High Tea

[OnigiriFB]

I've been foraying into the wonderful world of gourmet teas. We've tried oolongs, white teas, earl grey, english breakfast, chamomile, and floral blends. All have been delightful but drunk sans any food.

If you were to host a high tea what would you serve and with what tea?

[Gifted Gourmet]

If you were to host a high tea what would you serve and with what tea?

Traditional English teas such as China Oolong, Lapsang Souchong, Earl Gray, Ceylon Orange Pekoe, Darjeeling, Jasmine tea. I personally love Jasmine tea served from a silver teapot .... tres elegante!

Accompanied by a tray of freshly cut sandwiches: smoked salmon, cucumber, egg mayonnaise with mustard, cress, turkey and mayonnaise, cream cheese, grain mustard ... all served upon a three tier silver stand and please don't forget those freshly baked scones with jam and clotted Cornish cream ... sweets on the top layer of the tiered stand ...

Best high tea to me? Fortnum & Mason on Piccadilly Street, London ...

[Swisskaese]

You are referring to Afternoon Tea, not High Tea.

High tea is a working class supper consisting of hot meat, cheese, and egg dishes served around 6 pm.

Cream tea means that clotted cream is also served.

I would serve scones, clotted cream, cucumber sandwiches, salmon rolls, madeira cake, eccles cakes, mini fruit tarts, my grandmother's cherry cookies and vienna cookies.

I would serve Tunisian tea and Jasmine tea.

Edited January 2, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[christine007]

Yes, you want an afternoon tea.

The last one we put on we had everything Gifted Gourmet mentioned, with the addition of sausage rolls cut into bite sized pieces. sausage rolls are merely sausage rolled into a fat little hotdog shape and baked in pastry. They're not hard to make at all.

We've also had scotch eggs, which is hard cooked eggs rolled in sausage meat and deep fried. If you really want to be authentic, include some little sandwich's of butter and marmite, our favorite.

A jam tart is also very proper, and another easy one, just blind bake your best pastry and fill with jam before it cools. We like strawberry and apricot.

A trifle would be ok also.

I hope you get to have a tea, it's so much fun! It's a great informal way to entertain, and your friends will really feel special when they see all the wonderful food you made for them.

Let us know how it goes.

ETA- here's a page from a great site that has a collection of recipes for little cakes and tarts that would be served at a tea. Hope this helps.

http://www.greatbritishkitchen.co.uk/recip...?category=Cakes

Edited January 2, 2006 by christine007 (log)

[jackal10]

High tea is a substansial meal - the main meal of the evening, taken on return from work. Typically northern and working class, but also known in the colonies. I'd say eaten around 5pm. Kippers would be good (cv Alan Davidson's "A kipper for my tea") or welsh rarebit, cold meats, pies, breakfast dishes such as eggs, bacon, kedgeree, kidneys. Mac and cheese would be a perfect US dish. Working man's tea: Indian, strong and sweet enough "to stand a spoon up in" (5 tsp of sugar) in mugs.

Nursery tea would be for Nanny and the children in a large house, often prepared over the nursery fire, but possibly sent up from the kitchen. Also the main meal of the evening, and light nourishing comforting foods - for example scrambled eggs, but also cake, toast (with meat paste) or crumpets. A light plain tea, such as Assam might be appropriate.

Afternoon tea was taken by the ladies in the Drawing room. The ladies did not really eat. A few cucumber sandwiches (small triangles, no crusts), perhaps a a light biscuit, or a small sponge fancy to toy with. Earl Grey (with milk).

[slkinsey]

Some good information on Wikipedia here.

[andiesenji]

You will find a good selection of recipes at the Cat-Tea Corner, as well as an extensive list of links to tea shops, tea vendors, tea information and other interesting information.

Cat-Tea Corner

Afternoon teas are a more formal affair.

You are not alone in thinking that "High Tea" would be a fancy tea. There are tea rooms here in the US that have the same mistaken idea.

The term supposedly takes its name from being served at a "high" table, usually the kitchen table, sometimes a dining room table, rather than the lower and smaller parlor or drawing room tables and people would sit at the table as they would for any other meal.

When I was a child tea was served at 4:00 in the afternoon and included an assortment of small "finger" sandwiches, tea cakes, scones, biscuits (cookies) and an assortment of jams, jellies, etc.

Dinner was later in the evening and this was to fill the gap between lunch and dinner.

This site has some excellent Afternoon Tea REcipes

[kitwilliams]

I love Assam tea. And, in addition to everyone else's suggestions, I think a lovely, jam and cream-laden Victoria Sponge is the perfect cake, set on a pedestal, for your afternoon tea.

