TIME FOR TEA
The
holidays are almost upon us, and that means it’s time to think about
entertaining. At a certain age, most people opt to take friends to a
restaurant, rather than fuss in the kitchen. It goes without saying, however,
that the most gracious occasions are those where people are invited into a
private home.
In Grandmother’s time, people
entertained friends at home with afternoon tea. Whether it was a formal event,
such as a bridal or baby shower, where 100 guests were invited to dress in afternoon
finery with gloves and hats to drink tea from china cups and nibble on
sandwiches arrayed on silver platters, or a simple get-together with a few
friends, the hours between two and six o’clock were set aside for social
interaction between Ladies Only.
We think of tea as an English
tradition, although the French also claim it to be theirs. References to tea in
Chinese literature go back approximately 5,000 years. Ancient folklore places
the creation of the brew at 2737 BC, when a camellia blossom drifted into a cup
of boiled drinking water belonging to Emperor Shen Nung. Originally, tea was
valued for its medicinal qualities. It has long been known that tea aids in
digestion, which is why many Chinese prefer to consume it after their meal. The
elevation of tea drinking to an art form actually began in the 8th century. Tea
drinking became popular in England when Queen Anne (1665-1714) chose tea over
ale as her regular breakfast drink.
Prior to the introduction of tea
into Britain, the English had two main meals, breakfast and dinner. Breakfast
was ale, bread, and beef. During the middle of the eighteenth century,
dinner for the upper and middle classes had shifted from noontime to an evening
meal that was served at a fashionably late hour. This was due to the shift in
English life itself. This period during the second half of the Victorian Period
was known as the Industrial Revolution. Working families would return home
tired, exhausted, and hungry. The high dining table would be set with meats,
bread, butter, pickles, cheese, and of course tea. None of the dainty finger
sandwiches, scones and pastries of afternoon tea would have been on the menu.
Because it was eaten at a high, dining table rather than the low coffee table
of the sitting room, it was termed "high" tea. When the word “high
tea” became a regal and lofty rather than practical event is not known, but tea
rooms and American hotels continue to misunderstand, offering tidbits of fancy
pastries and cakes on delicate china for “high tea”.
There
are several types of Low Tea. There is the Cream Tea, with scones, jam and
clotted cream. There is Light Tea that adds sweets. And, there is Full Tea with
savories (tiny sandwiches or appetizers), scones, sweets and dessert. These are
traditionally served around four o’clock, ending promptly before seven.
Now that we are infused with some
history, it’s time to concentrate on etiquette. Tea cups with a handle are held by placing one’s fingers to the front
and back of the handle with one’s pinkie straight up in the air, and slightly
tilted. It is not an affectation, but a graceful way to avoid spills. Never
loop your fingers through the handle, nor grasp the cup with the palm of your
hand.
Never stir your tea with your spoon in sweeping circular motions. Place your tea spoon at the six o'clock position and softly fold the liquid towards the twelve o'clock position two or three times. Never leave your tea spoon in your tea cup. Place the spoon on the right side of the tea saucer. Milk is served with tea, not cream. Cream is too heavy and masks the taste of the tea.
Never stir your tea with your spoon in sweeping circular motions. Place your tea spoon at the six o'clock position and softly fold the liquid towards the twelve o'clock position two or three times. Never leave your tea spoon in your tea cup. Place the spoon on the right side of the tea saucer. Milk is served with tea, not cream. Cream is too heavy and masks the taste of the tea.
Serve lemon slices, never wedges. Provide a
small fork for your guests, or have the tea server place a slice in the tea cup
after the tea has been poured. Never add lemon with milk. The lemon's citric
acid will cause the proteins in the milk to curdle.
The Informal Tea is still attended by no more than ten guests. It is
held between two to five in the afternoon and can take place in the living room
or dining room. During warmer weather, you might consider having your tea on
the lawn or patio.
To brew the
Perfect Cup of Tea: Run cold water from the tap for at least one minute to
clear stale water from the pipes and aerate the water. Do no re-heat water
sitting in your kettle. If you live in an area where the water is heavily
treated you can use bottled water. Shake the bottle to aerate or oxygenate the
water, or your tea could have a flat taste. It's the oxygen in the water that
opens up the tea leaf for full flavor extraction. Bring your teacup or teapot
to the kettle while the water is boiling. If using a teapot, pre-warm it by
rinsing with hot water. A cold pot could take away from the brewing process.
When the water comes to a rolling boil, pour it over the tea bag or tea leaves.
Use one tea bag or one-rounded teaspoon of loose tea per cup. If you like
stronger tea, add an extra bag for the pot. Make sure you do not over-brew the
tea or it will become bitter. Green tea
is more delicate than black. Bring the water to the boiling point (185 degrees)
and not to a rolling boil. For iced-tea: prepare as hot tea, but several hours
in advance. Do not add ice cubes. Refrigerate.
Put the ice into glasses, not into the pitcher.
For High Tea, set
the table with a cloth tablecloth (linen, if you have) and napkins. You can
serve buffet style or guests can be seated around the table. With a centerpiece
that can be a small vase of flowers, a basket of seasonal fruit, or food that
is placed on a three-tiered cake stand and used as the centerpiece.
When giving a formal tea for an occasion, the tea service should be at
one end of the table and the food arranged at the other end of the table. The
guests are served tea by a seated hostess or a designated lady of honor.
