In the days when Hawaiian monarchs reigned over the realm, high tea was elegantly served each afternoon in many homes as a matter of course. Little by little that charming custom started to decline, as we got on with the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, and seems to have lost favor except for those very special occasions.
When first introduced in England during the late 1700's, the custom of serving tea in late afternoon was embraced by both the working classes, who needed some nourishment as soon as they got home from a long day's work and also for the gentry who used it as a bridge between lunch and their more fashionable evening meal.
The traditional afternoon tea was a meal to satisfy all tastes. The menu could be as simple or as elaborate as you wanted to make it, as long as you remembered to serve at least one savory dish followed by a baked item rather than a dessert, and of course, tea was the quintessential beverage.
Today, afternoon tea can serve as a refreshing oasis to our hectic schedules. A time to revive the art of conversation and share intimacies with friends.
About three years ago, The Palms Cliff House Inn in Honomu served as a beautiful setting for an afternoon Birthday High Tea, Hawaiian Style. It was a memorable occasion with twenty friends getting together to honor a dear friend on her special day.
Several tables were laid out on the spacious lanai with layers of white linens, each holding centerpieces of Hawaiian native materials, candles and etageres loaded with delicious scones, finger sandwiches and other little treats.
The main dining room table was outfitted with the usual tea serving accouterments and the guests were offered their choice of three flavored teas. As did most of the guests, I tried each flavor in
turn. My favorite tea was the Passion for Hawaii, but the other two were equally wonderful and very refreshing.
The menu that follows was served during that afternoon and for dessert, at the request of the honoree, I baked my special "Elizabeth Cake" in her honor.
"Elizabeth Cake" - Hershey Chocolate Cake infused with liliko'i (passion fruit) syrup and topped with cream cheese, sweet butter and passion fruit syrup.
Article about liliko'i (passion fruit) and the cake recipe
HIGH TEA MENU
*Queen Emma's Rose Tea
A beautiful black tea deeply scented with the romantic fragrances of roses. Red rose petals add beauty and extra smoothness to each cup. Our Queen Emma loved roses and enjoyed afternoon tea daily. This beautiful tea blend was named in her honor.
*Passion for Hawaii
A long leaf black tea scented with pure Liliko'i fruit nectar, papaya and pineapple fruits and beautiful floras.
*Dragon Phoenix Jasmine Pearls
Green tea carefully scented with Jasmine flowers, a process that takes several layerings. A careful separation of leaf and flower, each tealeaf is hand-rolled into a "pearl".
*Fresh Hamakua Watercress Blended with Hawaii Island Goat Dairy Chévre and Cucumber on Light Russian Rye Bread
*Festive Honey Roasted Chicken, Cranberry and Pecan on San Francisco Sour Dough Bread
*Smoked Alaskan Salmon, Baby Hamakua Ginger, Cilantro and Lime Butter on Dark Russian Rye Bread
*Cranberry-Orange Scones
*Coconut Scones
*Seville Orange Marmalade
*Blackberry Jam
*Mama Ella's Liliko'i Butter Cookies
*Créme Filled Pirouettes
*Almond Roca Cookies
*Coco & Cinnamon Dusted Almonds
*Cinnamon and Mocha Chocolate Dusted Sourdough Stars
*The Palms Cliff House Private Blend Coffee
Sonia's Note: The Hawaiian Islands might be part of the United States now, but were first "discovered" by Captain James Cook, a Brtish sailor and adventurer. The first outside contact made by the Hawaiians being with the British, the early Hawaiians adopted many British customs and even our State Flag shows the influence of the Union Jack.
(c) Sonia R. Martinez - excerpts from an article originally published in my weekly column 'Come Join the Feast! on August 19, 2003 for the Hawaii Tribune-Herald of Hilo
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Comments: 36
Very enjoyable! I feel as if I have been treated to this elegant affair myself!
Debbie, thank you so much for the nice comment. I must clear up something first though....my only mouth watering creation here was the cake... the talented hosts at the Palms Cliff House prepared everything else!
I didn't mean to make you feel I was 'trumping' your Hotel Empress High Tea afternoon..... :-(
I just joined a neat sounding tea group in Gather and it reminded me of a couple of articles I had written in the past about tea in Hawaii.
Tea is not fattening, but all the wonderful little things we like with it are.......!!!
The cake is delicious! The reason this cake was named after Elizabeth Lindsey is that she is a lovely and willowy reed of a person...but at one of our church's Christmas Eve events, I took this cake and could not believe that Elizabeth not only ate a slice, but went back for a second helping...I had NEVER seen Elizabeth eat much of anything and definitely had not ever seen her go for seconds!....and several months later, she requested it as her Bday gift from me!
Is this the same restaurant as the Palm Cafe is Kailua-Kona? We ate there on our last visit and it was wonderful. The view looks similar. That would be far away from your side of the island.
Peter, thanks for reading and commenting....to tell you the truth, I'm not sure which passion fruit these are....they just grow, voluntarily, in the yard and are the plain yellow ovoid ones....the blooms are purple and white (same as in the picture of the cake)
I will try to get the recipe for the coconut scones from the owners at PCH
The cake is delicious if I do say so............;-)
Sue, I hope you can!
It is curious that Hawaiians use the term "high tea" in an opposite way from the Brits, where high tea is a supper and must contain a hot dish, whereas what is pictured at this hotel is what the Brits call "afternoon tea", since the savories are cold, not hot.
As to the term High tea, yes there was a hot dish - a quiche, but it did not come out until everyone was sitting. I was there early to finish "icing" my cake so I took pictures of the tables before the rest started arriving...
Trish, the cake is as good as it looks!
Thank you. I'm so glad you're enjoying my cookbook and hope it brings you ideas for many a memorable meal!
The yellow ones grow wild here.
I have also spotted a red blossom one, but does not produce fruit, to my knowledge. I've been wanting cuttings of that one but when I requested one the owner of the property where it was growing said no.....! Not much aloha in that house....
The only high tea I've been to was at the Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC.