Tea Time: Afternoon Tea

Tea Time:  Afternoon Tea

Tea time evokes for Americans the daintiest of English repasts, the afternoon tea.  Americans who have read novelists from Jane Austen to John Le Carre have cucumber sandwiches, cake, crumpets and steaming cups of tea dancing in their dreams.  Unfortunately, they often make the error of calling the repast they are dreaming about "high" tea.  This dainty repast is actually "low" or afternoon tea.  People enjoy afternoon tea in the sitting room; the table is a low tea table (what is usually called a coffee table in the US).  In contrast, high tea is quite simply supper, eaten at a dining table; it includes a hot dish such as bubble and squeak or shepherd's pie. 

Afternoon tea was created nearly three centuries ago by the Duchess of Bedford who complained of a "sinking feeling" in late afternoon.  She asked her servants to bring her tea and cakes, and with time she began inviting friends to join her.  The grand English of afternoon tea was born.  Nowadays, office workers stop around 3:30 in the afternoon to take tea, but it is a simple affair.  People not obliged to get a day's work done may enjoy the grander form of tea at hotels, restaurants and at home.  The pattern is standard.  Afternoon tea starts with small sandwiches and other savouries, followed by scones and finally cake.  Cups of tea are enjoyed throughout.  (Note that in contrast, tea and coffee are never drunk with dinner in the United Kingdom and most of Europe.) 

Tea sandwiches should be made with very thinly sliced bread, and most of them with bread that is perfectly square so that it is possible to cut them into attractive triangles.  You can bake your own tea sandwich bread in a special pan called a Pullman; it is square, quite long, and has a lid that slides on and off to force the rising loaf into a square shape.  If you would rather buy bread, I recommend Very Thin bread by Pepperidge Farm (in the US).  The slices are barely 1/4" thick, and the bread is available in white and whole wheat. 

Scones served at the best hotels and tea houses in England are plain, not gussied up with flavors and additives the way they are so often in the US.  In fact, nowhere in England was I ever served a flavored scone.  The reason for using plain scones is so that nothing added to the delicious richness of a basic scone interferes with the delightful flavors of the traditional accompaniments, rich sweet cream butter, chunky strawberry jam, bitter orange marmalade, lemon curd and clotted cream.  When serving tea and scones, choose only the best quality of unsalted butter, and do not serve it rock hard out of the refrigerator.  Allow it time to soften before serving.  Since most marmalade in the US is made from sweet oranges, it is too sweet.  English marmalade is made from bitter Seville oranges and has a far better balanced flavor as a result.  Chivers is one of my personal favorite brands, and I particularly love the one with the thick cut strips of peel.  Unfortunately, Chivers can be hard to find in the US.  Another excellent brand is Wilkerson's.  The city of Oxford is known for its marmalade makers; any jar labeled "made in Oxford" will be excellent.  English strawberry jam has a far better chunky texture than typical US brands.  The English also enjoy other lovely jams hard to find in the US, such as gooseberry and damson plum.  

Nothing readily available in the US resembles the wonderful clotted cream from Devonshire in southwestern England.  First, US dairy farmers are more interested in quantity than quality, so the cows that most choose for their herds, the Holsteins, are a breed that produce a greater quantity of lower quality milk.  On the other hand, British farmers are more interested in producing the best quality milk.  Their cows are known for producing a smaller quantity of milk that is far richer in butterfat than that of US cows.  As a result, British milk and cream are much richer than their US equivalents, as are the dairy products they make from the milk, the cheeses and creams.  The cream served in tiny pitchers for adding to tea is richer than US whipping cream.

To make clotted cream, traditional Cornish or Devonshire farm wives pour freshly drawn milk, still cow warm, into low, wide pans.  They leave it at room temperature overnight for the cream to rise.  They skim the cream and put it into a pan where they simmer it, stirring, until it thickens and clots.  The final product is almost as thick as sour cream but not as tart.  Clotted cream is not sweetened.  Britons love to slather spoonsful of clotted cream on split buttered scones and all kinds of puddings (desserts).  I have heard the suggestion that one beat together one part sour cream and two parts unsweetened whipped cream to approximate clotted cream, but I find the result disappointing.  It is too tart and not quite the right texture.  Some Devonshire dairies bottle and export clotted cream.  Half-pint glass jars usually cost around $7.00 in the US, when you can find them.  I have seen these jars of clotted cream at Downtown Cheese in the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia and in the Wolferman's English muffins catalogue.  Bottled clotted cream is better than the aforementioned mixture, but still not as good as fresh clotted cream, and it is rather expensive. 

