent of Camellias, wonderful with a slice of lemon or a sprig of mint. Rooibos, tranquil, becoming increasingly popular with many of their continental guests.

On the menu, sugar snap orange blossom cheesecake, a triumph of flavours. Lemon tarts, always a favourite. Lime and green tea cup cake, unusual. From the caramelised banana and ginger bread to the chocolate mouse, one was spoilt for choice and it continues... 

The art and pleasures of taking tea!

Traditionally afternoon tea should begin by sampling the savoury treats. Try crab and brie quiche, crustless tea sandwiches, dainty, buttered and layered with ham, ripe tomatoes and piquant cheese. Smoked salmon cream, egg mayonnaise and cress bread rolls, foils to complement the sweetness. 

Three superb tea time delicacies; raspberry and lemon tarts deeply flavoured. The delicate Earl Grey Panna Cotta on shortbread biscuit. Fine crisp pear slices combine with fresh pears and custard cream in a delicate mille feuille.

RASPBERRY TARTLETS

Tart Cases:
125 g soft unsalted butter
90 g castor sugar
1 large egg, beaten lightly
250 g plain flour
pinch of salt

Filling:
250 ml milk
3 egg yolks
75 g castor sugar
15 g flour
15 g corn flour
½ vanilla pod or vanilla extract

To Serve:
Fresh raspberries
Raspberry jam

Tart Cases: Place softened butter and castor sugar into a mixer and mix with a flat beater set on medium speed until pale. Scrape down the sides of a bowl and add the lightly beaten egg. Fold in until well combined. Sift dry ingredients and mix in slowly until mixture resembles bread crumbs. Knead further by hand on a clean surface until soft dough is formed. Place in a bowl, cover and rest in a refrigerator  for 30 minutes. Once rested roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface until +- 2mm thick. Cut out rounds to fit tart moulds. Press gently into greased moulds and prick with a fork. Blind bake at 180ºC until golden. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack before using.  

Filling: Place milk and vanilla pod/extract in a saucepan and heat gently until just boiling. In a bowl, mix together egg yolks, sugar, sifted flour and corn flour, until well combined making sure there are no lumps. Remove milk from heat and temper the egg mixture by first pouring on a little of the hot liquid and mixing until well combined before adding the rest. Pour the entire mixture through a fine strainer back into the pot and return to the heat. Cook while stirring with a whisk until mixture is thick and comes to the boil. Remove from the heat and pour mixture into a bowl allowing to cool completely before using.

To assemble tartlets: Pipe pastry cream filling into tart cases until ¾ full. Arrange the raspberries on top to cover the pastry cream completely, depending on how indulgent you wish to be. Lightly glaze the raspberries with a little of the heated jam that has been lightly thinned down with water. Finally finish by dusting with icing sugar and garnishing with mint leaves if available. 

PERSIMMON AND EARL GREY PANNA COTTA

Persimmon Jelly:
4 ripe Persimmons
50 g butter
50 g sugar
200 ml water (approximately)
2 sheets gelatine soaked in water

Dariol moulds, smaller are better suited than larger

Panna Cotta:
300 ml milk
300 ml cream
+- 5 Five Roses Earl Grey teabags
125 g sugar
4 gelatine leaves, soaked in cold water

Shortbread Biscuits:
250g plain flour, sifted
¾ teaspoon salt
125 g softened unsalted butter
90 g caster sugar (a handful needed for sprinkling later)
1 large egg, beaten

(Six portions)

To make Persimmon Jelly: Dice the fruit into smaller cubes. Melt the butter in a pan, add the Persimmon and sugar. Cook slowly until softened and then add the water. Continue cooking until the mixture looks ready to be puréed. Blend the mixture and pass through a strainer while still warm enough for you to dissolve the gelatine. Fill the moulds 1/3 of the way with the mixture and leave to set in the refrigerator. This part of the recipe requires a degree of latitude depending on the ripeness, sweetness and amount of water absorbed. What you don’t want is for the puréed mixture to be too thick nor too runny. 

To make Panna Cotta: Place milk, cream and teabags in a saucepan and bring to the boil on a low heat. Heat for a few minutes so that the tea infuses properly. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Squeeze excess water from the soaked gelatine leaves and stir into hot mixture. Remove from heat and pour through a fine strainer into a bowl and leave to cool slightly. Once cool, but not yet set, pour gently on top of the persimmon jelly mixture. Place moulds back in the refrigerator and leave to set for 3 hours.

To make Shortbread Biscuits: Cream the butter and the sugar together, slowly mixing in the egg. Slowly add the flour until a dough comes together. Shape into a roll a little larger than the diameter than the mould being used for the Panna Cotta. Wrap in cling wrap and leave to rest in the refrigerator for 2 hours.  Once rested, cut off rounds, the appropriate thickness, place on a baking sheet and cook in a pre-heated oven at 160ºC until a light golden brown. Place on a wire rack to cool and sprinkle with the extra castor sugar.

Dip the Panna Cotta quickly and carefully into hot water. With your fingers over the opening of the mould, carefully shake and the Panna Cotta should come free. Place on one of the short bread bases and serve. It should be three tiered with the jelly on top, Panna Cotta in the middle and shortbread on the bottom.