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Porcelain or
silver Teapot
Porcelain Teacups and saucers
Dessert Plates
Linen and matching napkins
Sugar tongs
Serving spoons, Knives, Teaspoons
Tea Strainer (or mesh or teaball)
Tea Cozy
Scones and/or crumpets
Butter
Strawberry jam and/or lemon curd
Clotted Cream
Sugar, Milk, Lemon slices
Assam and/or Earl Grey Tea
Fresh flowers
Music (Chopin, Liszt, or Schubert would be nice)
Roaring fire in Fall or Winter, if possible
Brew the tea by bringing fresh water to a rolling boil in a
kettle. Bring a teapot, warmed by rinsing with hot water, to the
kettle. Immediately take the kettle off the heat as soon as water boils
and pour the hot water into the pot. Into the pot, place 1 tsp of
leaves for each cup (6 oz) plus one "for the pot." Alternatively, put
leaves into a mesh basket or teaball and infuse this way (there must be
room enough inside the mesh or teaball for the tea leaves to double in
size). Steep a black tea for 5 or so minutes. The person who "is
mother" (the one who is to pour the tea) should pour into cups through
a strainer if mesh or a teaball isn't used. Serve with milk (never
cream), sugar cubes, and lemon slices. 4:00 in the afternoon is
the standard time
for a "afternoon tea" or "low tea". If you have a three-tiered server,
put the sandwiches on the bottom, the crumpets or scones in the middle
tier, and any dessert-like foods (cakes, cookies/biscuits, tarts, etc.)
at the top.
Note: Freezing the bread before making tea sandwiches makes them easier
to slice (give to the birds the crusts you remove from sandwiches!).
Make any sandwiches as close to serving time as possible. Keep covered
with saran wrap topped with a moist tea towel before serving.
For a Cream
Tea, serve some of the following:
Lemon Curd
1/3 c. + 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1 large egg + 2 egg yolks
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 TBSP cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Whisk together everything but the butter in top of double boiler til
light and fluffly. Then cook over simmering water, stirring frequently,
for 12-15 minutes or til it thickens to pudding consistency and coats a
spoon. Strain, if desired. Now gradually stir in butter til it's melted
and mixture is smooth. It should have the consistency of a heavy
pudding or sour cream and be spreadable, not soupy.
Clotted Cream
Heat oven
to 170oF. Pour 2 pints of heavy cream "(double cream" or
"whipping
cream" that has a fat content between 36% to 40%) that is NOT
ultra-pasteurized into a glass or ceramic 8x8 or 9x9 pan (the cream
shouldn't be over 2 inches deep in the pan). Put pan of cream inside
the oven,
close the door, and leave it for 12
hours. Take out, let cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap,
and then put in fridge to chill for 12 hours. Scrape off the skin
(that's the clotted cream), pouring off the liquid (which can be used
in coffee, desserts, etc. as one uses milk). Stir up' til smooth. Keeps
a week in the fridge.
Quickie Mock Clotted Cream
...if you can't get or have time to make the real
thing...
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 pinch salt
1 cup heavy cream
Beat cream cheese, sugar, and salt in a bowl with an electric mixer
until creamy. Add heavy cream and beat until stiff peaks form. Serve
immediately or chill until ready to serve (eat quickly; it doesn't
keep).
Shaped
Sugar "Cubes"
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. water
drop or two of food coloring, if desired
Put everything in a jar with a tight lid and shake til it's all evenly
distributed. Pack the sugar firmly into candy molds
of various shapes, some in "1-lump" size, and some in "2-lump" size.
Let dry out for 24 hours or, if it's very humid, turn on your oven to
175, then turn it off and leave the molds inside overnight. If you
want, just for looks, decorate a few using pastry bags of
colored icings you would use for cake decorations.
Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cubed into pieces
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream plus more for brushing the tops
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
coarse sugar, optional
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment
paper.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder,
and salt. Add the cold butter and use a pastry cutter or fork to cut it
into the dry ingredients until you have small pea-sized crumbs. In a
separate mixing bowl, whisk together the heavy whipping cream, egg, and
vanilla extract until combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry
ingredients and stir until just combined.
Pour the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and work it to form
a ball. Flatten the ball into a 7-inch circle. Cut the dough into 8
equal-sized pieces and place them on the baking sheet, leaving a little
room between each one. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 10-15
minutes until the scones are chilled. Brush the tops of each scone with
heavy whipping cream (can sprinkle tops with coarse sugar if desired).
Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the tops of the scones are lightly
browned and cooked through.
Blueberry Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled), plus more for hands and
work surface
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen
1/2 cup heavy cream (plus 2 Tbsp for brushing)
1 large egg
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 heaping cup fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw)
coarse sugar for topping, optional
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a
large bowl. Grate the frozen butter using a box grater. Add it to the
flour mixture and combine with a pastry cutter, two forks, or your
fingers until the mixture comes together in pea-sized crumbs. Place in
the refrigerator or freezer as you mix the wet ingredients together.
