Summer tea party

I love tea parties. I have sipped my way through thousands of cups of tea in many tea establishments. I have even partaken in one over the pond in the UK in the pursuit of this nostalgic tradition of tea in the afternoon.

Every year I have a girl friends only tea party either in the summer or around Christmas. This year my backyard garden looks fairly awesome so I've decided to host the party amongst the blooms.

There is a bit of prep required to host a tea party but I have honed the menu down to two types of tea sandwiches (cut those crusts off), my to-die-for Scones, one dessert, plus lots of tea.

My tea party serves 4-6 women with some leftovers. So if you decide to embrace this menu don't worry about leftovers. If there are any sandwiches and scones kicking around after the party they'll still be good the next day.

I try to include the nutrient breakdown in most of my recipes but I don't even want to know how many calories or grams fat I'm eating at this fete. It's a treat. I don't eat like this every day and besides good food + great friends = calorie free fare, sort of like when you eat over the sink it doesn't really count either. (It really is fun living in my own little fantasy calorie world.)

Tea

I am a huge fan of green tea but my tea party menu screams for black tea. My personal favourites are Murchie's, a tea shop in Vancouver, Empress Afternoon Blend, Pippin's, a tea shop in Toronto, Buckingham Palace Blend or The Mighty Leaf's, an organic tea sold in higher end grocery stores, Earl Grey.

I was raised in an English, Irish, Scots home and the one thing my grandmother and my great aunt taught me was how to make a great pot of tea.

Here are my Grannie and Great Aunt Nellie's Tea Making Rules

1. Always use a clean teapot - that whole nonsense about never washing out your teapot is just another culinary myth. Make sure your teapot is clean. The old tannins that are sticking to the inside of your pot affect flavour and not in a good way.
2. Use cold water. Don't boil anything but cold fresh water. Believe it or not some people use hot water from the tap. No. Bad. Don't even think about it. That cold tap water has oxygen in it and that really affects the flavour of the tea. Use the cold tap water.
3. Hot the pot. Translation: preheat the teapot by using some of the boiling water from the kettle. This ensures that the correct temperature hits the leaves when the water is ready and is poured over the leaves or bags.
4. Measure out the correct amount of tea. 1 teaspoon (5 mL) per cup and this is a 6 oz. cup (175 mL). Most of us think a cup is 8 oz. (250 mL) but to the tea world 1 cup (250 mL) is equal to 6 oz. (175 mL) I use 1 teaspoon (5 mL) per serving and because my Great Aunt Nellie made tea that could dissolve a spoon, I do throw in that extra teaspoon (5 mL) for the pot, but if you don't like strong tea, forget about it. If you are using bags, it works out to be 1 bag per cup, unless it's a 2-cup tea bag.
5. Most new teapots have built in strainers, an excellent idea if you use loose tea; if you can; run out and buy one immediately. The wire mesh balls aren't as good, but in a pinch they'll do. Tea bags are okay, but I'm a loose tea kinda girl.
6. Once the kettle has boiled, pour in a small amount to hot your pot for 15 seconds, swirl, dump it out, technical jargon - discard.
7. Add the tea, take the teapot back to the kettle and pour in the boiling water. It's really important not to over boil the water. This will get rid of the much needed oxygen that is in the just boiled water which, as I mentioned before, really affects the flavour of the tea. Bet you didn't know that bit of tea trivia.
8. Let steep for the required time. Black teas are great anywhere from 3-5 minutes.
9. Remove the tea leaves or bag, unless you want your fortune told.
10. Pour into a china cup, okay, whatever you like and serve with milk, sweetener, lemon or leave it clear.

Tea Sandwiches

So what's the difference between tea sandwiches and a regular sandwich that you'd pack for lunch? All tea sandwiches are tasty morsels not huge sandwiches stuffed with fillings. The tasty fillings are usually finely chopped poultry, beef, fish or egg with interesting condiments and diced veggies, herbs or nuts added. My chicken filling has mango chutney as the secret star ingredient. Always cut off the crusts and then cut the sandwiches into smaller servings. I like to cut each sandwich into quarters or triangles.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Makes - 8 sandwiches to yield - 32 quarters

I really like heavier bread for this filling. Country Harvest makes a really great whole grain bread that is tender, perfect for this filling.