[OnigiriFB]

Wow. Thank you for all the good suggestions and links. I love eGullet and knew there would be so many people with good suggestions. Everything sounds lovely. Actually I took the term high tea from what was always served in Thailand in the fancy hotels. Thinking back you are all right there were more heartier dishes served. What I am thinking of is a afternoon tea where a bunch of us ladies can sit around and nibble while gossiping about the latest news. Looks like I have a bunch of sites to look through. After I do that I'll be sure to post what my menu is and see what you all think of it.

[rjwong]

Pardon my late arrival.

Here's a thread of my first afternoon tea at the Peninsula Hotel, Beverly Hills, complete with photos.

I went to my used bookstore tonight before they closed, and of course browsed through the cooking section. Martha Stewart's book "Hors-d'oeuvres" has a chapter titled "Tea party in the Library." If you have access to that book, you might want to take a look at that chapter for ideas.

and please don't forget those freshly baked scones with jam and clotted Cornish cream ...

Gifted Gourmet, what's the difference between Cornish cream and Devon cream, in terms of taste?

[Zucchini Mama]

There are other threads regarding afternoon tea on eGullet--search the Baking forum, the British forum, and the Vancouver forum, where we have sampled a few afternoon teas about town. I like scones and mini croissants with lots of sweet and savory options (jam, smoked salmon cream cheese, etc.) I love pecan tassies and little savory tarts. There must be lemon tarts. There must be chocolate. Cucumber sandwiches are optional. I also like tea-flavored sweets like matcha or Earl Grey shortbread.

Zuke

[prasantrin]

I'm revisiting this topic for a special occasion!

Two of my friends will be leaving our place of work (and one is also leaving the country), so I'm going to have a tea party for them. There will be at least 4 of us, maybe 5, and I want to provide a variety of foods, but not so much that I'll have leftovers for a month.

For the menu, I'm thinking of the following:

Savoury items:

sandwiches made from jalapeno cornbread (I'll use the cornbread recipe from Dorie Greenspan)--what kind of filling would be good with jalapeno cornbread?

stuffed gougeres--maybe chicken salad as the filling. Would it be better to have more than one kind of filling?

quiche--either the Bouchon recipe or the Fine Cooking recipe (which can be frozen and then baked)

sausage rolls

cream cheese, cocktail sauce, and crab meat served with crackers

Sweet items:

mixed berry scones with clotted cream (or Nestle's thick cream) and jam

Small shortbread cookies with lemon curd (I might try to make the cookies into tart shells)

Fruit (whatever is available--probably strawberries and blueberries)

That's actually as far as I've gotten with the sweet items.

My guests don't have any food-phobias, so I can serve anything I want. I've though of more savoury things than sweet things, because I usually prefer savoury, myself. But I need to add a few sweet things--maybe brownies or some kind of slice and/or poundcake.

Even though I have many more savoury items than sweet, would that be OK for this kind of tea party? I suppose I don't have to be "authentic", but I would like the foods to complement each other.

For tea, I only have one flavoured tea (Mariage Freres Bolero flavoured tea), and only one teapot (which is only used for flavoured teas). I think I might also have an English breakfast tea somewhere. I will also serve some coffee for the non-tea drinkers.

Any suggestions or comments?

[OnigiriFB]

country ham with the cornbread?

[prasantrin]

country ham with the cornbread?

←

I was going to mention, but didn't, that I am in Japan! I can get ham that's a little similar to baked ham, but not country ham.

If I use ham for the cornbread sandwiches, should I mix it with anything, or would it be better plain? Should I put mayonnaise or mustard or something, or have them on the side if people want to use them?

[OnigiriFB]

Opps. I forgot about that. Hrm.... I don't think I'd serve anything on the side. I do like the idea of ham with cornbread . You could go really English and butter the cornbread.

Maybe a mini blt if you want to use bacon.

[prasantrin]

Bacon!!!! I can get US-style bacon (it costs about $8 per slab, but at least it's available), so mini-blts are definitely do-able!

Thanks!

[jackal10]

I really think what you are proposing is too substantial.

Afternoon tea is not a meal, its an interlude before drinks or cocktails and dinner.

Anything more than some light sandwiches, such as cucumber, and maybe a scone, or other light cake or biscuit would be too much.

Your original menu without the savoury items, except for some cucumber sandwiches would do fine.

[prasantrin]

We're not really after an "authentic" afternoon tea. I'm thinking of it more as an appetizer party that just happens to be during what could be afternoon tea time. More like a late lunch, but with foods that are not quite as substantial as a full lunch.

I just want to eat a bunch of delicious foods without getting too full too fast!

[Old Timer]

country ham with the cornbread?

