The Afternoon Tea



The Afternoon Tea

There are no set rules about the content of a traditional Afternoon Tea menu, but it usually consists of sandwiches and a variety of sweet items. A typical menu might read: 

Traditional Afternoon Tea

A selection of freshly prepared finger sandwiches.

Warm scones with clotted cream and preserves.

A variety of home made pastries, cake and biscuits.

A range of teas.

A ‘Cream Tea' is generally scones, clotted cream and preserve served with a pot of tea.

The range of teas on offer can vary from half a dozen to over a hundred, including some very rare and obscure ones. Some of the common teas on offer will include the following:

|Assam |A strong full-bodied tea from India, which has a distinctive, ‘malty' flavour. |

|Darjeeling |An aromatic and astringent tea from India, with a hint of almonds and wildflowers. |

|Earl Grey |A blend of black teas scented with oil of bergamot. |

|Lapsang Souchong |A Chinese tea fired over smoking pine needles, which produces a striking smoky odour and flavour. |

Recipes:

Sandwiches

Ingredients (serves 6)

Filling 1 - Smoked salmon

• 1 finger bun

• 1 dsp cream cheese

• 2 slices smoked salmon

• A few dill sprigs, chopped

• 6 baby capers, drained

Filling 2 – Egg mayonnaise and cress

• 2 slices wholemeal sandwich bread

• 1 hard boiled egg (10 minute boil and fully cooled)

• 1 tbsp mayonnaise

• 1 tbsp cress

Filling 3 – Cheese and tomato

• 2 slices white sandwich bread

• 50g mature cheddar cheese

• 1 tomato

• 25g softened butter

Method

Prepare fillings

Egg mayo: Peel and mash egg with a fork, mash in mayonnaise until smooth. Wash and dry cress.

Cheese and tomato: Grate cheese and thinly slice tomato.

Make sandwiches:

Smoked salmon: Split finger bun in half and spread each side with cream cheese. Top with salmon. Cut each finger into 3 and garnish with dill and capers.

Egg mayo: Spread both slices of wholemeal bread with egg mayo mixture. Sprinkle cress on top of one piece. Sandwich two slices of bread togther with cress in the middle. Trim the crusts and cut in half then 3 to make 6 finger sandwiches.

Cheese and tomato: Butter 2 slices of white bread. Fill with grated cheese and slices of tomato. Trim the crusts off the sandwich. Cut into 4 or 6 triangles.

Cream scones: Makes 10

• 250g self raising flour, plus extra for dusting

• 25g caster sugar

• 1 tsp Baking powder

• 50g Butter, chilled

• 1 Egg, beaten

• Approx 75ml milk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220ºC/gas 7.

2. Mix the flour, sugar, and baking powder in a mixing bowl.

3. Rub the butter into the flour using finger tips. Add the beaten egg and enough milk to form a soft dough.

4. Pat both hands with flour and transfer the dough from the bowl to a floured working surface. Pat out the dough to about 2 cm thick and cut out 10 rounds.

5. Brush lightly with beaten egg to glaze.

6. Cook the scones for 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

7. Leave the scones to cool a little. To serve, split open each scone in the middle and add a tsp of jam and a tsp of clotted or whipped cream.

For cheese scones: Remove sugar and add 75g grated cheese

For fruit scones: Add 75g dried fruit eg sultanas

Biscuits:

150g plain flour

150g SR flour

150g caster sugar

150g margarine

1 egg

Extra ingredients (Choose 1)

50g dried apricots

50g choc chips

METHOD

1. Turn the oven on at gas mark 6 / 200°C.

2. Put both flours and margarine into a mixing bowl.

3. Rub in the margarine until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.

4. Add the sugar and any extra ingredients. Mix.

5. Add the egg and mix with a spoon until a soft dough is made. Add water if needed.

6. Dust the work surface with flour and roll out the dough – half of the mixture at a time. Use biscuit cutters to make the biscuits. Put the biscuits on to a greased baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Carrot and Orange Cakes

Ingredients

150ml vegetable oil

200g caster sugar

3 medium eggs

200g plain flour

1tsp baking powder

½ tsp cinnamon

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 orange

150 g carrots

Topping (make this at home as the cake will be too hot to ice)

100 g icing sugar to dust the top

4 tsp orange juice

rind of one orange

METHOD

1. Pre heat the oven 170°C/Gas No 3

2. Wash, rind and juice the orange, peel and grate carrot.

3. Line a muffin tin with muffin cases

4. Mix the oil, sugar, orange rind and juice and eggs together in a bowl.

5. Sieve the dry ingredients into the oil mixture.

6. Stir in the grated carrots

7. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out of the cakes clean.

8. Beat the topping ingredients together and spread over the cake.

Coffee and Walnut Cake

Ingredients

200g soft margarine

200g caster sugar

4 eggs

200g self raising flour

75g chopped walnuts (reserve 25g for decoration)

2tbsp (30ml) strong coffee

Icing-

200g icing sugar

100g soft margarine

1 dsp strong coffee

Method

1. Pre heat the oven 180°C/ Gas no 4

2. Grease and base line 2 x 20cm sandwich cake tins

3. Make the sponge by the all in one creaming method: Place 200g margarine, 200g caster sugar, 3 large eggs and 200g self raising flour in a large mixing bowl and beat until light and creamy. Add the coffee and 75g walnuts at end.

4. Divide the cake mixture evenly between the two tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and springy to the touch.

5. Remove from the tins and allow to cool

6. Make the icing by beating 200g icing sugar into 100g soft margarine. Add 1 dsp coffee at end. Beat well.

7. Spread 1/3 of the icing over the bottom sponge

8. Cover with the second sponge and spread the icing over evenly

9. Decorate with chopped walnuts.

TIFFIN

Ingredients

50g butter

1dsp syrup

100g digestive biscuits

1tbsp drinking chocolate

Topping:

100g good quality coating chocolate

METHOD

1. Grease and line a 15cm sandwich tin

2. Melt the butter and syrup in a pan over a low heat.

3. Meanwhile crush the biscuits in a bag by rolling with a rolling pin.

4. Add the drinking chocolate to the biscuits and mix with the melted butter mixture

5. Spoon into the tin and press down firmly

6. Leave to set for about 30 minutes.

7. Melt the coating chocolate and spread evenly over the top of the cooled tiffin.

8. Once the chocolate is set, cut into pieces and serve.

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Other ideas:

Roast Chicken and stuffing, Chicken & Mango Mayo, Curried Coronation Chicken, Cheese & Spring Onion, Prawn Mayo, Brie & Olive,

Goat’s Cheese and Roasted Red pepper,

Tomato, Basil & Mozzarella , Chicken & Ham

Roast Beef, Horseradish & Rocket

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