Kitchen Korner
A Spring Tea
Edited by Nancy Schweitzer
It’s cold and muddy midwinter here in eastern Connecticut. No snow, just cold muddy ground – so the best remedy for that in my “sisterhood” is to have “tea”. Sitting around a table with good friends with your hands wrapped around a hot cup of tea is probably one of the best ways that I know of to beat those winter “blues”. Good friends, good food, good conversation – what could be better?
There are all KINDS of ways to organize a tea. You may encounter some tea purists – I know they are out there – but ignore them and serve what you like. I used to take them seriously until last December when I attended a 60th birthday tea for an acquaintance that was organized by a tea “purist” – in fact, she’s a nationally known expert on the subject. She served the tea all right – out of STYROFOAM cups – and at a lovely historical site where styrofoam was completely inappropriate. So that demonstrated to me once and for all, that the experts – aren’t!
Within my group of friends, we have a monthly book tea. Because it is in the evening, the meal is hearty. We bring out our “good” dishes and enjoy! Begin with a soup – hot in the fall, winter, and spring, and a cold fruity soup or fruit salad in summer, and then sandwiches with pickles and cold veggies. Next come the scones, complete with jam and whipped cream, and last, but certainly not least, dessert. The teas used by our group are all decaffeinated for health reasons.
For example, here is our March book tea menu.
The book subject: Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann Ross.
Corn Chowder (see November newsletter for recipe)
Egg & Dill Salad Finger Rolls
Turkey Zinger Sandwiches
Cucumber Sandwiches
Assorted Cold Vegetables & Pickles
Maple Walnut Scones
Shortbread, Sour Cream Drops, Lemon Squares
Rice Pudding
Orange Mango
Zinger/Ginger Peach/
Strawberry Kiwi/ Peppermint Teas
Egg & Dill Salad
6 free range eggs
3-5 T of your favorite salad dressing/mayo
2 T fresh chopped dill
Salt and pepper to taste
2 T Chopped celery, bell pepper, or shredded carrots
Romaine lettuce hearts
Chop eggs and add dill. Mix salad dressing in to the consistency that you like and season to taste. Add the chopped vegetables of your choice and mix well. Store overnight for flavors to meld. Slice finger rolls and put two Romaine leaves the length of the roll. Put egg salad on the lettuce and squeeze gently together. Garnish with more of the chopped vegetables or with green olives.
Turkey Zinger Sandwiches
½ lb. REAL turkey breast, sliced medium thin (not shaved)
Whipped cream cheese
Cran-Raspberry Sauce
Marble rye/pumpernickel
bread
Trim the crust off of the bread if you choose. (This is one of those ‘purist’ things. Tea purists butter the bread also.) Spread a medium, but not gooey, layer of whipped cream cheese on both sides of the bread. Next, spread the cran-raspberry sauce on the cream cheese. Add two slices of turkey. Put the bread together and cut the sandwiches to your liking. I usually cut them in four pieces because the bread that I use has slices that are quite large. Keep chilled until served.
Cucumber Sandwiches
Note: Use the freshest cukes you can find – this time of year in New England, the English greenhouse cucumbers are usually the best.
Cucumbers, diagonally sliced thin but not shaved.
Soft pumpernickel bread
Dill dressing, Marie’s makes a good one
Trim the crust off of the bread. Spread a thin layer of dill dressing on the bread. Place a slice of cucumber on top of the bread. Sprinkle lightly with dill. Our group likes these sandwiches served “open-faced” without a second slice of bread. Keep chilled and sealed until served.
Maple Walnut Scones
2 cups flour
2 tsp. Baking powder
2 tsp. Sugar with 1 tsp.
Mapleine flavoring OR 4 T real
maple syrup
4 T softened butter
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup cream, half & half or milk
Cut in butter to flour and add egg and cream.
Mix well. Add cream as needed to make a soft dough.
Sprinkle a wooden board with flour.
Knead about 30 seconds until dough is soft and springy.
Flatten and cut into desired shapes.
Brush with egg white and water and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar
if desired. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes until golden
brown. Serve with whipped cream
and your favorite jam.
Shortbread
4 cups flour
3 sticks (1 ½ cups) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Salt
2 “shakes” of nutmeg
Mix all ingredients in bowl. Dough
should be soft. Chill if desired.
Flatten and cut into desired shaped or use wooden molds that
have been well floured. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 - 20 minutes,
or until lightly browned. Cool.
Store in sealed container.
Baked Rice
Pudding
4 cups milk
¼ cup uncooked rice
2/3 cup sugar
½ salt
2 tsp. Vanilla
3 tsp. Cinnamon
1 cup golden raisins
Mix all ingredients in an ovenproof 3-quart casserole. Bake at 300 degrees until liquid is almost
absorbed and rice is done. Stir
frequently for the first hour, every ten minutes or so, then about every
30 minutes until done, usually about 2 ½ hours.
Serve warm or cold with whipped cream, if desired.
Have a great month!