←

Cornbread lends itself well to sausage, particularly breakfast sausage.

I would look into making a sausage gravy and serving it either over the cornbread or on the side.

Jalepeno Cornbread has a little bite, which adds a nice flavor under the rich gravy.

[Swisskaese]

country ham with the cornbread?

←

Cornbread lends itself well to sausage, particularly breakfast sausage.

I would look into making a sausage gravy and serving it either over the cornbread or on the side.

Jalepeno Cornbread has a little bite, which adds a nice flavor under the rich gravy.

←

Yes, but this is something you would serve for high tea in Alabama, not Afternoon tea.

Afternoon tea is dainty sandwiches, mini quiches, scones, clotted cream, jam and delicated mini cakes and tarts.

Edited February 5, 2007 by Swisskaese (log)

[Old Timer]

country ham with the cornbread?

←

Cornbread lends itself well to sausage, particularly breakfast sausage.

I would look into making a sausage gravy and serving it either over the cornbread or on the side.

Jalepeno Cornbread has a little bite, which adds a nice flavor under the rich gravy.

←

Yes, but this is something you would serve for high tea in Alabama, not Afternoon tea.

Afternoon tea is dainty sandwiches, mini quiches, scones, clotted cream, jam and delicated mini cakes and tarts.

←

I agree.

But neither does cornbread have a place in Afternon Tea.

I wa only offering a suggestion if cornbread were to be on the menu.

[K8memphis]

country ham with the cornbread?

←

Cornbread lends itself well to sausage, particularly breakfast sausage.

I would look into making a sausage gravy and serving it either over the cornbread or on the side.

Jalepeno Cornbread has a little bite, which adds a nice flavor under the rich gravy.

←

Yes, but this is something you would serve for high tea in Alabama, not Afternoon tea.

Afternoon tea is dainty sandwiches, mini quiches, scones, clotted cream, jam and delicated mini cakes and tarts.

←

Yes and that's why the cornbread wasn't working for me at all. Too much starch. Shortbread cookies, scones, cornbread, finger sandwiches.

Cornbread mini muffins maybe but that kind of repeats with the scones doesn't it?

Cornbread is crumbly too. As a mini-muffin it would work. I'm sure there would be those among us who would suck all the air out of the room with this suggestion but like a deviled ham would be great in those. Like poke a little hole in the top or scoop out a little bit of the muffin with a sharp pointy knife and squirt in a cute little swirl to overflow onto the top of the muffin with some kind of deviled ham--that would work. And a little garnish sticking out the top, a fresh parsley sprig or a lobster antennae, just whatever you might have lying around. I said lobster antenae because they are red--I think the garnish should be red, what else is red? Paprika is kind of boring it won't stick up. I have all kinds of ideas. What about brush a stick pretzel with mayo or a shoestring potato with butter and roll in paprika! Cool! I know I know, I'm nuts, depending on the size of the muffin, I'd use one or three. I mean a little stick of red bell pepper would do it too. I would cut them zig zagged, not straight. A skinny little pink tipped radish stick! (pretzels too thick I was just brainstorming)

To me the only thing the guests should need to diddle with are the scones. Diddle with the cream and jam & stuff. The rest should just about pop in the mouth.

Umm, what I liked to do is take some mayo and spread it on the edge of the finger sandwich then dip that moistened edge in parsley or whatever herb to make an interesting presentation. If you wanted to get complik8ed you could just alternate the mayo so when you dipped it would be dotted along. Fun stuff. Or dip in fine choppped nuts. Or alternate those

Can I come help?

I would also do an upgrade on fairycakes. I think I'd pipe chocolate wings to enhance them. So they can be 3-d.

[jackal10]

For winter teas there is a whole tradition of toasted things: tea cakes, crumpets and the like. Ideally toasted by the fire. Served hot with lashings of butter melting into them. Maybe Marmite or Gentleman's Relish for the crumpets...

[K8memphis]

Oh, here's my other idea and I just love this one. Umm, take a random mini-muffin, I used sweet potato mini muffin or lemon poppyseed. And slice them--the inside pieces (not the heels) look like perfect little bitty slices of bread. If you use a muffin with a nice high peak and a nice fluffy overflow y'know?

Because to make finger sandwiches you trim the crusts off bread slices. So this is a play on that idea where they are so mini but totally look like a baby slice of bread. Keep the crust on though. And a dit dot of chicken salad or any filling makes a beautiful open face 'sandwich'.

Edited February 5, 2007 by K8memphis (log)

[Lilija]

I don't have much to add, except that now I'm inspired to host an afternoon tea. It's not something I've ever considered before, but this thread caught my eye, and now I'm craving the experience. Thanks for all the great ideas, and inspiration!