What to serve with tea?

[Kelli Kerrigan]

Does anyone have any ideas or favorite goodies to serve with tea? I'm looking for suggestions....both sweet and savory. I really like tea (green, white, black, and flavored) and drink it often. I found a Chinese five spice tea cake that I want to try but it calls for jasmine tea and I'll need to purchase that first. (Maybe this weekend or the next time it snows http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif)

[sneezles]

How 'bout some good Scottish scones with clotted cream? I remember that well from the time I lived in Scotland. I never went to a High Tea but I do know they served finger sandwiches-watercress, tomato and such.

[hhcowgirl]

Oh, yum--high tea, my favorite time of day. I lived in England for 6 months and I have to agree there is nothing better than scones. I have several recipes if you would like me to post them. We also used to snack on finger sandwiches, with fillings such as cucumbers and cream cheese or smoked salmon. Some people also like simple little cookies like ginger snaps. Also, if you've never tried darjeeling tea, I would recommend it, especially if you like that 5-spice one.

[sneezles]

hhcowgirl
I love darjeeling tea! I'm also a big fan of Earl Gray. And I was trying to think of stuff in the sandwiches but totally forgot about the cucumber ones-I remember when I first lived there, I wondered why they didn't put meat in the sannies (as my good friend always calls them)! And remember toasted cheese-toast with cold cheese in the middle!?!

[RUSTYSMOM]

How about biscottis? YUM.

[Mamasue]

I was thinking about biscottis too and any type of shortbread cookie both good candidates for those who like to "dip" too. You can also buy tiny pita breads and small appitizer breads (sold near our deli department) that can be made into little egg, ham, chicken sandwiches.

hhcowgirl....would love some authentic scone recipes! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[Vanessa]

I suggest scones, a not too sweet cofee cake or fruit cake like, maybe some finger sandwiches, cookies, biscottis......

[Kelli Kerrigan]

Hey! I could really use some scone recipes as I have not made them much at all. And I think I remember something about lemon curd in a past issue.....also what is clotted cream? I can't decide if it sounds inviting or not.

[KellyD]

Definitely Biscotti! Wasn't it December's issue that had several recipes? I've made most of them - and they're wonderful.

[erinyyc]

The lemon curd recipe is in the May 2000 issue. I have made it and love it (my mom made lemon curd all the time when I was young because I don't have much of a sweet tooth, I prefer something tart). I will post the CL recipe if anyone wants it!
Erin http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[ElinorC]

The Glazed Lavender Teacake would be delicious. I don't know if you can get lavender now but I think it would be good even without it. Perhaps add vanilla or some other flavoring.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Glazed Lavender Tea Cake

1 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons butter -- softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lavender leaves -- finely chopped
Vegetable cooking spray

Glaze:
1/3 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven ot 350º.

2. To prepare cake, beat granulated sugar, butter, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 5 minutes). Add egg and egg white, 1 at a time; beat well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; stir well. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with yogurt, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in lavender.

3. Pour the batter into an 8-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350º for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

4.Tto prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar and remaining ingredients. Spread over hot cake. Cool in pan 20 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Note: to freeze up to 1 month without the glaze, place in an airtight container, or wrap in heavy-duty plastic wrap or foil. Unwrap and thaw at room temperature 2 hours before serving. Prepare the glaze, and spread over cake.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1 slice).

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per serving: 243 Calories (kcal); 6g Total Fat; (23% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 42g Carbohydrate; 35mg Cholesterol; 221mg Sodium
Food Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 Fat; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrates

[ginny177]

ElnorC, I love the lavender cake recipe! I'll have to try it when I can get some lavender(dont think I've seen it in local supermarkets with the more common fresh herbs).
I belong to a group who follow a hearty 2 hour walk each week with a tailgate or house tea. We generally provide 2 types of sandwiches; 2 "sweets"(a cake + brownies/cookies/scones); and often a "salty" type of thing. The most rapidly devoured are always the sandies.
Maybe this will help.

