Holiday cards yet to be sent. Gifts yet to buy. Credit card bills yet to pay.
Yes, indeed — this situation begs for a little extra something, a warm and comforting respite to shed the stress of the holiday season. How about a Christmas tea? You can make it as simple or as elegant as you want (no need to add more stress), creating a festive time to gather a few friends for an afternoon of socializing and relaxation.
Wanda Starke, a Colorado Springs mom, has been doing just that for more than a decade and believes that “life should consist of more tea parties.”
“I started having Christmas teas in 1991 and have had one every year except one,” she said. “I have the party because I want to see the 12 to 15 women . . . during a festive occasion, while all are dressed in holiday clothes, and to experience a civilized pause in an otherwise hectic season.”
According to Dolores Snyder in her “Tea Time Entertaining: A Collection of Tea Themes & Recipes” cookbook, afternoon tea was born in 1840 when Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, decided to have a snack of bread and butter plus a pot of tea at 4 p.m. In those days, there was no lunchtime, only a hearty breakfast and dinner.
“Anna grew faint from hunger in the late afternoon and remedied the situation with her tea pickup,” Snyder wrote.
Then Anna started expanding the little meal with cakes and tarts. She invited friends and held the gatherings in her boudoir.
“English friends took her habit of tea and conversation to the drawing room, lifting it to the ultimate with fine china tea services,” Snyder wrote.
The past few years, Americans have awakened to the joys of tea as a beverage and a relaxing ritual. More fine hotels, restaurants and bedfasts are offering afternoon teas, and tea selections have grown on grocery-store shelves.
“Students in my tea classes find it a most pleasant way to entertain, with a return to the elegance of social rules that emphasize the ceremony of a bygone era,” says Snyder, who teaches tea and cooking classes in Dallas. “I emphasize to my students that it is a most inexpensive way to entertain for both small and large groups within a specified time and have your guests feel they have experienced something very special.”
A holiday gathering would certainly qualify as something very special, but it doesn’t have to be complex. The first year she held a holiday tea, Starke started with an uncomplicated menu of light finger foods, and has stuck with it since.
“I always serve the same thing: tea, cucumber sandwiches, egg and chutney sandwiches, candied pecans, truffles, Dundee cake, scones with clotted cream and raspberry jam, and — for a finale — amontillado sherry,” she says.
To keep organized, she has an ingredients checklist she uses every year and attaches to the recipes “so I don’t have to replan the party every year,” she says.
If you’re not one to haul out the fine tea set and assemble food, gather your friends for tea at one of the places in town that do tea in style. (For suggestions, see Page 1).
During the holiday season, Linda Hohlen, owner of The CatBird Seat downtown, serves afternoon teas she titles “A Dickens of a Tea.” Her tea menu is on the hearty side. She starts with butternut squash bisque with marmalade cream, followed by a Bartlett pear and spinach salad with avocado, bacon, pine nuts and vinaigrette dressing. Next she brings the tea butler — a threetiered server for serving sandwiches, scones and pastries. It costs $24.99 per person.
“Family and friendship is our most cherished parts of the holidays,” she says. “We need to make time in our busy holiday schedule to enjoy those most important to us and create treasured memories and traditions.”
CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0271 or
teresa.farney@gazette.com
THE PERFECT POT
Want to make the perfect pot of tea? Bag the bag, purists say. If you want perfection, use loose tea — no tea bag and no tea ball, which can confine the tea leaves too much, preventing them from becoming fully suffused. To go the loose-tea route, you:
c Start by filling a kettle with freshly drawn cold tap water. Put the kettle on and heat. Just before the water comes to the boil, pour some into your teapot, swirling it around to warm the pot before pouring it out. This ensures that the next round of water — the brewing water — stays hot enough to properly open the tea leaves.
