“Come along inside… We’ll see if tea and buns can make the world a better place.”
Welcome! It's not snowing outside, but neither is it raining, and it's crisp and cold out there, which makes it a perfect time for a tea party. (Although any time is Tea Time, really.)
A Proper Tea is much nicer than a Very Nearly Tea, which is one you forget about afterwards. - Winnie-the-Pooh
Let's celebrate a day of good cheer, with festive beverages (not all of a tea nature) and delicious treats. Make yourself at home, share your recipes, favourite teas, favourite tea quotes, photos, favourite foods to accompany tea, songs for the season, and join in. (Anything that won't fit in a comment can be posted elsewhere and linked to; I'll edit this post as needed.)
"...The cup of tea on arrival at a country house is a thing which, as a rule, I particularly enjoy. I like the crackling logs, the shaded lights, the scent of buttered toast, the general atmosphere of leisured cosiness." - P.G. Wodehouse, The Code of the Woosters
So I've settled in, a cup of Harney & Sons Holiday Tea in hand (thanks to soniag - this is my favourite Holiday black tea), as seems appropriate to the season. What are you drinking?
Poll
How to make tea: The perfect cuppa, from the BBC.
*************************
I never thought I had a lot of teas, until I peered into my cupboard and realized that tea boxes and bags over-run two shelves. To spare you their normal display (which is unsightly and disorganized), I thought I'd photograph a few of them in a more festive light:
Do any of you have favourite seasonal teas? I am quite fond of Stash's line of Christmas teas, particularly White Christmas, a white tea, peppermint, and ginger blend that's lovely after an afternoon out in the cold. (I often would drink Celestial Seasonings Sugar Plum Spice tea, but this is a lot harder to find here now.)
*************************
December always inspires me to bake for friends and family and co-workers. Here are some of my favourite go-to recipes; some will be familiar to some of you, and some are new. All have been tested (even the Wassail) and found yummy!
Elspeth's Heir's Chocolate Bar Chunk Cookies
If I were to recommend a tea, I'd suggest something strong and bitter, to cut the sweetness of all the chocolate here. But a nice minty tea would be lovely too. And really, chocolate goes with anything, I find…
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar (I use Demerara, but any kind will do)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 cup flour
1 cup oatmeal (optional - this is to lend these cookies a faint air of healthiness)
1 good quality large milk chocolate bar, broken into chunks
1 good quality large dark chocolate bar, broken into chunks
1 good quality large white chocolate bar, broken into chunks
1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
Pre-heat oven to 375 C. Blend butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Add in flour and baking soda and mix gently. Stir in oats and chocolate bar chunks and chips. Mix well. (If you are Brother Mine, this is when you start 'testing' several chunks of cookie dough.)
Place dough by the teaspoonful on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes. Chocolate bits will often be gooey and hot when finished.
Lemon squares
I've used this recipe for over a decade now. I like tart lemon squares, so I use a lot of lemon juice, but for something sweeter, it's easy to just add more sugar (up to 3/4 c.) or less lemon juice (minimum of 1/4 c.). This version as is, with less sugar, is diabetic-friendly.
Base:
1 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. margarine
2 tbsp. yoghurt (you can use plain, but I find that strawberry or blueberry adds a nice taste to the base pastry)
Top:
2/3 c. sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 egg white
Grated rind of 1 large lemon
1/3 c. lemon juice
Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease an 8-inch square cake pan.
Mix together flour, sugar, margarine, and yoghurt for the base until just combined. Press mixture into pan and bake for 25 minutes or until just golden.
For the top, combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour over base. Bake for 30 minutes or until top is set. Makes about 16 squares.
Tiramisu Cheesecake
I know, I know, it's more of a coffee dessert, but a strong tea would also be fine with this. The recipe is courtesy of petzipellepingo, and it quickly became one of my favourite cheesecake recipes.
