Invalid's Tea

A single cup of tea infused in hot milk rather than water, from the tradition of invalid cookery, where every drink was expected to carry some nourishment. It works, but the timing and the temperature both matter more than they would with water.

• Scalding pointScalded milk means about 180F, when the surface trembles and a ring of small bubbles forms at the edge of the pan. Do not let it boil; boiled milk tastes cooked and will skin over while the tea steeps.
• Use a heavy pan and watch itMilk scorches on the bottom long before the surface shows anything. Bring it up over medium heat, stirring, and pour the moment it steams.
• The teaOne teaspoon of tea; the book does not say which kind, though black would be the usual choice for the period. Loose leaf gives the leaf room to open, and a bag will work, though the infusion is likely to be thinner, since milk appears to extract rather more slowly than water.
• Four minutes, not longerThe fat and protein in milk mute tannin, so the cup will taste mild even at the full four minutes. Going past that adds little flavour and starts to give the milk a stewed edge.
• StrainingPour through a fine mesh strainer. Loose leaves in milk are harder to catch than in water, and a warmed cup keeps the drink drinkable long enough to matter for someone eating slowly.
• YieldOne cup, as the original notes with "individual service." It does not scale well ahead of time; make it per cup and serve at once.
• On the nourishment claimThe book's point is fair as far as it goes: a cup of whole milk carries roughly 150 calories with protein, fat and calcium, where water-brewed tea carries none. Treat it as a mild milk drink with tea flavour, not as a substitute for a meal.