- Measure one heaping teaspoon of leaves for each person and one for the pot, straight into the warmed teapot. Bring water to a galloping boil, but take care that it doesn’t boil too long; overboiled water loses its oxygen and results in a bitter, muddy brew. Green tea, however, should be made with water just short of a full boil. - Allow the tea
to stand and brew for three to six minutes, according to the leaf size — less time is needed for small leaves. Stir the tea and pour it, using a strainer to catch leaves. - If
you take your tea with milk, add it to the cup, cold and fresh, before pouring in the tea.
TEA TYPES
“The London Ritz Book of Afternoon Tea” recommends building a stash of tea to familiarize yourself with the varieties. Here’s a brief directory to get your tasting under way.
- Darjeeling: A clear muscatellike flavor with a hint of nuttiness. An excellent choice for afternoon tea. -
Assam: Strong, pungent, fullbodied, with a distinct malt taste. For real tea-lovers. - Earl
Grey: A smoky blend of China and Darjeeling teas with a flowery scent. - English
Breakfast: A blend of several types of black teas, usually Indian and Ceylon, strong enough to get you going in the morning. - Lapsang Souchong:
A tea either loved or hated. It tastes of woodsmoke and has a tarry pungency. Never add milk to this tea. - Orange Pekoe: Orange Pekoe
refers to the size of the tea leaf, not the type of tea. Orange Pekoe teas are usually blends of different types of tea, and the taste varies enormously from blend to blend. - Jasmine: A
large-leaf tea, semifermented, scented with jasmine flowers (which are generally left in the tea, later to expand beautifully and aromatically in the teapot of boiling water).
FINE SANDWICHES
Dolores Snyder offers the following tips for making tea sandwiches in her cookbook, “Tea Time Entertaining: A Collection of Tea Themes & Recipes”:
- Use breads with a fine crumb, like store-bought white or whole wheat without seeds or visible grains, that are a day old for easier handling. -
Spread the filling within the edges of the crust. -
Use a serrated knife to decrust. - To
keep sandwiches fresh, cover with damp paper towels and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate. - If
making a day ahead, place cut sandwiches in plastic containers and seal.
TEA UP
Here are places offering a full tea, with scones, sandwiches and assorted sweets. Prices are per person.
The British Home Shoppe , 4721 N. Academy Blvd., 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. Cost ranges from $5.80 for crumpets and tea to a full tea for $8.35. By reservation only; call 520-5444.
The CatBird Seat , 323 N. Tejon St., 3 to 5 p.m. daily. Cost is $24.99 (includes soup and salad). Call 630-1745.
The Glen Eyrie Conference Center , 3820 N. 30th St., 2:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. English Cream Tea is $12.93; at 11:30 a.m. Sundays the Formal Victorian tea is $17.21. Call 634-0808.
Montague’s, 1019 S. Tejon St., 2 to 5 p.m. daily. Cost is $15. Call 520-0672. SMOKED SALMON TEA SANDWICHES Yield: 2 dozen 24 slices thin white bread 4 ounces Ginger-Cilantro-Lime Butter (see recipe) 8 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon
Procedure: 1. Spread all bread slices generously with Ginger-Cilantro-Lime Butter. Arrange slices of smoked salmon in even layers on half the bread slices. Top with remaining bread slices. 2. Using a 2-inch flower-shaped cookie cutter, cut out tea sandwiches. Remove top slice of bread from each flower. 3. Using a 3/4- to 7/8-inch-round biscuit cutter, cut a circle from center of each top slice; discard circle. Replace slice, butter-side down, on flower. Nutrition data per sandwich: Calories 93 (37 percent from fat); 3.8 g fat (sat 1.8 g, mono 1.4 g, poly .5 g); protein 4 g; carbohydrates 11 g; fiber 1 g; cholesterol 9 mg; sodium 370 mg; calcium 22 mg. Source: The Food Network
GINGER-CILANTRO-LIME BUTTER
Yield: 1 (10-by-1 1/2-inch) log
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 ounces (1/4 cup) cream cheese, at room temperature 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Procedure: 1. Place all ingredients in bowl of food processor. Pulse just until ingredients are combined, about 30 seconds. 2. Transfer mixture to sheet of parchment or wax paper. Roll into 1 1/2-inch-wide log. Refrigerate until ready to use. Nutrition data per 1-tablespoon serving: Calories 66 (99 percent from fat); 7.3 g fat (sat 4.5 g, mono 2.2 g, poly .2 g); protein 0 g; carbohydrates 0 g; fiber .01 g; cholesterol 20 mg; sodium 145 mg; calcium 2 mg. Source: The Food Network
