The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it. -Psalm 24:1
Contact…as tea class preparations are underway in the house that never slows down.
I taught a class on the art of Afternoon Tea this past weekend. I’ve done this class several years in a row, but each time is a new experience. All 20 students this time were all so pleasant and enthusiastic while sipping tea, watching me cook, and listening to my ramblings on history, etiquette, and recipes. I love to serve fresh-baked scones from the oven in this class. I have several recipes for scones, and for this class, I switched up the recipe from a buttermilk scone to a cream one. Half-way through the demonstration of cutting butter into the flour, I had the overwhelming sense that I had more flour than was called for. Re-measuring quickly ensued, as did my elevated blood pressure! Thankfully, I recovered gracefully, and served up some decent scones–not my best by any means, but definitely palatable when slathered with homemade clotted cream and lemon […]
Our quiet afternoon ritual was interrupted by our noisy little 7mos. old, who insisted upon joining the affair. With precision did he attack the teacup and deposit much drool in my apple chai tea with milk and sugar. The unexpected surprise: delicate clinking against the teacup. Yup, Houston, we have a tooth!
My new favorite tea is not a tea leaf at all, but a South American shrub that naturally contains vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants and naturally occurring caffeine, all of which some say contribute to the energy people feel when drinking yerba mate. I have grown to love it for breakfast, and equally as a nightcap. Revitalizing and soothing…this tea does it all! Though traditionally prepared in a hollowed out gourd and sipped from a silver straw with a friend, I can get my hands on convenient teabags from Trader Joe’s up the street. My recent discovery of adding dried goji berries to my yerba mate, along with some mesquite honey, has given my enjoyment of tea a facelift and a health boost. Goji berries are rich in antioxidants and have long been used by Eastern herbalists for many health benefits. Just add a few to a steeping cup of […]
I LOVE meringue. My husband’s Aunt Mae used to call it “calf slobber,” but that has never dissuaded me from relishing the weightless hint of sweet that accompanies lemon-meringue pies, coconut cream-meringue pies, pavlova, divinity, and Baked Alaska. It’s amazing what a few egg whites can do! This is a recipe I came across when forming a menu for my latest tea class. Leave it to Martha to come up with these most adorable little puffs of deliciousness. Blackberry Meringue Bites (adapted from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics) Makes about 2 dozen 2 large egg whites, room temperature 1/2 cup sugar pinch of cream of tartar 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract 1/2 cup whipped heavy cream 1/2 pound blackberries Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting Fill a medium saucepan one quarter full with water. Set the pan over medium heat, and bring water to a simmer. Combine egg whites, […]
Taking tea seems to be a predominantly woman thing. We delight in uninhibitedly slathering lemon curd and clotted cream onto our crumbly, buttery scones. It is an amorous affair, tea and we: sipping unhurriedly the precious ten minutes of leisure we hold between our hands, while a bouquet of aromas carry us off to a more cultivated, courteous time…before freeways, before McDonald’s, before the internet (touché). If the idea of being whisked away to a garden party by a cup of hot tea and a scone seems only appropriate in the springtime to you, I bear good news. Here’s one recipe for an aromatic, surprisingly satisfying Fall morsel to nibble with your cup of take me away. (If that’s not your cup of tea, try these: African Red Tea, Rooibos With Vanilla, Tea Bags, 20-Count Box (Pack of 4), Tazo Matcha Latte Concentrate, or Good Earth Original Caffeine Free […]
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