Testing New Recipe’s

Tonight I made Bacon Wrapped Apricot hors d’oeuvres just so that I could take a picture for you…  Ok , ok and so that I could eat a few.  These are a perfect blend of sweet & salty!

The first time I heard about these I was on a wine tour in Oregon and I crinkled my nose at the thought of this pairing.  Boy was I surprised when I first tasted them and I have been in love with them ever since.

They are wonderful hot or cold and can be prepared in advance (all except the baking) and frozen for up to a month!  This is great news when you are preparing a full tea for 100 people.  Anything you can do in advance is terrific.

Here’s the photo – don’t they look yummy!?!  

And here is the recipe:

Bacon Wrapped Apricots with Sage

Ingredients:

Fresh sage leaves

Dried apricots

Thin sliced bacon, cut crosswise into thirds

Pure maple syrup

Directions:   Pre Heat oven to 375º F (190°C)

Place a sage leaf on each apricot (a piece about the same size as the apricot) then wrap the apricot with a piece of bacon making sure the bacon overlaps itself (you can stretch the bacon quite a bit) and place them seam-side down on a baking sheet.

Bake about 6 to 8 minutes per side or until the bacon is beginning to crisp. 

Remove from oven and brush them with the pure maple syrup.

These are great as appetizers for any dinner party or to enjoy with a cup of tea…      

May your cup be fragrant and flavorful!

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Tea Party Planning for 2011

My sisters and I are getting ready for our next annual tea party which is scheduled for May of 2011.  Yes, planning is already in process.  In fact Bobbi and I have been discussing decorations on-and-off for a year now.   I have been driving myself a little crazy with this one since it will the last party I can host in California.  I will be moving north in just over a year, so I won’t have my daughter, sisters or nieces around, but that is another story…

Anyway, a couple of Saturdays ago, all of the hostess’ came to my house for a pre-tea planning session.  We talked about the invitations (everyone got to see the proto-type), the party location (I think we have it, but won’t know for sure for a couple more weeks), talked about the menu and planned a couple of games. 

We also did a little taste testing of a couple new items we want to include; bacon wrapped apricot hors d’oeuvres (these are so yummy) and chocolate pear tartlets.  It was a good thing we tried these because we needed to make a couple of changes to the recipes for both items. 

In past years we have asked every guest to bring a gift-wrapped teacup and saucer set for a game we have played where one-by-one every guest gets to select a wrapped package or “steal” a cup that someone else had already opened.  It has been a lot of fun, especially when the ladies truly start “shopping” someone else’s cup.  But with a guest list of 40+ last year the game seemed to drag on a bit and since we are allowing the invitation list to grow larger this next year we decided to replace this game with a couple of new games to keep everyone involved. 

 May your cup be fragrant and flavorful!

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A Spot of Tea at the Office?

I am a tea drinker by inclination and coffee drinker by habit.  By that I mean I drink coffee because it is always available, however, I drink tea because I love the aroma and the visual impact of its liqueur.  And though I will on rare occasion consent to using a tea bag I prefer using loose tea. 

This preference can cause some angst if you are at work or traveling and really need a good cup of tea. Unless of course you work in a Tea Shoppe and have time to warn your teapot, set out a strainer and all of the other paraphernalia that goes along with a good cup of tea.  

To solve my problem of “needing” leaf tea I re-purposed a travel mug intended for coffee.  Made by Bodum, it is a 16 ounce double walled travel mug with a built-in coffee press and is perfect for brewing that afternoon cup of tea.  If I can’t get my hands on a kettle to boil the water, I just add water to the travel mug (which is plastic) and pop it into the microwave until the water is boiling hot.  I know, I know it is almost sacrilege to use plastic, but when you are desperate…

Any way, once the water is hot enough I measure my tea leaf into the mug and screw on the lid.  Let it steep for a few minutes and then slowly press all of the wonderful unfurled leaves to the bottom of the mug.  I generally sip straight from this mug, but you can decant your tea into a cup to drink it.

Isn’t it wonderful how a good cup of tea can instill us with a sense of serenity?

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Sweet… Rich… Cakey…

What is a scone?  Originally it was a Scottish quick bread made with oats and buttermilk and cooked on a grill. This wonderful little “biscuit” has evolved into a sweet… rich… cakey… toothsome delight. 

Scones are still classified as a quick bread and they are deceptively simple to make, especially if you have a Kitchen Aid stand mixer.  I use the same basic recipe for every scone I make.  Then I add what ever I have on hand during preparation that sounds yummy. 

Basic Scone – preheat oven to 425 ° Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Mix together:  

2 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tbls baking powder

1/2 salt

Cut into dry ingredients: (do not let butter become a paste – lumps of butter are ok)

6 tbls cold butter – cubed

Wisk together and then add to dry ingredients:

1 lrg egg

1/2 cup heavy cream

Next, flour your counter top (I use parchment on my counter to ease clean up) and turn out your scone dough and knead it gently 6-7 times.  Then pat the dough to a flat ½ to ¾ inch thickness and cut into individual scones – round, square, triangle – what ever shape suits your fancy.  Place them on a parchment covered baking sheet about 2 inches apart and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.  You can expect 8 large to 12 small scones per batch.

Now for the creative touch…

I love orange-cranberry so I add 1 cup of diced-dried cranberries and 2 tablespoons of orange zest to the dry mixture just before adding the liquid.  And to the liquid I add 1 rounded tablespoon of frozen orange juice concentrate.  While these are baking I add another tablespoon of orange juice concentrate to ¼ cup of powdered sugar, mix it well and then brush the tops of the scones as soon as they come out of the oven.  Yummy…

For Almond scones, add 1 cup of ground almonds to the dry ingredients and 1 tablespoon of almond extract to the liquid.