CREAM SCONES WITH CURRANTS
Yield: 8 scones
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose
flour 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 3 tablespoons sugar 1/4 teaspoon fine salt 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut
into 1/2-inch cubes, refrigerated 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest 1/4 cup dried currants 1 large egg 4-5 tablespoons heavy cream or
half-and-half
Procedure: 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add butter and work it into flour mixture with your fingers or a pastry blender, until it resembles coarse meal. Stir in zest and currants. 3. In small bowl, beat egg and 4 tablespoons cream together with fork. Add to flour mixture and mix with your hands until dough just comes together. (If dough seems dry, add fifth tablespoon cream.) Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Pat dough into a 6-inch round about 1 inch thick. Cut into 8 equal wedges. 4. Space scones evenly on prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. Serve warm. Nutrition data per scone, made with heavy cream: Calories 241 (50 percent from fat); 13.2 g fat (sat 8 g, mono 3.9 g, poly .6 g); protein 4 g; carbohydrates 27 g; fiber .98 g; cholesterol 64 mg; sodium 232 mg; calcium 101 mg. Source: Food Network
CUCUMBER SANDWICHES
Yield: 48 sandwiches
11 ounces cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon chopped green onions 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper 1/8 teaspoon hot sauce 1-2 drops red or green liquid food
coloring 1 cup peeled, seeded and grated cucumber 48 slices white sandwich bread Cucumber wedges and fresh dill, for garnish
Procedure: 1. Combine first five ingredients in large bowl; beat at medium speed until smooth. Stir in food coloring; set aside. 2. Drain grated cucumber on paper towels, gently squeezing out excess moisture. Fold into cream cheese mixture and set aside. 3. Cut bread into desired shapes using a 2- to 3-inch cutter. Spread bread shapes with filling. Garnish with cucumber wedges and dill. Nutrition data per sandwich, not including garnishes: Calories 93 (42 percent from fat); 4.3 g fat (sat 1.8 g, mono 1.6 g, poly .9 g); protein 3 g; carbohydrates 11 g; fiber 1.05 g; cholesterol 8 mg; sodium 163 mg; calcium 21 mg. Source: Southern Living magazine ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH BISQUE Yield: 8 servings
MARMALADE CREAM: 1 cup sour cream 1/2 teaspoon curry powder 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 tablespoons orange marmalade
BISQUE: 1 large butternut squash 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and
cut into 8 wedges 2 large onions, peeled and cut into
1-inch pieces 2-2 1/2 cups chicken broth 1 cup fresh orange juice 2 teaspoons grated orange rind 2 teaspoons curry powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black
pepper 1 cup whipping cream 1/2 cup milk
Cook’s notes: The bisque freezes well. Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Do not add Marmalade Cream until ready to serve.
Procedure: 1. For Marmalade Cream, combine all ingredients, blending well. Cover and chill up to 8 hours. 2. For bisque, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease foil-lined baking pan. 3. Cut squash in half; remove seeds. Place squash, cut-side down, apples and onions on baking sheet and bake 45 minutes, or until squash is tender. Remove from oven; cool. Scoop out pulp. 4. Combine pulp, roasted apples and onions, broth, orange juice, orange rind, curry powder, salt and pepper in Dutch oven. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. 5. Process squash mixture, 1 cup at a time, in food processor until smooth. Return purée to Dutch oven and chill 8 hours (or freeze up to 1 month). 6. Heat cooled squash mixture in Dutch oven over low heat. Slowly add cream and milk, stirring constantly, until thoroughly heated and smooth. Remove from heat and top with Marmalade Cream. Serve immediately.