250 g (½ lb.) boneless, skinless, cooked chicken, finely chopped
¼ cup (60 mL) finely diced celery
1 ½ Tbsp (25 mL) finely diced red onion
¾ cup (175 mL) finely chopped California walnuts
3 tbsp (45 mL) light or lower fat mayo - may need more
1 Tbsp. (15 mL) fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) mango chutney - you may want more
16 slices whole wheat bread
¼ cup (60 mL) canola oil non hydrogenated margarine or softened butter

1. Mix together the chicken, celery, onion, walnuts, mayo, lemon juice, and chutney. If dry add a bit more mayo. Taste. Want more zip? Add more chutney. The filling can be made up to one day in advance covered and stored in the fridge.
2. If you like: The night before the tea party prepare the sandwiches. Lay out the bread and spread the margarine or butter onto the filling side of the bread. Spread with the chicken mixture. Gently press the sandwiches together. You will end up with 8 whole sandwiches.
3. Trim off crusts. Cut each sandwich into 4 quarters. Wrap in wax paper. Place into a resealable plastic container. Store in the fridge overnight.
4. Or make the sandwiches the morning of the tea party.
5. Day of the tea party place 4 quarters per person a fancy plate. Keep the rest wrapped in the fridge they'll be good to eat tomorrow.


Shrimp Salad Sandwiches
Makes - 4 sandwiches to yield - 16 triangles

Use a heavier bread like Country Harvest's whole grain so the filling doesn't make the bread soggy.

½ cup (125 mL) fresh or frozen shrimp, thawed, finely diced
¼ ripe avocado, diced
1 tsp (5 mL) lemon juice
2 tbsp (30 mL) light mayo
2 tsp (10 mL) minced red pepper
1 tsp (5 mL) minced fresh dill, optional
Salt if desired
8 slices whole wheat bread
2 tbsp (30 mL) canola oil non hydrogenated margarine or softened butter

1. Mix together shrimp, avocado, lemon juice, mayo, red pepper and dill if using. The filling can be made up to one day in advance covered and stored in the fridge.
2. The day of the tea party prepare the sandwiches. Lay out the bread and spread the margarine or butter onto the filling side of the bread. Spread with the shrimp mixture. Gently press the sandwiches together. You will end up with 4 whole sandwiches.
3. Trim off crusts. Cut each sandwich into 4 triangles. Wrap in wax paper. Place into a resealable plastic container. Store in the fridge till serving time. Serving time place 2 triangles per person on a fancy plate, store the rest wrapped in the fridge. These tend to get slightly soggy overnight, so you may have to eat all of them that day, too bad?.


Scones

They should be light and fluffy and covered with clotted cream or Devonshire cream and jam. You'll find clotted cream or Devonshire cream in higher end grocery stores in a small glass bottle in the refrigerated section usually somewhere close to the whipping cream.

Mairlyn's World Famous Scones
Makes: 20

3 ¼ cup (810 mL) all purpose flour
2 tbsp (30 mL) granulated white sugar
2 tbsp (30 mL) baking powder
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
½ cup (125 mL) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
zest of 1 orange
2 cups (500 mL) whipping cream!!!!! Yikes!!!!

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC).Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
3. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender. Stir in the orange zest.
4. Using a fork stir in the whipping cream.
5. On a lightly floured surface pat the dough into a large rectangle about ½-inch (1 cm) thick.
6. Using a knife cut into 20 equal pieces. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and flakey. Serve warm with clotted cream and jam.

Dessert

When I first started my annual tea party I made at least six different cookies and treats. The one thing I have learned is that simple is better so I serve one lovely dessert. My favourite pick right now is fresh local berries with whipped cream or sweetened yogurt cheese. Or you can try:

Sliced pound cake

Sliver of chocolate cake

Small dish of high end ice cream or sherbet