Victoria, B.C and The Gentle Art of Afternoon Tea - Part II

"Thank God for tea ! What would the world do without tea! How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea."   Sydney Smith, "Lady Holland's Memoir"

For someone like me being from a small California town near the Mexican border, afternoon tea was a different and unique way of socially eating. As we continue here with the foods served at afternoon tea, a little focus on scones. Many Americans are familiar with the dry, crusty versions and tend to shy away from eating them. I always received favorable comments from the students in my tea
classes after sampling my take on scones.

There are many varieties of scones. Some are baked with currants, cream, sweet spices or savory with cheese. They come in different shapes; round, wedged or dropped-batter on a hot griddle. I suggest choosing one flavor and serve it with jam and cream. The secret ingredient is the buttermilk that keeps the scone moist. Even a low-fat buttermilk will bring good results.

                                             Cinnamon Buttermilk Scones  

3 cups all purpose flour 
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
 3/4 cup butter, chilled cut in pieces  (1 1/2 sticks)
3/4 cup buttermilk
 1/4 cup milk (use to brush top of cut scones)
      
Topping: mix 1 tablespoon cinnamon with 1 cup sugar  (This will produce more than you need. Keep extra stored in a small jar with a tight lid.)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl, stir all the dry ingredients.
With a pastry blender or a fork, cut in the butter until it becomes crumbly.
Slowly add the buttermilk and gently stir with a fork. Form a large ball.
On a lightly floured surface, pat the dough 1/2 thick. 
Cut out the scone with a 2" deep cookie cutter.
Place an a greased baking sheet. Parchment paper can also be used.
Brush tops of scones with a little milk.
Sprinkle generously with the cinnamon topping.
Bake for about 15-18 minutes, let cool on a baking rack.   

Clotted cream can be purchased from a kitchen gourmet store. The clotted cream is skimmed from the top of milk; much like the cream that "floats" to the top of fresh bottled milk or yogurt. It is high in fat content but only a small spoonful is needed for those watching their calories. The small jars of cream can be a bit expensive if you are serving a large crowd of people as I was doing for my tea classes. So I came up with a thriftier version, a mock-clotted cream, that, although not authentic is quite tasty.   

My favorite part of tea are the "sweets". Sweets should be small and dainty. Pick three that vary in taste and texture. For example, lemon mini-tarts, two-bite brownies, and shortbread are a good selection. These can be hand-baked or purchased to save time. Again, three sweets are simple. Try to always include chocolate as one of your selections. 

                                              Mock-clotted Cream

          1 cup whipping cream
          1/4 cup sour cream
          4 tablespoons powdered sugar
          1/4 teaspoon almond flavoring
         
          Mix all ingredients in a deep bowl.  
          Beat with an electric mixer until thick.
          Refrigerate , covered, for 1 hour.  

Obviously, afternoon tea requires a good pot of brewed tea to compliment the food. The most favorable afternoon tea is Earl Grey. English Breakfast and Darjeeling follow in popularity. Herbal and fruit teas are not traditional but are perfectly acceptable at the tea table if that is what you prefer.

                                          How to Brew a Proper Pot of Tea  

 First, measure how many cups of water fill your teapot. Write the number on a small piece of paper and tape it on the bottom of your teapot. This will help you from having to re-measure every time you want to make a pot of tea. 

Fill the kettle with fresh, cold water.
Warm your teapot by filling it with hot water.
When the kettle water comes to a boil, empty the previous hot water from your teapot.
Fill your warmed, empty teapot with tea leaves. Use 1 teaspoon of loose tea per cup, adjusting the quantity to suit your taste.
Pour the boiled water over the leaves, cover with lid, and let step for 3-5 minutes.
Give the tea a stir to ensure an even brew.
Use a tea strainer placed over the teacup and pour the tea.
Serve with milk (not cream), or lemon and sugar cubes.   