[Chefmom]

I absolutely LOVE two cookies in particular with tea. First is my walnut thins. They are a paper thin sliced cookie that are crisp, crunchy and very walnutty.
http://RecipeCircus.com/recipes/Chefmom/Cookies-sliced/Crisp_Walnut_Thins.html

And my other favorite are my Spritz Rosettes. It's a piped spritz cookie, on the soft side for a cookie press. But it's a plain but wonderful cookie for coffee and tea!
http://RecipeCircus.com/recipes/Chefmom/Cookies-piped/Spritz_Rosettes.html

I keep the dough for the Walnut Thins in the freezer and slice a tray when I'm in the mood, and I bake the spritz off and then freeze them. When I sit down with a hot chocolate or a cup of tea I love these two cookies the most.

Tami

Oh, I also love scones made with dehydrated blueberries. I soak the berries in Rum and then stir them into the scones. Oh, it's wonderful!! Lemon Curd or just plain is perfect.

Enjoy!!

[hhcowgirl]

Her is the recipe for my favorite healthy scones:
1 c. currants
1/4 c. o.j.
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. low-fat buttermilk
1 TBSP. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3 TBSP. canola oil
1/4 c. sugar
1 TBSP. vanilla extract

Soak currants in o.j. for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray/grease 2 baking sheets. In medium bowl, stir remaining ingredients together with fork until just blended. Add soaked currants and juice. Drop dough in 2 TBSP. measures about an inch apart on the sheets. Bake for 10-12 min., until golden brown.

Cal: 69; Carb: 12g; Protein: 2g; Fat: 2g

[cindyluwho]

I like to serve 3 categories of goodies at tea: savory, scones, and then sweets. Included in the savory things are cucumber-goat cheese finger sandwiches, egg salad finger sandwiches, spinach-ricotta tartlets, and zucchini-gruyere madeleines or mini muffins (these are wonderful). I usually make 3 types of cream scones, choosing from among the following: dried-cranberry and walnut, crystallized ginger, dried apricot and almond, orange and dried-cranberry, and lemon. I serve these with a variety of jams, lemon curd, and craime fraiche. Then come the sweets...marzipan tea cake, raspberry-chocolate brownies, cream puffs, lemon bars, and fruit tartlets have all at some point contributed. Pretty much all of these recipes have alot of fat in them, but for a special occasion I think it's ok. Let me know if you want any of these recipes.

[Beth]

Kelli, search for scone on this BB. We've had one or two threads with a number of recipes, and you can see what you like or find lacking there. I have posted gingerbread and pumpkin scones (the pumkin one on the current thread ISO recipes for canned pumpkin). There have been the triple fruit scones and a couple of others that have been very popular.

[sneezles]

Clotted cream (known as Devonshire Clotted Cream in the UK) is sweet and thicker than just whipped cream-if I remember right it reminded me of cream whipped almost to the point of becoming butter-if that makes any sense! I don't have a recipe handy becaude my cookbooks are in storage.

[Mamasue]

hhcowgirl...thanks for posting http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

chefmom....welcome to CL. Your expertise in pastry will be welcomed here. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

cindylouwho....they all sound delightful! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[ElinorC]

Cindyluho,
Please post the zucchini-gruyere madeleines. They sound wonderful. Thanks

[SandyDee]

I had a tea over the Holidays and it was a great success. I served a basic scone with an assortment of jams and pumpkin butter. The next course was finger sandwiches... cucumber and cream cheese on party pumpernickle, egg salad on rye with dill and roasted turkey on small dinner rolls with mayo and dried cranberries these were all served with a mini bowl of Cranberry relish and a fresh fruit kabob. I had 2 kinds of biscotti and an assortment of truffels for an after lunch treat. Served all of this with their choice of 3 teas. I am doing another in the spring somewhere around Easter (by popular demand). So... Cindylowho, I would love some of your recipes. They sound wonderful and diverse. I also like the Lavendar Cake recipe. Sounds perfect for the spring.

[This message has been edited by SandyDee (edited 02-07-2001).]

