Orange Peach Iced Tea Food

PEACH ICED TEA

Steps:

• Tip the sugar into a pan with 250ml water. Bring to the boil slowly, ensuring the sugar is fully dissolved. Add the chopped peaches and cook until very soft. Remove from the heat, mash the peaches with a fork, and leave to infuse for 1 hr.
• Sieve the syrup through a fine sieve into a jug, mashing the fruit to release all the liquid. The syrup will keep in the fridge for one week.
• Put the teabags in a large heatproof jug and pour over 2 litres boiling water. Leave to steep for 4 mins, then carefully remove the teabags. Leave to cool, then transfer to the fridge until chilled.
• Stir the peach syrup into the iced tea with some ice, or pour a little of the syrup into tall glasses and add the tea. Top up with more water, sparkling water or ice. Add peach slices to serve.

ORANGE ICE TEA

Steps:

• Special equipment: a 60-ounce (7 1/2 cups) pitcher
• For the syrup: In a small saucepan, bring the orange juice and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool for 20 minutes.
• For the tea: In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the tea bags and remove the pan from the heat. Allow the tea to steep and cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Remove the tea bags and discard. Pour the tea and syrup into a pitcher and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• To serve: Pour the sparkling water into the pitcher and add the orange slices. Pour the tea into 4 ice-filled glasses. Garnish with fresh mint, or basil, and serve.

SPIKED PEACH ICED TEA

Steps:

• Empty contents of drink mix packet into large plastic or glass pitcher. Add water, orange juice and bourbon; stir until drink mix is completely dissolved.
• Serve over ice cubes in tall glasses.
• Add orange slice to each glass.

HOMEMADE PEACH ICED TEA

Steps:

• Bring 3 cups (750ml) water and the sugar to a boil in a pot. Add the peaches and vanilla bean (including the seeds). Simmer over medium heat for about 30 minutes.
• Discard the vanilla bean. Pour the peaches and syrup into a blender and puree until smooth. Strain the peach puree through a sieve into a pitcher.
• Bring 4 cups (1 liter) water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat, add the tea and steep according to the package directions. Strain to remove the tea leaves, then add the tea to the pitcher with the peach puree. Stir to combine. Refrigerate until cold.
• The pulp from the fruit may have separated from the tea during chilling, so be sure to stir it before serving. Pour over ice cubes in tall glasses and garnish with vanilla beans.
• Cook's Note: When blending hot liquids, remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

ORANGE ICED TEA

Steps:

• With a vegetable peeler, peel each orange in a continuous spiral, removing only the outer colored layer of peel.
• In a large pitcher, pour boiling water over the tea bags and orange peel. Cover and steep 5 minutes. Remove tea bags. Chill tea mixture with peel in a covered container.
• To serve, remove the peel and pour iced tea over ice cubes in tall glasses.
• Sweeten to taste with honey (or brown sugar). Garnish with orange slices and fresh mint leaves, if desired.