Scones
Yield: Approximately 10-12 scones
3½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 full teaspoon baking powder
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (¼ pound) cold unsalted butter
3 extra large eggs, lightly beaten
⅔ cup fat free half and half
1 cup golden raisins or half raisins with dried
cranberries;
1.
Preheat
oven to 425ºF.
2.
Sift
together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
3.
Cut
in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. (Or, use a food
processor for this)
4.
Beat
the eggs and stir in all but 2 tablespoons.
5.
Stir
in the half and half.
6.
Stir
in the raisins and cranberries.
7.
Form
into a large, round disk approximately ¾ inch thick.
8.
Cover
a baking sheet with parchment paper. With a glass or cookie cutter, cut out the
dough in rounds.
9.
Brush
the tops with the reserved egg.
10.
Set
the baking sheet ⅓ from the bottom of the oven and bake approximately 30
minutes, or until golden brown.
Easy Clotted Cream
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sour
cream
1 tablespoon
confectioners' sugar
Using a whisk attachment on the mixer, whip heavy cream until stiff
peaks form. Remove from mixer, and hand whisk in the sour cream and
confectioners' sugar until just combined. Store in the refrigerator.
Lemon Clotted Cream
3 oz. mascarpone (similar to cream cheese)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
¼ teaspoon lemon extract
3 tablespoons sifted powdered sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
Beat the heavy cream on the highest speed of an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add the remaining ingredients and beat on low speed until evenly combined.
3 oz. mascarpone (similar to cream cheese)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
¼ teaspoon lemon extract
3 tablespoons sifted powdered sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
Beat the heavy cream on the highest speed of an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add the remaining ingredients and beat on low speed until evenly combined.
Tea Sandwiches
For
Ham: Purchase a good quality ham of choice, sliced thin. Crust thin white bread
(Pepperidge Farm® very thin). Slice the bread in half on a rectangle or
triangle. Spread softened, unsalted butter over. Place a slice of ham over.
Slice a small gherkin pickle lengthwise and set on top. Smoked salmon slices
can be substituted. Squeeze a tiny bit of lemon over the salmon and top each
with a caper.
For
Shrimp: Cook medium shrimp. Cool, peel and devein. Crust old fashioned white or
whole wheat bread and, with a cookie/biscuit cutter, cut rounds. Make Curry
Butter (below) and spread it over. Set a shrimp on top. Place a tiny cutting of
parsley over for color.
Curry Butter
4 ounces unsalted
butter
1 heaping
teaspoon curry powder
½ teaspoon lemon
juice
Pinch of salt
1.
Cream
the butter. Stir in the curry, lemon juice and salt.
Cream Cheese Dill Roll-Ups
Yield: Approximately 20 Pieces
1 loaf sliced soft white bread
¼ pound unsalted butter, softened
4 cucumbers
1 bunch chopped dill
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
1 bunch dill with stems, washed and dried
1.
Remove the crusts from white bread. Spread a thin layer
of butter on one side.
2.
Peel, seed and chop the cucumbers fine by hand. Set
into a strainer and
toss with a little salt to allow the water to drain off for
30 minutes.
3.
Chop the dill fine.
This is best done by hand rather
than in a food processor. Mash the dill into the cream cheese. Stir
in the cucumbers.
4.
Spoon mixture across the center of the bread. Fold one side
over
the filling and then fold the other side over,
pressing slightly, so the butter will adhere
to the bread.
Insert a
stem of dill into one end and set, flap side down, on a
platter, with the dill pointing outward to the
edge. Refrigerate, tightly covered with
plastic wrap. Serve very cold.
Note: For
small ‘pick-ups’, cut the rolls in half. Decorate the center of the platter
with dill.
Directions for all Pinwheel Sandwiches
1. Purchase
large loaves of soft white bread.
2. Cut away outer crusts of bread, saving
them for crumbs or cheese sticks or bread pudding.
3. Combine ingredients and spread thin
across each slice. Roll up tightly
lengthwise from narrow end to narrow end.
Wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap.
Refrigerate until cold or overnight.
4. Slice rolls-ups one-half inch thick and
set on platters open side up. Top each
pinwheel with a thin slice of sweet gherkins or pimento olives or sprig of
parsley or cilantro. Garnish with cherry
tomatoes, watercress or parsley. Each
roll should yield four pinwheel sandwiches.
Chicken Salad
Yield: Approximately 40 Pinwheels
2 pounds chicken breasts, boned and skinned
1 teaspoon sea salt
8 celery ribs
2 cups or more mayonnaise to bind
Salt and pepper to taste
2 - 1 pound loaves unsliced white bread
1.
Cover breasts with water in a deep skillet. Add salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high and poach,
covered, 20 minutes, or longer, depending on their size. Chicken is done when there is no sign of
opaque coloring when cut into. Cool and chop into tiny pieces.
2.
Chop celery fine and drain in a strainer at least 15
minutes. Add to chicken with enough mayonnaise to bind. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Prepare Pinwheel sandwiches as above.
Tune in Comcast channel 22 & BrightHouse 199 to watch host, Valerie Hart, interview chefs in their kitchens "The Back of the House", or watch it live on your computer at www.lakefronttv.com. Follow her food page on Wednesdays in The Daily Commercial.
Posts