Whisk 1/2 cup heavy cream, the egg, and vanilla extract together in a
small bowl. Drizzle over the flour mixture, add the blueberries, then
mix together until everything appears moistened.
Pour onto the counter and, with floured hands, work dough into a ball
as best you can. Dough will be sticky. If it’s too sticky, add a little
more flour. If it seems too dry, add 1-2 more Tablespoons heavy cream.
Press into an 8-inch disc and, with a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut
into 8 wedges.
Brush scones with remaining heavy cream (and sprinkle with coarse sugar
if desired). Preheat oven to 400, and meanwhile, place scones 2 or 3
inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for at
least 15 minutes. Bake for 22-25 minutes.
Crumpets (makes 24)
2 pkgs (1/2 oz) dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
3 1/2 c. warm water
2 TBSP baking powder
4 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
Dissolve yeast and sugar in the water. Add everything else and whisk
til frothy. Heat griddle to 450 degrees. Grease the insides of crumpet
rings (if you don't have any, you can use empty tuna cans that have
been opened on both sides) and place on griddle. Pour 3/4 c. batter in
each ring and cook til bubbles form (like pancakes). Remove ring and
turn over to cook other side. Toast and serve with butter, and jam or
lemon curd.
For an
Afternoon Low Tea, add something savory:
Cucumber
Sandwiches
Makes 32 pieces, equivalent to 8 regular-sized
sandwiches
1 peeled, seedless cucumber
4 1/2 oz. unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. orange zest
16 slices of firm, thin-sliced white bread, crusts removed
Garnish: fresh mint leaves and thin orange slices
Cut cucumber in in half lengthways, then slice crossways as thinly as
possible. In a small bowl, mix the butter and orange zest and stir
until creamy. Spread each slice of white bread with about 1½ teaspoons
of the butter mixture. Arrange several slices of cucumber on half of
the bread, then top with the remaining slices. Cut each sandwich into 4
triangles. To serve, arrange the sandwiches on a platter, alternating
white and brown sides of the sandwiches and garnish with mint sprigs
and orange slices.
Cream Cheese, Olive,
and Nut Sandwiches
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 cup chopped green olives with pimientos
2 tablespoons olive brine from the olive jar
1 dash pepper
Mix together, then let it sit for an hour so the flavors meld. Spread
on thin bread, remove crusts, and cut
diagonally into triangles or into strips or squares to serve. Can also
serve with crackers or use
it to stuff celery.
Egg Mayonnaise
Sandwiches
8 medium slices of bread, crusts removed
6 eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 TBSP minced chives
2 TBSP minced celery
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
1 tsp dill pickle juice or 1 tsp dill
1/4 tsp pepper (preferably white pepper)
Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with water. Season with a pinch
of salt. Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cook for 2
minutes. Turn heat down to very, very low and cover with a lid. Allow
the eggs to sit for 10 minutes. Drain and cool the eggs for 2 minutes
in ice water. Drain and peel the eggs.
Remove yolks from eggs and chop the whites up to whatever texture you
like (some like it chunky, others like it very fine). Mash the
yolks and add to the whites along with everything else (but the bread,
obviously). Spread on the bread and cut into triangles.
Tomato Twiddle
Sandwiches
2 fresh tomatoes
1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, approximately
1/4 cup chopped white onion
Cut an X on the bottom of the tomatoes just deep enough to pierce the
skin. Place in a pot of boiling water for 2-3 minutes until the skin
starts to curl where it's been cut. Remove from water and cool, then
peel, halve, and remove the seeds. Add the now seedless tomatoes,
cheese, and onion to a food processor or blender and mix until pureed,
adding more cheese if the mixture is too thin. Use to make sandwiches,
remove crusts, and cut into shapes as desired. (Recipe from Serene Herrera)
Smoked Salmon Tea
Sandwiches
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 ounces smoked salmon pieces, diced fine
Squirt of fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoon minced fresh chives
2 tablespoon minced fresh dill or parsley
8 slices soft whole wheat or rye sandwich bread
Mix together the cream cheese, salmon, lemon juice, chives and parsley.
Spread on the bread, remove crusts, and cut into desired shapes.
Watercress Tea
Sandwiches
2 bunches of fresh watercress, stems removed, rinsed, blotted dry
salted butter, at room temperature
16 thin slices of bread (wheat or white)
sea salt and fresh pepper as needed
Spread all of the bread thickly with butter. Top half of the bread with
the watercress. Salt and pepper as you wish. Top with the rest of the
bread slices. Cut into desired shapes.
Benedictine
Sandwiches
2 English cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch chunks
2 TBSP minced white onion
1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp dried dill
1 dash hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco), or to taste
1 drop or two of green food coloring (optional)
cayenne pepper, to taste
Very finely chop or grate the cucumber (can use a food processor for
this).
Place the cucumber and the onion in cheesecloth and wring to
remove as much moisture as possible -- but reserive the liquid you
wring out. Mix the cucumber-onion mixture with everything else 'til
smooth. If it's too thick, add a little of the reserved liquid you
wrang out from the cheesecloth. Spread onto bread, top with another
slice of bread, and cut into shapes.
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