Nutrition data per serving: Calories 300 (51 percent from fat); 17.1 g fat (sat 10.4 g, mono 4.8 g, poly .8 g); protein 7 g; carbohydrates 34 g; fiber 6.11 g; cholesterol 54 mg; sodium 387 mg; calcium 146 mg. Source: Linda Hohlen, The CatBird Seat
DUNDEE CAKE
Yield: 16 servings
2 ounces mixed citrus peel (lemon
and orange) 8 ounces each golden raisins and
seedless raisins 1/4 cup candied cherries 1/4 cup Scotch whiskey 6 ounces unsalted butter, softened,
plus 1 teaspoon to grease pan 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground allspice 2 tablespoons ground almonds 2/3 cup granulated sugar 5 large eggs 1/2 cup whole blanched almonds, for
decoration 1/2 cup whole candied cherries, cut
in half, for decoration
Procedure: 1. In food processor, chop citrus peel, raisins and cherries. Put fruit in large bowl and sprinkle with whiskey. Let stand, covered with plastic wrap, overnight. 2. Butter 10-inch round, deep cake pan and line it with double parchment paper, also buttered. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 3. Sift flour, baking powder, salt and allspice onto waxed paper; add ground almonds. Place softened butter in mixer bowl and cream with paddle attachment. Add sugar gradually, beating to a creamy texture. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour, a third at a time, and mix well. Fold in plumped fruit. Remove to prepared cake pan and decorate with almonds. 4. Bake 2 hours, or until cake tests clean. (If, after 1 hour, the cake is becoming too brown, cover top loosely with foil.) When done, remove from oven, cover with tea towel and leave to cool in pan. To remove from pan, warm in the oven and turn out onto wax paper. Place upright on cooling rack to cool. Decorate with whole almonds and cherry halves. Wrap in foil and let flavors mature for 1 week before serving.
Nutrition data per serving: Calories 380 (35 percent from fat); 14.9 g fat (sat 7.1 g, mono 5.5 g, poly 1.3 g); protein 6 g; carbohydrates 57 g; fiber 2.59 g; cholesterol 94 mg; sodium 153 mg; calcium 84 mg.
Source: “Tea Time Entertaining: A Collection of Tea Themes & Recipes,” by Dolores Snyder
MERRY CHERRY FUDGE
Yield: 2 pounds (36 pieces)
36 maraschino cherries, with stems 3 cups (12 ounces) semisweet
chocolate morsels 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened
condensed milk
1 teaspoon maraschino cherry juice
1 cup chopped pecans
Procedure: 1. Lightly coat 8-inch-square pan with cooking spray. Set aside. 2. Blot cherries dry with paper towels and set aside. 3. In heavy saucepan, heat chocolate over very low heat, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and add sweetened condensed milk and cherry juice, stirring until smooth. Stir in pecans. 4. Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Immediately press cherries into fudge, leaving top of each cherry and stem exposed. Cover and chill 2 hours or overnight. 5. Cut fudge into 36 squares. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.
Nutrition data per piece: Calories 148 (45 percent from fat); 7.4 g fat (sat 3.5 g, mono 3.1 g, poly .7 g); protein 2 g; carbohydrates 19 g; fiber .48 g; cholesterol 5 mg; sodium 21 mg; calcium 48 mg.
Source: Linda Hohlen, The CatBird Seat
BRYAN OLLER, THE GAZETTE - A tea can be as fancy and elaborate as this one at The CatBird Seat, 323 N. Tejon St. Or you can host your own and keep it as simple as you want, with maybe a few snacks and, of course, a pot or two of tea. The real goal is to spend some down time with friends during the hectic holiday season.