[JHolcomb]

Mmmmmmm...digestive biscuits. Not healthy, and better with regular old hot Lipton with milk and sugar(I kid you not) than with herbal stuff, but yummmmmmm. The chocolate covered ones. Oh they are terrible for you though.

[Kelli Kerrigan]

Thanks to everyone for such terrific ideas!!!! I can't wait to try some of these out! I would like to know what a digestive biscuit is....sounds like something you give a kid who is teething?? (But then would it be covered in chocolate? Is that why I had so many cavaties as a kid????)
Also, Cindyluwho, I'd love your recipes!!!!
Please post when you can.
Again, thanks everyone!

[hhcowgirl]

Digestives are these wonderful, buttery tasting cookies that are sold by the pack in England. I'm trying to think of something over here that is the equivalent but I'm drawing a blank . . . I guess maybe like a Lorna Doone cookie?? Anyway, I don't recall that they were that terribly bad for you--one of my rommates when I lived in England was pretty picky about what she ate as far as fat/calories go and she practically lived off them.

[cindyluwho]

Here are some of my recipes...

Cream scones

2 C flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 T sugar
5 1/2 T butter
1 egg
1/2 C heavy whipping cream
1 egg yolk
Sugar for sprinkling
dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, or whatever else you want

Mix dry ingredients together, then cut in butter until it resembles cornmeal texture. Mix 1 egg with cream, then stir into flour mixture. Add dried fruits/nuts/zest. Pat into a log about 3 inches wide, 1 inch thick, and cut into triangle shapes (or use a round biscuit cutter to make round scones). Brush tops of scones with egg yolk, sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 min, until lightly browned on top.


Savory Zucchini and Gruyere Madeleines

2 eggs
2 T cream
2 t dijon mustard
3 T butter, melted
3 cloves garlic
1/2 t dried basil
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
dash of cayenne
1 C flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 C coarse yellow cornmeal
2 C packed coarsely grated zucchini (~3 zucchini)
1 small onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 C gruyere cheese, grated

Mix the eggs, cream, mustard, butter, garlic, basil, salt, pepper, and cayenne together. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and cornmeal. Add remaining ingredients. Spoon into greased madeleine tin or mini-muffin tin and bake at 425 degrees for about 20 min, or until lightly browned.

Marzipan Tea Cake

1 C butter
3/4 C sugar
1 egg yolk
1 egg white
3 1/2 oz marzipan or almond paste
1 t almond extract
2 C flour
1/2 C sliced almonds

Cream together butter and sugar, add egg yok, almond paste, and almond extract. Add flour and mix until just blended. Press into an ungreased 8 inch cake pan (it will be crumbly). Beat egg white until foamy, and spread over top of cake. Sprinkle evenly with sliced almonds and bake at 350 degrees for 30 min, or until golden brown.


Lemon Squares

3 1/2 C flour
1/4 C confectioner's sugar
1/4 t salt
1 3/4 C butter (yes, that's right!)

Mix dry ingredients and cut butter in (you may need to add a dash of milk to bind it somewhat, but if you do, don't add too much because it should be slightly crumbly). Press crust into a 17 X 12 X 1 inch dish, bake 15 min at 350 degrees.

6 eggs
2 1/2 C sugar
1 T lemon zest
1/2 C lemon juice
2/3 C flour
1 t baking powder

Beat eggs with sugar and add zest and lemon juice. Stir in flour and baking powder. Pour onto pre-baked crust, and bake 25 min at 350 degrees. Dust with confectioner's sugar.


Lemon Curd

4 egg yolks at room temp
1/2 C sugar
grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 C fresh lemon juice

Whisk yolks and sugar in a double boiler. Add zest and lemon, whisking in double boiler until thickened, about 10 min. Remove from water bath and strain through a sieve into a glass or ceramic container. Chill.


Hope you enjoy the recipes! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[cindyluwho]

I also love digestive biscuits! Jacob's brand is really good, and there is no hydrogenated vegetable oil in them. Other brands I've seen do have hydrogenated vegetable oil, though I'm sure they taste really good.