(makes 1 - 9" cake)
Ingredients:
1 cup Finely Crushed Oreo Cookies (Buy chocolate crumbs pre-crumbed if you can! This is very time-consuming)
3 Tbsp Melted Unsalted Butter
8 Lady Fingers cut into 1" pieces - I didn't cut them, and instead placed them on top as you see in the photo above.
4 tsp Instant Coffee Powder (I used an Instant Espresso powder for a stronger coffee flavour)
1/2 cup Coffee Cream
1 lb Cream Cheese
1 - 500 gram pkg Mascarpone Cheese
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 Tbsp Cornstarch
1 tsp Vanilla
3 Eggs
2 cups Heavy Cream
Cocoa for Dusting
Directions:
For The Crust:
Combine the Oreo Cookie crumbs and the melted butter, and press the crumbs onto the bottom of the pan. (The instructions said to line the bottom; I didn't.)
For The Filling:
Dissolve 2 tsp of the coffee powder into the coffee cream and set aside. Beat the cream cheese, mascarpone cheese and 1 cup of sugar on high speed in a large mixing bowl until soft and smooth. (Beat for approximately 5 minutes). On low speed, beat in cornstarch, vanilla, one egg at a time, and the coffee cream mixture.
Pour the filling into the prepared pan and top with the 1" Lady Finger pieces. Bake the cheesecake at 250 degrees F for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, until the centre appears nearly set when gently shaken. Allow the cheesecake to cool on a wire rack for 2 to 3 hours. Then refrigerate overnight.
When you cook it, the lady fingers may seem really hard, but they'll soften with the topping, I promise!
For The Topping:
Combine the remaining 2 tsp of coffee powder, 1/2 cup sugar and 2 cups heavy cream, and beat on high speed until it holds stiff peaks. Pipe or spread the cream over the top of the chilled cheesecake. Dust with cocoa. Serve as is, or with your favourite fresh berry. Makes 12 to 14 servings.
I have often made Ina Garten's Irish Soda Bread (from her Barefoot Contessa at Home book). The orange zest really makes it delicious and fresh. But I also highly recommend it toasted - for me, this is perfect on a holiday morning when I know there will be sweet things later in the day.
Irish Soda Bread
4 cups + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
4 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp cold unsalted butter, diced
1 3/4 c buttermilk, shaken*
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp orange zest
1 c dried currants
*I didn't have buttermilk, so I added 1 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice to skim milk, and it was fine. Buttermilk would make it more dense.
Oven: 375 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl, using a mixer (Garten suggests a paddle attachment, but I didn't have one so I used a regular hand mixer). Add butter and mix on low speed until mixed into flour.
With a fork, lightly beat liquid ingredients with orange zest. With mixer on low speed, slowly add wet ingredients to dry. Combine the currants with 1 tbsp flour to coat, then fold into dough using spatula or large spoon. The dough will be quite wet.
Dump dough onto a well-floured board and knead a few times into a round loaf. Place on sheet pan, and lightly cut an X on the top of the bread. Bake for 45 - 55 minutes. When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Here's what it looks like:
Easy Oatmeal Cookies
I fiddled around with an oatmeal cookie recipe some time ago, and these were delicious. I tossed in some currants, and I know that others have used chocolate chips and orange - you could probably use dried cranberries or different nuts, or no nuts, or whatever you're craving - very easy to adapt this one!
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or, if you love vanilla, which I do, closer to one teaspoon gives this a really rich flavour)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a large bowl, mix together the shortening, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter until blended. Mix in oats and walnuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls, 1 inch apart, onto greased cookie sheet.
Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately remove cookies to wire racks and allow to cool.
Ginger snaps
I have a friend who always used to bring these to holiday gatherings, and when she finally shared the recipe with me, I became addicted. I love finding excuses to bake these for other people, because I obviously need to make one batch for myself to test first!
The name is misleading - these are crunchy and snappy on the outside, but chewy on the inside.
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 large egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Sugar for rolling
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a baking sheet.
Cream together butter and 1 cup sugar. Stir in molasses, then the egg. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then blend into creamed mixture.
Form the dough into one inch balls and roll in sugar.
