A tea party for friends both paired and single is a charming and inclusive idea for Valentine’s Day. The desserts flower into pink and chocolate, but you can decide how “heart-y” you’d like to go with the savories and decorations. We’ve provided several pink sweets from which to chose; opt for as many or as few as your guest list dictates.
Menu
Beverages:
Assam Tea
Decaffeinated English Breakfast Tea
Coconut Water
Champagne with Raspberries
Savories:
Miniature Artichoke Quiches (baked in tiny heart tart pans, if desired)
Prosciutto and Parmesan Pinched Heart Palmiers
Green Gables Inn Cream of Tomato Soup in Small Cups
Smoked Salmon Horns
Classic Cucumber Sandwiches, cut in heart shapes or not
Breads and Scones:
Hot Buttered Crumpets
Cream Scones with Raspberry Jam and Lemon Curd
Sweets:
Pink Stack Bars
Cherry Coconut Pom Pons
Pretty Pastels
Chocolate Heart Sandwich Cookies with Sour Cherry Filling
Battenberg Cake
Strawberry Charlotte
Prosciutto and Parmesan Pinched Heart Palmiers
With a bit of dough handling work, traditional Palmiers can be molded into heart shaped appetizers for our St. Valentine’s Day tea party. The method is a little finicky, so you may want to practice before the party day. They’re a fantastic accompaniment to everything from beer and champagne to soup and salad. Your taste-testers will love you!
Variations: Replace mustard with prepared pesto, tapanade, or pureed oil-packed, drained sundried tomatoes
Green Gables Inn Cream of Tomato Soup
This luscious, ultra creamy tomato soup is served in small cups in the Pacific Grove landmark bed and breakfast inn, the Green Gables. The cool, foggy summers of Pacific Grove can take inland tourists by surprise. By late afternoon, guests return to the inn from a day of shivering in the ocean breezes to a welcoming teatime buffet and are revived by this rich soup.
Smoked Salmon Horns
These sculptural smoked salmon creations are both a miniature work of art and a delicious savory bite. A smoked salmon horn hides a trove of lemon-caper filling and features a lush garnish of caviar and dill, all resting atop rye toasts. Arrange to have a friend help with the last minutes construction, as these are at their best when freshly made.
Classic Cucumber Sandwiches
For your special Valentine’s Day Tea, Classic Cucumber Sandwiches will be on the menu along with all sorts of other traditional favorites. The key to really outstanding Cucumber Sandwiches is freshness. Make them as close as possible to the time when your guests are expected to arrive, and make sure to use the freshest cucumbers and soft white bread available. Cut these cute little sandwiches in heart shapes with a cookie cutter if you wish.
Hot Buttered Crumpets
Few of us get the opportunity to eat real, home-made Hot Buttered Crumpets, but Valentine’s Day is the perfect time, as these little treats are so comforting on a cold winter day. Served with bright red raspberry jam, this colorful presentation will add to the romantic mood. Be advised that you will need a set of Crumpet Rings to keep the batter from spreading in the skillet, where you will cook the Crumpets like pancakes. Also, Crumpets are made from a yeast batter, which will require about an hour to rise, so manage your time accordingly.
Cream Scones
For our Valentine’s Day Tea, we offer traditional Cream Scones, which are surprisingly easy to make. With this recipe, you can produce warm, lightly browned little wedges with soft, fluffy centers, ready to be slathered with butter, bright red raspberry jam or sweet, tart lemon curd.
Lemon Curd
You will want to serve Lemon Curd with the Cream Scones on your Valentine’s Day Tea menu. Although you can buy commercial Lemon Curd in import shops and grocery stores, homemade is better. It won’t take you long to create this sweet and tart combination of fresh lemon juice, sugar, butter and eggs to spread on the warm, fluffy scones. You can make the Lemon Curd a day or two in advance and store it in the refrigerator until time for your tea party. If you have any left over, you can use it to fill Thumbprint Cookies, or as a delicious topping for you toast at breakfast time.
Pink Stack Bars
Kathleen became fascinated with a photograph of these pink bars but was disappointed by the recipe. She reimagined the pretty bars to feature a brown sugar shortbread crust, a layer of decadent caramel and cheesecake, all topped with a smooth pink frosting! Cut these in small squares, no bigger than a 1” by 1,” because low cal or low sugar, these are not.
Cherry Coconut Pom Pons
This triple coconut recipe is adapted from a wonderful 1970 cookbook put together from home economics teachers’ recipes. Though not too sweet, it is very deeply coconut flavored and makes a pretty addition to the cookie plate. The bright red maraschino cherries add to the St. Valentine’s Day theme.
