february: Valentine's Day Tea

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

Guidelines for the Guest

  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 Utensils and Accessories

  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

Tea Menu Basics

  Sandwiches and Savories
  Savory Spreads and Dips
  Scones and Tea Breads

About Lemons

  Afternoon Tea and the Four Seasons

     A Spring Tea
     An Outdoor Summer Tea
     A Winter Afternoon Tea
     An Autumn Afternoon Tea

A Calendar of Tea Parties

  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

Lemon Yogurt Wedding Cake

  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 World of Tea Parties

  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