Place on baking sheet about two inches apart (they spread!) and bake ~ 15 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen delicious cookies.
And what would a tea be without scones? I'm eager to hear what your favourite scones are, and any recipes if you have them. My current scone recipe is Dorie Greenspan's Oatmeal Nutmeg scone. I never get tired of these.
Oatmeal Nutmeg Scones
1 large egg
1/2 cup cold buttermilk (or vinegar and milk)
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups old fashioned oats
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Position oven rack in the centre of oven; preheat oven to 400°; line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl, stir egg and buttermilk together.
In another bowl, whisk flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg together.
Drop in the butter and, using your fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with flour.
Quickly, working with your fingers or pastry blender, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly (you will have pea-size pieces, pieces the size of oatmeal flakes, and pieces the size of everything in between-that is just right). Dorie calls this 'benign neglect'. It works!
Pour the egg/buttermilk mixture over the dry ingredient; stir with a fork just until the dough, which will be wet and sticky, comes together; don’t overmix!
Still in the bowl, gently knead the dough by hand or turn it with a rubber spatula 8-10 times.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it in half.
Working with one piece at a time, pat the dough into a rough circle that is about 5 inches in diameter; cut it into 6 wedges and place on baking sheet.
Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until their tops are golden and firmish.
Transfer to a rack; cool for 10 minutes before serving.
And what goes well with scones? Devonshire cream! Now, sometimes it can be hard to find Devonshire cream here (I even frequent one tea shop where they serve… whipped cream instead), but there is a cheaters' version. Given that the authentic one is very filling and fat-filled, I'd suggest full-fat versions of the first two ingredients - may as well try to replicate it as closely as possible!
Cheaters' Devonshire Cream
Yields: 1-1/3 cups
8oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbsp. powdered sugar
In small bowl, with electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in the sour cream and powdered sugar until well mixed. Combine. Spoon into serving bowl; refrigerate until serving time.
And now, some recipes for teas!
Hot Spiced Cranberry Tea
Makes 4 Servings
2 (500 mL) cups cranberry cocktail
2 cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves
1 small piece of nutmeg (preferable to ground, which could be used in a - hee! - pinch)
2 cups freshly brewed black tea
Use a nutcracker to break whole nutmeg into small pieces. Or add ground nutmeg in with spices below.
In a saucepan, combine cranberry cocktail and spices.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
Remove and discard spices.
If desired, sweeten to taste with sugar or honey. You could use flavoured black teas to enhance the flavour as well.
Spiced Hot Tea
2 quarts Orange or other Spice tea
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups lemon juice (bottled is fine)
3 cups orange juice
1 stick cinnamon
1 tablespoon whole cloves - tied in cheesecloth, because you'll fish this out.
Pour 2 qt. boiling water over 8 teabags. Brew 5 minutes, remove tea bags, set aside. Boil 2 cups each water and sugar together 10 minutes to make syrup. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to boil. Simmer 20 minutes. Remove cloves and cinnamon. Serve hot.
Craving a bit of chocolate with your tea?
Chocolate Mint Tea
6 Peppermint tea bags
6 cups milk
6 tablespoons hot chocolate mix
Place tea bags in bottom of pan. Add milk and heat to just under boiling. Remove tea bags. Place one tablespoon chocolate in each mug and pour one cup of hot minted milk over chocolate. Serve with fresh mint leaf or peppermint stick candy.
And who says tea can't be unhealthy?
Tea Nog!
6 Black Tea bags
2 Eggs
14 oz Sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp Vanilla
1/4 tsp Salt
1 quart Milk
1/2 pint Whipping cream
Ground nutmeg
Brew all 6 tea bags in 1 cup of water. Steep for 5 minutes and remove bags. Let the tea cool, then add eggs (beaten), both milks, vanilla, salt, and mix well. Serve, with whipped cream and nutmeg for garnish
Serves 8.