Variation 1: Flaked coconut may be colored before being used. Add flaked coconut to a one gallon zip-top bag. Add a few drops of desired liquid food coloring, seal bag, and knead and shake until the desired color is reached. Proceed with rolling the cookies.
Variation 2: To make pistachio flavor, replace pudding with pistachio flavored instant pudding and replace almonds with chopped pistachios.
Pretty Pastels
These fun, colorful cookies provide a little zing to your cookie plate. Flavored gelatin gives these crisp cookies a fruity flavor and pretty color. Rolling the dough in matching pastel sparkling sugar enhances the shimmer and the crunch factor.
Variation: Use other colors of gelatin and matching colored sparkling sugars for other events, such as lemon or lime for spring.
Chocolate Heart Sandwich Cookies with Sour Cherry Filling
You’ll see dark chocolate and tart cherries being paired several times throughout this book, as it is one of Kathleen’s favorite combinations. These dense, chocolaty cookies marry perfectly with the slightly tart cherry filling. If you adore chocolate-cherry too, go ahead and treat yourself to a bottle of European cherry liqueur, kirsch, and use it with all your cherry desserts.
Battenberg Cake
Legend has it that this pastel checkerboard cake was created in 1884 in honor of the marriage Queen Victoria’s granddaughter to Prince Louis of Battenberg. Whatever the origin, it is a lovely, tasty loaf cake that marries vanilla cake with apricot jam and marzipan. The recipe makes two cakes, so both can be served or one can be frozen for another event.
Battenberg Cake
Legend has it that this pastel checkerboard cake was created in 1884 in honor of the marriage Queen Victoria’s granddaughter to Prince Louis of Battenberg. Whatever the origin, it is a lovely, tasty loaf cake that marries vanilla cake with apricot jam and marzipan. The recipe makes two cakes, so both can be served or one can be frozen for another event.
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THE TEA BOOK
The Road Back to Civilization
A Brief History of Tea
Philosophy of Tea
Harmony
Humility
Respect
Creativity
Guidelines for the Host/Hostess
Gathering and Greeting
Sharing Stories
Sharing Food
Sending the Guests Home
Respect your Hostess/Host
Bring a Gift if You Wish
Practice Humility
Monitor Your Conversation
Arrive With a Grateful Attitude
Help if Help is Needed
Do Not Criticize
Leave Gracefully
Send a Thank you Note
A Checklist for Planning a Tea Party
Teas of the World and How to Make Tea
A Sampling of Teas
Herbal Teas and Tisanes
How to Make Tea
Making Iced Tea
Tea Concentrate
Brewing Tea for a Crowd
Tea Kettle
Tea Pot
Tea Cozy
Teacups
Plates
Silverware
Teacart
Tea Strainer
Tea Infuser
Three-Tiered Server
Cream Pitcher and Sugar Bowl
Cake Pedestal
Trifle Bowl
Jam Pots
Serving Dishes, Platters, and Trays
Silver Tea Set or Silver Tray
Linens
Kitchen Equipment for Food Preparation
Sandwiches and Savories
Savory Spreads and Dips
Scones and Tea Breads
Afternoon Tea and the Four Seasons
A Spring Tea
An Outdoor Summer Tea
A Winter Afternoon Tea
An Autumn Afternoon Tea
January:A Japanese New Year’s Tea
February:Valentine’s Day Tea
March:A St. Patrick’s Day Irish Tea
April:An Easter Tea
May:Mother’s day Tea
June:A Wedding Reception Tea
July:A Picnic Tea
AUGUST:A FAMILY REUNION TEA
A North American Family Reunion Tea
An Eastern Mediterranean Family Reunion Tea
A Kosher Family Reunion Tea
A Scandinavian Family Reunion Tea
September:An Ozark Farm Harvest Tea
October:A Tea to Honor Our Ancestors(Dia de los Muertos)
November:A Post Thanksgiving Tea
December: A Christmas Tea
In Defense of Fruitcake:Fruitcakes and Candied Fruit
A Chinese Dim Sum Tea
A Portuguese Tea
A Classic British Afternoon Tea
An Indian Chai Party
A California Tea
A Hawaiian Tea
An Italian Tea
An American Southern Tea
A Russian Tea
A French Afternoon Tea
A Kosher Teawith Traditional Jewish Foods
Afternoon Tea for Special Occasions
An Afternoon Tea for Children
A Tea for Our Elders
A Honey Bee Tea in the Garden
An Urban Tea on the Go
Tea for One
Afternoon Tea For a Large Group
A Vegan Tea
A Rose Tea