 For breakfast you could add cheese and bacon crumbles. 

 The possibilities are endless.  Just imagine all of the sweet or savory flavors you love.

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2010 – Through the growth of friendship and family comes life.

Remember a couple of months ago when I set the goal to post once a week?  As you can see (or not see for lack of postings) I didn’t meet my goal.  Life got in the way so now I am starting over and still aiming for the once per week posting. 

 This past month I have been up-to-my eye balls getting ready for the Faerie Masquerade Ball in Eugene.  Designing and sewing dresses and then attending the Ball.  It was so much fun I think I will do it again next year.  Attending that is, not creating 5 dresses.

Ok, back to Tea.  Every year my sisters and I (and now our daughters) host a Mother-Daughter Tea.  Our normal guest count is about 40 and while the date for our tea has shifted a few times to accommodate one of us needing to be out of town, our normal date is the first Saturday after Mother’s Day.

This past Saturday, my sister-in-law and I went to check out this year’s annual event location and it is going to be perfect!  For the first time in 14 years we will be indoors. We won’t need to worry about setting up umbrellas for shade or worry about the breeze drying out the food.  The rental space has a full kitchen and large entertainment hall – lots of space for setting up all of the tables and chairs.  The front entry has a stair way and foyer just begging to be decorated too!  The official theme is “Through the growth of friendship and family comes life” so decorations will be garden inspired. As will the scones and teas, hmmm…  I will have to ask my daughter to make some of her Rose Jelly.  Maybe I will create lavender scones… or add peppery nasturtiums to the rosemary scones…

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My Love of All Things Tea

I have loved all things tea as long as I can remember. Even during my tom-boy years the thought of sipping tea was enough to bring out the lady in me. I remember staring longingly at my mother’s Cottage Tea set. Asking her “when, oh please when could it be mine.” Her standard response was “someday, when you are grown.”

That tea set held a special place in her heart because when she was young, she had given that tea set to her grandmother. And when her grandmother passed on, the tea set came back to my mother. Well I grew up and that same tea set now has a place of honor in my Tea Cabinet and will eventually pass to my daughter and then her daughter.

I probably have over 50 tea pots now. I have to rotate them in my Tea Cabinet so that I can see them all. Some are exquisite, like the Russian Tea set my husband surprised me with several years ago… some are some very simple and utilitarian like my Brown Betty.

Many of my tea pots were never meant to hold tea: a tiny pewter tea set from Poland, a blown glass tea pot and a tea pot made from a grapefruit peel are a few of them.

And since I collect tea pots I also manage to accumulate lots of tea cups & saucers, tea strainers, tea balls, sugar tongs and other accoutrements. Even my collection of teas seems to grow every year. Oh and let’s not forget the tea books. I have an entire book case filled with books about tea.

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Darjeeling Tea

Tonight I am drinking another of my favorites – Darjeeling. These teas typically have a light floral aroma and a sweet cooling aftertaste. While they are sold as a “black” tea they are more of an Oolong as almost all of them have an “incomplete” oxidation of less then 90%.

Darjeeling is an estate tea, meaning it is cultivated, grown, produced, manufacture and processed in hilly tea gardens of the Darjeeling subdivision in West Bengal, India. Very much like the wines that carry the title of Champagne that are grown only in that region of France, this tea cannot be grown or manufactures anywhere else in the world.

There are scientific and religious beliefs behind why Darjeeling is the most suitable place to grow tea. The local people believe that the Himalayan range is the abode of Shanker Mahadeva and the breath of God brings winds that cool the brow of the sun filled valley, and the mist and fog which provide the moisture. The fountain that flows from the piled head of Shiva provides water for crops.

Darjeeling is one of the more expensive teas but well worth the extra cost. The liqueur varies from a pale yellow to a rich amber with a sweet and spicy flavor.

To brew the perfect cup of Darjeeling tea, use one level teaspoon of tea for each cup and nothing “for the pot.” Boil water to a “furious” boil and then pour immediately over tea. Three (3) to four (4) minutes is all it takes to have a perfect cup of this amazing tea. Do not brew any longer or you will end up with a bitter cup.

I use a coffee press for this tea so that I can insure the brewing process stops at the right moment. I let it brew for three minutes and then slowly push all of the tea leaves tightly to the bottom of the pot – stopping the brewing process. Half the fun of this tea is the wonderful aroma.  Yum, I love this tea!

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Invitations

We have been working on the invitations and the guest list for our annual tea. My oldest sister usually designs, produces and mails our annual invitations.  Even though the date for our tea is a standing date (always the Saturday after Mother’s Day) we follow the rules of etiquette and make sure they are mailed at least 4 weeks prior to the event. After all, these Teas began as a fun lesson in etiquette for our daughters. Our daughters were taught how to read the invitation to understand the proper dress for the occasion and how to let the hostess know if they were going to attend or not.

 

The invitations are the first hint on what to expect at the party and match the occasion in style and theme.  The invitations include the day of the week, the date, the time and the location.  Our invitations have let the ladies know that “garden” usually means pretty dresses and flat shoes, a “summer” tea means that a sun dress is acceptable and that “under the stars” means a light wrap may be needed.  One of our teas was a ‘hat and gloves” tea and we had ladies in fancy hats, hard hats, cowboy hats and baseball hats.  If I remember correctly that tea was the first time we allowed the “ladies” to wear pants/slacks to the tea.

 

Even though these annual events are considered a “Ladies Tea” we have a bit of fun at the end with a “White Elephant” game.  The invitations include a small card explaining the game and inviting each attendee to participate by bring a gift-wrapped tea cup. All of us have some very unique tea cups in our collections from these games.  

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