Not-tea! A Holiday Hot Chocolate Recipe:
Chocolate Berry Hot Chocolate
(Photo from the Food Network Canada, which shows how thick this hot chocolate can be)
I found this recipe on the Food Network Canada web site. I tried making it with skim milk, but it really does taste wonderful with 2%...
1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
3 tbsp sugar
3 cups 2% milk
1 cup half and half cream
6 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup raspberry jam
2 tsp vanilla extract
dash fine salt
Whisk cocoa and sugar in the bottom of a saucepot while pouring in milk. Bring to just below a simmer, stirring often. Add chopped chocolate and raspberry jam, stirring until melted and hot. Stir in vanilla and salt and serve.
Serves 6
And if you're looking for something to warm you from the inside out, try the traditional Wassail - this is potent.
Wassail
10 small apples
10 teaspoons brown sugar
2 bottles dry sherry or dry Madeira
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3 cloves
3 allspice berries
1 inch stick cinnamon
2 cups superfine sugar
1/2 cup water
6 eggs, separated
1 cup brandy
Core the apples and fill each with a teaspoon of brown sugar. Place in a baking pan and cover the bottom with 1/8-inch of water. Bake in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes or until tender.
Combine the sherry or Madeira, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, sugar and water in a large, heavy saucepan and heat without letting the mixture come to a boil. Leave on very low heat. Beat the egg yolks until light and lemon-coloured. Beat the whites until stiff and fold them into the yolks. Strain the wine mixture and add gradually to the eggs, stirring constantly. (It will foam.) Add the brandy. Pour into a metal punch bowl, float the apples on top and serve in 8-ounce mugs. Invite friends and family and the whole neighbourhood to enjoy!
*************************
ETA1: rustydog offers up a marvellous Pumpkin cupcake recipe, a gorgeous photo from an historical museum, and a link to a tea party supply store here.
ETA2: soniag has a Merry Teamas post, with photos so crisp and enticing I wish I could somehow magic her tea experience into my house!
ETA3: And if you're in the mood for Pumpkin Maple Muffins, check out main_hoon_emily's post here. Yum!
ETA4: petzipellepingo, who finds the neatest things, has offered up a recipe in honour of Santa Lucia Day (today) in the comments here. Braid-Christmas Bread!!
ETA5: petzipellepingo really can find anything! Tea icons of all varieties here, and here.
ETA6: caerwynx shares a recipe for Tea and Sympathy scones. She says that sometimes simpler is best, and when it comes to scones, I agree!
ETA7: moreteadk brings us recipes (and photos!) for Braided bread and Saffron buns, in honour of St. Lucia day.
ETA8: Oooo! Recipes for the perfect afternoon tea, at petzipellepingo's LJ.
ETA9: momsalive1 has generously offered up herbs to make teas! Including lemon balm, rosemary, mint, and lavender. She also asks for suggestions on how to combine these flavors, or what would go well with lemon, other spices or cream. And if you're wondering what to substitute for egg in a recipe (caerwynx, I'm looking at you!), she has a suggestion!
ETA10: Yay! Tea icons! ancarett has made some, and they can be found here.
ETA11: Oh, a tea song! winkingstar offers up links to Winter tea, her favourite scone recipe, and two tea songs!
ETA12: From valancy_s - photos to tempt us!
ETA13: Tea deserves poetic praise! lage_nom_ai shares Tea with the Horse.
ETA14: makd offers up a link to 'healthy' chocolate cookies here. Yum!
ETA15: maddeinin, who is one of the most accomplished bakers I know, has assembled a drool-worthy (if tea drinkers drooled, of course) post of goodies here. Includes Earl Grey Chocolate Chip Shortbread and Blue Cheese Buttermilk Biscuits. Divine.
ETA16: Prettiful icons, courtesy of endlessdeep, here. Also, a list of places in Houston to visit for tea!
ETA17: Swoonable tea cookies, courtesy of tinuviellen, here!
ETA18: Craving something savory? caerwynx has a recipe for Salumi-filled Gougeres here.
ETA19: More tea poetry! caerwynx shares 'My Tea Ceremony' here.
