Welcome to Tea and Roses!

 

      "There are few hours in life more agreeable
            than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."
                                -- Henry James
                                   
Portrait of a Lady














 

 

 

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Entertaining with Tea

      Looking for a different way to entertain ?  Why not try an Afternoon Tea or a more robust High Tea. Either of these teas can be a more relaxed way to host family and friends. The most important things to remember when planning this type of party are to serve good tea, well brewed, and to keep the atmosphere inviting and stress-free. The format can be formal or informal, the time can be afternoon or early evening (for High Tea), and the service can be buffet or sit-down. The choice is yours and will be the determining factor in the type of food that will be served. Periodically we will have a suggested menu for a Tea Party along with Selected Recipes. Turn off your speakers if you do not wish to hear the music.

A 'HARVEST'S  BOUNTY' TEA PARTY

 

As summer fades into fall and the days grow shorter, celebrate the changing of the seasons with a Harvest's Bounty Tea Party. A tea party is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the bounty of the autumn harvest. Along with a fragrant tea, serve guests a variety of seasonal comfort foods, perhaps a hearty soup and a seasonal fruit dessert. Autumn brings with it a certain sadness at the passing of fair summer days and the coming of cold winter but it also brings a beauty celebrated throughout the world. Autumn is a time when mountains turn to magnificent crimson tapestries and cities glow in wonderful autumnal tints as days grow cooler. It seems this time of year craves a more formal tone than the lightness of Summer just past. Bring the beauty of the Autumn colors indoors for your tea party...choose dark, earth tones of russet, brown, old gold for your linens. Place a fall-hues tapestry table-runner over the linen and use tapered candles in Autumn colors in your best candle holders on the table. The centerpiece can be a combination of Fall flowers and leaves in a scooped out pumpkin shell...scatter a few colorful Autumn leaves on the table for added interest. Serve tea later in the afternoon so that the candle light from Autumn scented candles greet your guests as they arrive (be careful not to have too much aroma so as to not over-power the tea and food). To add a bit of whimsy, if you desire, use a pumpkin tea-pot and soup tureen if you have them but any china with Fall colors would work just as well...many of the Johnson Bros. patterns would be perfect (a favorite is Devonshire in Brown/Multicolor). As your guests arrive have the lovely tune 'Autumn Leaves' playing in the background and give your guests a fancy bottle of Cranberry Vinegar as a parting gift.

SUGGESTED MENU for a 'Harvest's Bounty' Tea Party

*
Recipes shown below

Acorn Squash Soup in their shells*
Smoked Turkey Tea Sandwiches with Cranberry Chutney
Apple-Boursin Cheese Open Face Fingers*
Zucchini and Ham Mini-Quiches
Pumpkin Scones with Honey-Walnut Cream Cheese Spread*
Cinnamon Apple Tea Bread*
Cranberry Tartlets*

Tea-and-Roses NEW Special Tea Blend: Autumn Harvest

 

 
 
 
   

Selected Recipes

Acorn Squash Soup

This wonderful Harvest Soup is baked and served in its own shells.

INGREDIENTS
6 acorn squash or equal size
2 med. onions, chopped
4 tbsp. butter
3/4 c. bread crumbs
Salt & pepper to taste
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. grated gruyere cheese
6 c. chicken stock
1 c. heavy cream

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut thin slice off bottom of each squash so it sits level. Slice cap off squash and reserve. Scrape out seeds and fibers. Sauté onions in butter until tender. Add bread crumbs and stir until butter is absorbed. Remove from heat and stir in salt, pepper, nutmeg and cheeses. Place squash in baking pan. Divide crumb cheese mixture equally among the squash. Add enough stock so that squash is almost full. Replace cap on each squash. Bake 45 to 60 minutes or until soup is simmering and squash pulp begins to get tender. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 15 to 20 minutes until squash is tender. Squash should not lose its shape. Stir cream into each squash and adjust seasonings. Serve soup and remember to scrape the inside of the squash bowl.

Apple-Boursin Open Faced Fingers

Recipe courtesy of Petali Teas - http://www.petaliteas.com

Yields: 12 Finger  Sandwiches

INGREDIENTS
1 eating apple (Gala or Jonathon), peeled, cored, and cut into 12 thin slices
Juice of one lemon
4 slices of walnut-raisin bread 
1/4 cup Boursin cheese, at room temperature

PROCEDURE
Dip each apple slice into the juice of the lemon. Soak for 1 minute. Remove apples and set aside.

Remove the crusts from the walnut-raisin bread. Cut each slice of bread into three strips. Spread the Boursin cheese on the top of the bread strips. Place the apple slices on the top of the cheese.


Pumpkin Scones with Walnut Butter

INGREDIENTS
2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup pumpkin (if canned, be sure there are no spices or sugar added)
1 tsp vanilla extract

 

DIRECTIONS

Mix together flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.  Cut butter into small pieces and cut into flour.  Mixture should look like coarse crumbs.  In a separate bowl mix together the pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla.  Add to flour mixture and mix until the dough comes together (don't overmix).
 

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead gently 3-4 times, and then shape/pat dough into a circle about 1 1/2 inches thick.  Slice in half, and then cut each half into 4 equal pie-shaped wedges.  Brush with egg glaze (1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp milk), and sprinkle with Turbinado sugar. 

Bake on a cookie sheet for @ 375° for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Makes 8 medium scones.

Honey Walnut Cream Cheese Spread
1 (8 oz.) package light cream cheese
2 tablespoons honey
4 cup finely chopped walnuts

Place cream cheese and honey in small bowl. Beat with electric mixer on medium about 1 minute, or until smooth and creamy, scraping bowl once or twice. Add walnuts. Beat on low about 20 seconds, or until combined.

Yield: Approx. 20 tablespoons

 

Cinnamon Apple Tea Bread

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups flour unbleached white flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
8 ounces applesauce
1 cup skim milk

DIRECTIONS
Mix the dry ingredients together and add the applesauce, then the egg and milk...do not overmix Pour into nonstick loaf pan and bake at 350F for 50 min. Remove and cool.

Recipe courtesy of Jennifer Wickes from  "Cooking With The Seasons",
 

Cranberry Tartlets

You can make this 1-day before serving. Keep it chilled until 1/2 hour before your tea party.

INGREDIENTS

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
Two 12 ounce packages of fresh cranberries
2 cups sugar
1 cup red currant jelly
2 TBSP. Kirsch or Brandy  (optional)
 

INSTRUCTIONS
Rinse and drain the cranberries and remove any blemished berries. In a small bowl, soften the gelatin in the cold water. In a 3-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the berries, sugar, jelly and Kirsch (or brandy) and cook over LOW heat for 10 minutes, just until the cranberries are softened.

Remove from the heat and let cool 5 minutes. Stir in the gelatin and cool completely. Pour into pre-cooked tartlet shells and chill until firm. Keep chilled until 1/2 hour before serving.

Yield: Enough filling for a 9-in shell.

         
       

Music on this page: "Autumn Leaves"

         
 
 
 
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