SWEET APPLE ICED TEA

Sweet Apple Iced Tea image

Provided by Giada De Laurentiis

Time 2h32m

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 9

6 cups water
6 sweet apple tea bags (recommended: Celestial Seasonings Sweet Apple Chamomile)
1 1/3 cups Vanilla Simple Syrup, recipe follows
1 small apple, thinly sliced
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
Ice
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 vanilla bean, cut in 1/2 lengthwise and seeds removed

Steps:

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the tea bags. Allow the liquid to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Remove the tea bags and discard. Add the Vanilla Simple Syrup and stir. Pour the mixture into a glass pitcher. Add the apple and lemon slices and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Pour the tea into ice-filled glasses and serve.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, water, vanilla bean, and vanilla bean seeds. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool, about 20 minutes. Strain before using.
Yield: 1 1/3cups