ETA20: *facepalm* I thought I'd linked to this: cheesygirl's Cream Scone recipe here!
A Proper Tea is much nicer than a Very Nearly Tea, which is one you forget about afterwards. - Winnie-the-Pooh
Let's celebrate a day of good cheer, with festive beverages (not all of a tea nature) and delicious treats. Make yourself at home, share your recipes, favourite teas, favourite tea quotes, photos, favourite foods to accompany tea, songs for the season, and join in. (Anything that won't fit in a comment can be posted elsewhere and linked to; I'll edit this post as needed.)
"...The cup of tea on arrival at a country house is a thing which, as a rule, I particularly enjoy. I like the crackling logs, the shaded lights, the scent of buttered toast, the general atmosphere of leisured cosiness." - P.G. Wodehouse, The Code of the Woosters
So I've settled in, a cup of Harney & Sons Holiday Tea in hand (thanks to soniag - this is my favourite Holiday black tea), as seems appropriate to the season. What are you drinking?
Poll
How to make tea: The perfect cuppa, from the BBC.
*************************
I never thought I had a lot of teas, until I peered into my cupboard and realized that tea boxes and bags over-run two shelves. To spare you their normal display (which is unsightly and disorganized), I thought I'd photograph a few of them in a more festive light:
Do any of you have favourite seasonal teas? I am quite fond of Stash's line of Christmas teas, particularly White Christmas, a white tea, peppermint, and ginger blend that's lovely after an afternoon out in the cold. (I often would drink Celestial Seasonings Sugar Plum Spice tea, but this is a lot harder to find here now.)
*************************
December always inspires me to bake for friends and family and co-workers. Here are some of my favourite go-to recipes; some will be familiar to some of you, and some are new. All have been tested (even the Wassail) and found yummy!
Elspeth's Heir's Chocolate Bar Chunk Cookies
If I were to recommend a tea, I'd suggest something strong and bitter, to cut the sweetness of all the chocolate here. But a nice minty tea would be lovely too. And really, chocolate goes with anything, I find…
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar (I use Demerara, but any kind will do)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 cup flour
1 cup oatmeal (optional - this is to lend these cookies a faint air of healthiness)
1 good quality large milk chocolate bar, broken into chunks
1 good quality large dark chocolate bar, broken into chunks
1 good quality large white chocolate bar, broken into chunks
1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
Pre-heat oven to 375 C. Blend butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Add in flour and baking soda and mix gently. Stir in oats and chocolate bar chunks and chips. Mix well. (If you are Brother Mine, this is when you start 'testing' several chunks of cookie dough.)
Place dough by the teaspoonful on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes. Chocolate bits will often be gooey and hot when finished.
Lemon squares
I've used this recipe for over a decade now. I like tart lemon squares, so I use a lot of lemon juice, but for something sweeter, it's easy to just add more sugar (up to 3/4 c.) or less lemon juice (minimum of 1/4 c.). This version as is, with less sugar, is diabetic-friendly.
Base:
1 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. margarine
2 tbsp. yoghurt (you can use plain, but I find that strawberry or blueberry adds a nice taste to the base pastry)
Top:
2/3 c. sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 egg white
Grated rind of 1 large lemon
1/3 c. lemon juice
Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease an 8-inch square cake pan.
Mix together flour, sugar, margarine, and yoghurt for the base until just combined. Press mixture into pan and bake for 25 minutes or until just golden.
For the top, combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour over base. Bake for 30 minutes or until top is set. Makes about 16 squares.
Tiramisu Cheesecake
I know, I know, it's more of a coffee dessert, but a strong tea would also be fine with this. The recipe is courtesy of petzipellepingo, and it quickly became one of my favourite cheesecake recipes.
