By this time of the year everyone has had it with the weather. Every little bud on a tree or bush, every little spring flower peeping through is cause for celebration. And what better way to celebrate than with a beautiful tea party?
Did you know that the late afternoon tea party was invented by a very annoyed and very hungry English Duchess in 1840? Well, you will now. Anna, Duchess of Bedford was tired of nothing to eat until the dinner hour, which in those days wasn’t until around eight o’clock. After a fashionable early breakfast, and equally fashionable light lunch, Anna was ravenous by five o’clock.
One particular afternoon she’d had it. She was hungry! So she had the kitchen staff whup her up a couple of dainty little sandwiches and, oh, yes, while they were at it, bring along some of that nice cake leftover from last night.
Anna enjoyed her late afternoon pick-me-up so much that she started inviting a few close friends over to share in the fun. Since they were all on the same fashionable mealtime schedule too, I don’t suppose many of them turned her down.
Lo and behold, the Tea Party was born. Out of desperation, like so many other great inventions. And now…some 160 years later, the tea party has made a comeback. Tea is the hot new drink. (OK, I admit it. Pun intended) In my humble opinion there is nothing quite like a good hot cup of Earl Grey to put your back on your feet late in the afternoon. The English have always known it. But after we turned the Boston Harbor into tea soup Americans quit imbibing. Mostly out of spite. But that was then, and this is now, and now there is every reason to enjoy again The Duchess of Bedford’s excellent idea.
A tea party can be as elaborate or as simple as you wish. If you are the only one invited, brew a cuppa, add a buttered-white-bread-with-a-few-thin-slices-of-cucumber sandwich, add two cookies and there you are! A pleasant break in the day. Or go all out and invite a few friends to share in the fun.
Here are some tea rules you should know. Even if you don’t follow them, at least no one can accuse you of ignorance.
Use a nice china teacup and saucer, mugs are tacky. Use milk, not cream, if you like your tea milky. Use cloth napkins…paper towels are real bad form. You do not need to crook your little finger, honey. That’s an affectation, and you do not want to accused of being prissy.
Scones are very nice with a cup of tea, but nowadays you can buy lovely ones in all sorts of flavors ready to warm up and enjoy. I know this is about cooking, but I also know just how far you are willing to go.
However…there are some lovely little things you cannot buy…and those I’ll pass on to you. Here is a small selection of tea sandwiches…yummy bites of this and that. And so easy to make.
Curried Chicken Salad
4 chicken breasts, cooked in canned chicken stock, cooled and diced.
¼ cup med sized apple, diced, or in the summer diced nectarines are fabulous!
¼ cup dried sweetened cranberries, cut in half
½ cup small red pepper, diced
6 green onions, sliced, green tops and all
¼ cup white raisins
¼ cup slivered almonds
Mix with:
1 cup Salad Dressing, not mayo
1/3 cup raspberry vinegar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 ½ tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons hot (as in spicy, not heated) Spice Islands curry powder
Spread on thin sliced white or one of the multi-grain breads with nuts (remember, no crusts) and cut in cute little triangles.
Veggie Tea Sandwiches
Cut circles out of one of the ten or twelve grain breads, generously butter both sides, top with thin slices of cucumber, and some with thin slices of red edged radishes. Yummy!
Cream Cheese and Olive Finger Sandwiches
1 eight ounce package of cream cheese (the real stuff please) soften to spreading consistency with a few teaspoons of the brine in a jar of pimento stuffed olives. Twenty (or so) pimento stuffed olives, sliced. Mix the sliced olives with the softened cream cheese and spread on slices of wheat bread. Cut in cute little fingers. This is soooo good you will also enjoy it for regular sandwiches. Or on a big fat bagel.
Ham and Asparagus Roll –Ups
1 stick of butter (the real stuff!) softened
4 ounces of cream cheese, softened
Blend the cream cheese and butter together
Blanch about 24 stalks of asparagus in rapidly boiling water until just crispy tender…this only takes a few seconds. Rinse immediately with cold water to stop the cooking.
24 slices of honey baked ham from the deli or the pre-packaged kind is fine
24 slices Pepperidge Farm Extra Thin Sandwich Bread. Trim the crusts off the bread, then roll each slice a rolling pin to flatten it. Spread those flattened out little slices with the cream cheese mixture, top with a slice of ham, trimmed to fit, and place a stalk of asparagus on one edge. Roll it up and place seam side down on a tray. Do not allow your family to see these, because they will eat them all before your guests arrive.
Ginnie Bivona is the author of Ida Mae Tutweiler and the Traveling Tea Party as well as Notes From A Chameleon, Sort Of A Memoir and The Seductive Chef, A Cookbook & More For Lovers. She is available for book reviews, tea parties and other fun stuff. Check out her web site (designed by her ever-so-clever darling youngest daughter) www.ginniebivona.com
No comments:
Post a Comment