Lemon curd is very easy to make, so easy that I think the expense of buying it in jars is excessive, and the bottled kind never tastes as good as homemade.  An Irish friend of mine who is very much a food purist gave me the following recipe for lemon curd that she finds especially easy to make in the microwave.

Aideen's Microwave Lemon Curd

3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 T. grated lemon rind
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 T. unsalted butter, softened 

In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar.  Whisk in lemon rind, lemon juice and butter.  Microwave on high for 2 minutes; whisk until smooth.  Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes longer, until it boils and thickens slightly; whisk again until smooth.

Let cool, then refrigerate.  It will thicken a lot more as it chills.  May be stored in covered jar in refrigerator for up to a week.

Special note from me (still Aideen speaking):
This "May be stored…for up to a week" does not apply to me.  Once it has been sufficiently chilled (or even before), I can and do consume large quantities, by the spoonful, at any time of the day or night.  A week does not apply!  :-) 

Source: Recipe Ross 

Aideen's note applies to me, too!  Lemon curd is good for more than scones.  Put it in tartlets.  Spread it over a layer of shortbread and bake then cut into squares.  Use with fresh fruit instead of whipped cream.  Use to top vanilla or strawberry ice cream. 


Please note that after you split a scone to butter it, it is tacky to put it back together sandwich style. 


Here are a few tea sandwich ideas.  Do not substitute margarine for butter in any of these recipes. 


Stilton Sandwich

4 oz. Stilton or other blue cheese, softened to room temperature 
4 oz. unsalted butter, softened to room temperature 
1/2 bunch flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves 
12 slices very thinly sliced bread 
Additional softened unsalted butter 

Mash together the cheese and butter with a fork.  Divide into 6 portions and spread on 6 of the slices of bread; sprinkle on parsley leaves.  Thinly spread the remaining slices of bread with additional butter and top the slices spread with cheese.  Trim off crusts and cut into triangles. 


Curried Cucumber Sandwich

2 seedless English cucumbers, very thinly sliced 
Kosher salt 
6 oz. unsalted butter, softened to room temperature 
1 T. curry powder 
12 very thin slices bread 

Slice cucumbers very thinly.  I use an Oxo Good Grips peeler to make the slices because it makes what amounts to rather thick peelings that I find ideal for very thin slices.  Toss with a little kosher salt and lay in a strainer or colander to drain for 30 minutes.  Pat dry with paper towels. 

Thoroughly blend butter and curry powder.  Spread on all 12 slices of bread.  Arrange the cucumber slices on half the slices of bread and top with the remaining half.  Trim crusts an cut into triangles. 

Variations: 

Instead of curry powder, use smoked Spanish paprika for paprika cucumber sandwiches. 

Use chopped fresh dill instead of curry powder for dilled cucumber sandwiches. 

Use 1 T. chopped fresh lavender leaves for lavender cucumber sandwiches. 

Nasturtium Sandwich

6 oz. unsalted butter, softened to room temperature 
12 slices very thinly sliced bread 
1 packed cup nasturtium flowers, well washed and patted dry 
12 very thin slices bread 

Generously spread all slices of bread with butter.  Divide flowers among six of the slices and top with remaining bread; press down firmly.  Trim crusts and cut into triangles. 

Marigold and Celery Sandwich 

4 oz. unsalted butter, softened to room temperature 
6 oz. good quality cream cheese, softened to room temperature 
3 ribs celery, slivered very thinly 
12 freshly picked marigold blossoms, well washed 
12 very thin slices bread 

Thoroughly beat together butter and cream cheese; thoroughly blend in celery.  Pat marigolds dry and pluck off petals.  Gently combine petals with butter mixture.  Spread on six of  the slices of bread and top with remaining bread.  Trim crusts and cut into triangles.  Garnish with additional marigolds. 

Pansy and Almond Sandwiches 

6 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature 
2 oz. good quality mayonnaise, preferably homemade (do not substitute Miracle Whip or similar products) 
4 oz. almonds, toasted and slivered 
12 very thin slices bread 
12 freshly picked pansies, stems removed, well washed 
Additional very soft butter 

Beat together cream cheese and mayonnaise; thoroughly blend in almonds.  Spread mixture on six of the slices of bread and top with remaining bread.  Trim crusts and cut into triangles. 

Gently pat pansies dry.  Dab a bit of butter on bottom of each pansy and top each triangle with a pansy.  Press slightly to affix, taking care not to damage the flower.