(makes 1 - 9" cake)
Ingredients:
1 cup Finely Crushed Oreo Cookies (Buy chocolate crumbs pre-crumbed if you can! This is very time-consuming)
3 Tbsp Melted Unsalted Butter
8 Lady Fingers cut into 1" pieces - I didn't cut them, and instead placed them on top as you see in the photo above.
4 tsp Instant Coffee Powder (I used an Instant Espresso powder for a stronger coffee flavour)
1/2 cup Coffee Cream
1 lb Cream Cheese
1 - 500 gram pkg Mascarpone Cheese
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 Tbsp Cornstarch
1 tsp Vanilla
3 Eggs
2 cups Heavy Cream
Cocoa for Dusting
Directions:
For The Crust:
Combine the Oreo Cookie crumbs and the melted butter, and press the crumbs onto the bottom of the pan. (The instructions said to line the bottom; I didn't.)
For The Filling:
Dissolve 2 tsp of the coffee powder into the coffee cream and set aside. Beat the cream cheese, mascarpone cheese and 1 cup of sugar on high speed in a large mixing bowl until soft and smooth. (Beat for approximately 5 minutes). On low speed, beat in cornstarch, vanilla, one egg at a time, and the coffee cream mixture.
Pour the filling into the prepared pan and top with the 1" Lady Finger pieces. Bake the cheesecake at 250 degrees F for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, until the centre appears nearly set when gently shaken. Allow the cheesecake to cool on a wire rack for 2 to 3 hours. Then refrigerate overnight.
When you cook it, the lady fingers may seem really hard, but they'll soften with the topping, I promise!
For The Topping:
Combine the remaining 2 tsp of coffee powder, 1/2 cup sugar and 2 cups heavy cream, and beat on high speed until it holds stiff peaks. Pipe or spread the cream over the top of the chilled cheesecake. Dust with cocoa. Serve as is, or with your favourite fresh berry. Makes 12 to 14 servings.
I have often made Ina Garten's Irish Soda Bread (from her Barefoot Contessa at Home book). The orange zest really makes it delicious and fresh. But I also highly recommend it toasted - for me, this is perfect on a holiday morning when I know there will be sweet things later in the day.
Irish Soda Bread
4 cups + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
4 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp cold unsalted butter, diced
1 3/4 c buttermilk, shaken*
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp orange zest
1 c dried currants
*I didn't have buttermilk, so I added 1 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice to skim milk, and it was fine. Buttermilk would make it more dense.
Oven: 375 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl, using a mixer (Garten suggests a paddle attachment, but I didn't have one so I used a regular hand mixer). Add butter and mix on low speed until mixed into flour.
With a fork, lightly beat liquid ingredients with orange zest. With mixer on low speed, slowly add wet ingredients to dry. Combine the currants with 1 tbsp flour to coat, then fold into dough using spatula or large spoon. The dough will be quite wet.
Dump dough onto a well-floured board and knead a few times into a round loaf. Place on sheet pan, and lightly cut an X on the top of the bread. Bake for 45 - 55 minutes. When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Here's what it looks like:
Easy Oatmeal Cookies
I fiddled around with an oatmeal cookie recipe some time ago, and these were delicious. I tossed in some currants, and I know that others have used chocolate chips and orange - you could probably use dried cranberries or different nuts, or no nuts, or whatever you're craving - very easy to adapt this one!
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or, if you love vanilla, which I do, closer to one teaspoon gives this a really rich flavour)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a large bowl, mix together the shortening, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter until blended. Mix in oats and walnuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls, 1 inch apart, onto greased cookie sheet.
Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately remove cookies to wire racks and allow to cool.
Ginger snaps
I have a friend who always used to bring these to holiday gatherings, and when she finally shared the recipe with me, I became addicted. I love finding excuses to bake these for other people, because I obviously need to make one batch for myself to test first!
The name is misleading - these are crunchy and snappy on the outside, but chewy on the inside.
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 large egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Sugar for rolling
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a baking sheet.
Cream together butter and 1 cup sugar. Stir in molasses, then the egg. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then blend into creamed mixture.
Form the dough into one inch balls and roll in sugar.
Place on baking sheet about two inches apart (they spread!) and bake ~ 15 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen delicious cookies.
And what would a tea be without scones? I'm eager to hear what your favourite scones are, and any recipes if you have them. My current scone recipe is Dorie Greenspan's Oatmeal Nutmeg scone. I never get tired of these.
Oatmeal Nutmeg Scones
1 large egg
1/2 cup cold buttermilk (or vinegar and milk)
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups old fashioned oats
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Position oven rack in the centre of oven; preheat oven to 400°; line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl, stir egg and buttermilk together.
In another bowl, whisk flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg together.
Drop in the butter and, using your fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with flour.
Quickly, working with your fingers or pastry blender, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly (you will have pea-size pieces, pieces the size of oatmeal flakes, and pieces the size of everything in between-that is just right). Dorie calls this 'benign neglect'. It works!
Pour the egg/buttermilk mixture over the dry ingredient; stir with a fork just until the dough, which will be wet and sticky, comes together; don’t overmix!
Still in the bowl, gently knead the dough by hand or turn it with a rubber spatula 8-10 times.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it in half.
Working with one piece at a time, pat the dough into a rough circle that is about 5 inches in diameter; cut it into 6 wedges and place on baking sheet.
Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until their tops are golden and firmish.
Transfer to a rack; cool for 10 minutes before serving.
And what goes well with scones? Devonshire cream! Now, sometimes it can be hard to find Devonshire cream here (I even frequent one tea shop where they serve… whipped cream instead), but there is a cheaters' version. Given that the authentic one is very filling and fat-filled, I'd suggest full-fat versions of the first two ingredients - may as well try to replicate it as closely as possible!
Cheaters' Devonshire Cream
Yields: 1-1/3 cups
8oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbsp. powdered sugar
In small bowl, with electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in the sour cream and powdered sugar until well mixed. Combine. Spoon into serving bowl; refrigerate until serving time.
And now, some recipes for teas!
Hot Spiced Cranberry Tea
Makes 4 Servings
2 (500 mL) cups cranberry cocktail
2 cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves
1 small piece of nutmeg (preferable to ground, which could be used in a - hee! - pinch)
2 cups freshly brewed black tea
Use a nutcracker to break whole nutmeg into small pieces. Or add ground nutmeg in with spices below.
In a saucepan, combine cranberry cocktail and spices.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
Remove and discard spices.
If desired, sweeten to taste with sugar or honey. You could use flavoured black teas to enhance the flavour as well.
Spiced Hot Tea
2 quarts Orange or other Spice tea
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups lemon juice (bottled is fine)
3 cups orange juice
1 stick cinnamon
1 tablespoon whole cloves - tied in cheesecloth, because you'll fish this out.
Pour 2 qt. boiling water over 8 teabags. Brew 5 minutes, remove tea bags, set aside. Boil 2 cups each water and sugar together 10 minutes to make syrup. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to boil. Simmer 20 minutes. Remove cloves and cinnamon. Serve hot.
Craving a bit of chocolate with your tea?
Chocolate Mint Tea
6 Peppermint tea bags
6 cups milk
6 tablespoons hot chocolate mix
Place tea bags in bottom of pan. Add milk and heat to just under boiling. Remove tea bags. Place one tablespoon chocolate in each mug and pour one cup of hot minted milk over chocolate. Serve with fresh mint leaf or peppermint stick candy.
And who says tea can't be unhealthy?
Tea Nog!
6 Black Tea bags
2 Eggs
14 oz Sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp Vanilla
1/4 tsp Salt
1 quart Milk
1/2 pint Whipping cream
Ground nutmeg
Brew all 6 tea bags in 1 cup of water. Steep for 5 minutes and remove bags. Let the tea cool, then add eggs (beaten), both milks, vanilla, salt, and mix well. Serve, with whipped cream and nutmeg for garnish
Serves 8.
Not-tea! A Holiday Hot Chocolate Recipe:
Chocolate Berry Hot Chocolate
(Photo from the Food Network Canada, which shows how thick this hot chocolate can be)
I found this recipe on the Food Network Canada web site. I tried making it with skim milk, but it really does taste wonderful with 2%...