I happily urge you to give afternoon tea a try. I know it will be the beginning of a wonderful tradition for you, your family and friends!
 

Victoria B. C. and The Gentle Art Of Afternoon Tea - Part l

 The Joy of Afternoon Tea

A few days ago I finished my chapter about afternoon tea for my upcoming book, "The Travel Writer's Wife". One may wonder, how does afternoon tea relate to travel?  Well...

#1. I taught classes on this subject for several years all around Colorado and Wyoming. Teaching these classes on my own time gave me the flexibility to travel with my travel writer husband, Ron.

#2. Wherever we traveled, if the opportunity arose, we would visit a tea room.

We have partaken of this lovely centuries-old ritual in Canada, Europe, and the United States. One of the loveliest tea rooms we visited was in Shreveport, Louisiana (the Glenwood Village & Tearoom). The decor was elegant and all the tea foods served prettily presented.

We had tea at the historic Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria, Canada, where our server was a very proper gentleman who had worked in the tea room for over 30 years. His serving and the tea itself was impeccable.

A unique tea was the Fashionista Tea At The Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge, London. All the tea foods served were designed with inspiration from London's fashion week's runways. Quite clever!

I was first introduced to afternoon tea when I was an art student in London, England. I was so impressed with the style and the distinctive foods served. To my young southern Californian eyes, afternoon tea was so unique and it was fun to share this tradition with my friends back home.

At the time, I was a single young working girl on a tight budget, so I would purchase my teapots, tea cups and saucers at thrift stores. A used and washed lace curtain made do for a pretty and elegant looking tablecloth. I sewed napkins from remnants of fabric and ironed them with a touch of spray starch. A few colorful silk flowers made a simple center piece.

As a result of serving so many teas over the years at birthdays, weddings, and baby showers, I was able to easily design a class on the subject of afternoon tea. I taught these classes over a period of several years. One doesn't need a special occasion to have a tea. Purchase a small list of ingredients, invite a few friends, over and put on a kettle of hot water.

Traditional foods served at afternoon tea include scones with jam and cream, dainty finger sandwiches, and sweets. Add a freshly brewed pot of tea to wash it all down. Finger sandwiches can be made with an assortment of fillings. Chopped crab-meat, egg salad or curried chicken salad are just a few choices. The all-time favorite is cucumber which blends well with a cream cheese and dill spread.

I suggest three different fillings for your tea sandwiches. Use soft white and brown bread; multi and whole grain breads are too thick.Tea sandwiches are always best made on the same day. Start making them early, they do take time. Bring the filling to room temperature for easy spreading. Spread the filling on a slice of bread, almost to the edge. Top with another slice of bread. Do not cut the edges off at this time. Place sandwiches on a large tray. Wrap securely with plastic wrap. Refrigerate. About an hour before your guests arrive, trim off all edges and cut into desired shapes. These are some of the shapes you can use:  

Ingredients

• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
• 1 cucumber, peeled and cut into thin slices, patted dry with paper towels  

Directions

• Soften cream cheese, mix with dill, blend well.
• Spread mixture on bread slices.   Place one layer of cucumber slices on filling. 
• Top with another slice of bread. With a serrated knife, neatly trim off edges.     

The next blog-post, The Gentle Art of Afternoon Tea - Part II, will include my scone recipe that I served at all my tea classes along with a recipe for mock-clotted cream. Also simple instructions on how to brew a perfect pot of tea is presented.  Cheers!

Square Slices              Triangle  Slices                Finger Slices

  Tea sandwiches can be cut into any of these   

  three shapes.

 

Global Gumshoe investigates Saskatchewan, Canada

Ron recently returned from a trip to Saskatchewan. He wrote several articles, with different slants, and published them in a variety of outlets.

He also put together a video of his best photos and video and you can see it at his Youtube channel...or better still, right here!

And be sure to check out his blog: Original Global Gumshoe. Not to mention his website at GlobalGumshoe.com