1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
3 tbsp sugar
3 cups 2% milk
1 cup half and half cream
6 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup raspberry jam
2 tsp vanilla extract
dash fine salt
Whisk cocoa and sugar in the bottom of a saucepot while pouring in milk. Bring to just below a simmer, stirring often. Add chopped chocolate and raspberry jam, stirring until melted and hot. Stir in vanilla and salt and serve.
Serves 6
And if you're looking for something to warm you from the inside out, try the traditional Wassail - this is potent.
Wassail
10 small apples
10 teaspoons brown sugar
2 bottles dry sherry or dry Madeira
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3 cloves
3 allspice berries
1 inch stick cinnamon
2 cups superfine sugar
1/2 cup water
6 eggs, separated
1 cup brandy
Core the apples and fill each with a teaspoon of brown sugar. Place in a baking pan and cover the bottom with 1/8-inch of water. Bake in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes or until tender.
Combine the sherry or Madeira, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, sugar and water in a large, heavy saucepan and heat without letting the mixture come to a boil. Leave on very low heat. Beat the egg yolks until light and lemon-coloured. Beat the whites until stiff and fold them into the yolks. Strain the wine mixture and add gradually to the eggs, stirring constantly. (It will foam.) Add the brandy. Pour into a metal punch bowl, float the apples on top and serve in 8-ounce mugs. Invite friends and family and the whole neighbourhood to enjoy!
*************************
ETA1: rustydog offers up a marvellous Pumpkin cupcake recipe, a gorgeous photo from an historical museum, and a link to a tea party supply store here.
ETA2: soniag has a Merry Teamas post, with photos so crisp and enticing I wish I could somehow magic her tea experience into my house!
ETA3: And if you're in the mood for Pumpkin Maple Muffins, check out main_hoon_emily's post here. Yum!
ETA4: petzipellepingo, who finds the neatest things, has offered up a recipe in honour of Santa Lucia Day (today) in the comments here. Braid-Christmas Bread!!
ETA5: petzipellepingo really can find anything! Tea icons of all varieties here, and here.
ETA6: caerwynx shares a recipe for Tea and Sympathy scones. She says that sometimes simpler is best, and when it comes to scones, I agree!
ETA7: moreteadk brings us recipes (and photos!) for Braided bread and Saffron buns, in honour of St. Lucia day.
ETA8: Oooo! Recipes for the perfect afternoon tea, at petzipellepingo's LJ.
ETA9: momsalive1 has generously offered up herbs to make teas! Including lemon balm, rosemary, mint, and lavender. She also asks for suggestions on how to combine these flavors, or what would go well with lemon, other spices or cream. And if you're wondering what to substitute for egg in a recipe (caerwynx, I'm looking at you!), she has a suggestion!
ETA10: Yay! Tea icons! ancarett has made some, and they can be found here.
ETA11: Oh, a tea song! winkingstar offers up links to Winter tea, her favourite scone recipe, and two tea songs!
ETA12: From valancy_s - photos to tempt us!
ETA13: Tea deserves poetic praise! lage_nom_ai shares Tea with the Horse.
ETA14: makd offers up a link to 'healthy' chocolate cookies here. Yum!
ETA15: maddeinin, who is one of the most accomplished bakers I know, has assembled a drool-worthy (if tea drinkers drooled, of course) post of goodies here. Includes Earl Grey Chocolate Chip Shortbread and Blue Cheese Buttermilk Biscuits. Divine.
ETA16: Prettiful icons, courtesy of endlessdeep, here. Also, a list of places in Houston to visit for tea!
ETA17: Swoonable tea cookies, courtesy of tinuviellen, here!
ETA18: Craving something savory? caerwynx has a recipe for Salumi-filled Gougeres here.
ETA19: More tea poetry! caerwynx shares 'My Tea Ceremony' here.
ETA20: *facepalm* I thought I'd linked to this: cheesygirl's Cream Scone recipe here!