Mother’s Day and Afternoon Tea: beloved and beautiful institutions practically made for each other. First, consider your mother’s favorite flavors, flowers, and sweets. The goal is to make our most important guest feel honored and indeed, treasured. Swap in her favorites or use our suggested menu which features delicate butter cookies and a spectacular pedestal cake presiding over the tea table.
Menu
Beverages:
Jasmine White Tea
Vanilla Almond Herbal Tea
Cucumber Water
Savories:
Classic Cucumber Sandwiches
Lobster Salad on Miniature Puff Pastries
Mushroom Turnovers
Spinach Frittata Squares
Breads and Scones:
Banana Bread
Buttermilk Scones with Lemon Curd
Sweets:
The Queen’s Shortbread
Vanilla Bean Spritz Cookies
Apricot Custard Tartlets
On the Pedestal: Pink Champagne Cake
Classic Cucumber Sandwiches
The fresh taste of cucumbers will complement the other savory flavors in your Mother’s Day Tea. These basic little sandwiches, just thin slices of cucumber on very fresh buttered white bread, will remind your guests, and your mother, that simple things are often the best.
Lobster Salad on Miniature Puff Pastries
Everyone knows that lobster is expensive, but for Mother’s Day let’s splurge. You will need three cups of cooked and shelled lobster, which you can buy at a reliable fish market. The salad will look regal, served in choux pastry puffs, a French style unsweetened pastry that can be used for savory salads or cream puffs.
Mushroom Turnovers
We haven’t found anyone who doesn’t adore these puff pastry turnovers, bursting with sautéed mushrooms. They are a favorite with all the mothers at our Mother’s Day Teas. Check your local market for any unusual mushrooms; we’ve found cremini, enoki, and cartons of “chef’s blend” mixed wild mushrooms that all make delicious fillings.
Spinach Frittata Squares
We have never met a frittata we didn’t like, but this Spinach Frittata, garnished with a fresh Spinach Salad and flavored with subtle hints of nutmeg, hot sauce and your mother’s favorite cheese, will also delight the guest of honor and everyone else.
Banana Bread
Homemade Banana Bread is an old fashioned favorite, and it is easy to make. To capture the deep banana flavor that makes this quick bread so popular, make sure the three bananas needed for this recipe are very, very ripe.
Buttermilk Scones
These warm, fluffy Buttermilk Scones, lightly browned on the tops and bottoms, will be charming served with Lemon Curd at your Mother’s Day Tea. We suggest adding currants and a little freshly grated orange zest to the dough, although any kind of chopped dried fruit or nuts that your mother prefers can be included instead. You can even make nut and spice scones by adding up to 2 teaspoons of ginger, cinnamon or nutmeg and 3/4 cup of toasted chopped nuts (such as almonds, pecans or walnuts).
Lemon Curd
Lemon Curd is the perfect accompaniment for the Buttermilk Scones that will highlight the tea table at your lovely Mother’s Day Tea. The bright taste of lemon will also harmonize well with the other springtime delights on this very special menu. Although you can buy prepared Lemon Curd, we recommend making it yourself, as the homemade version is so much more delicious than store bought. You can make your Lemon Curd a day or so in advance and refrigerate it in a clean, tightly fitting glass jar. For this rather formal occasion, serve your Lemon Curd in a small crystal bowl with a silver serving spoon.
The Queen’s Shortbread
Rumor has it that this is the very recipe used at Buckingham Palace to bake Shortbread for Queen Elizabeth’s Afternoon Tea.
Vanilla Bean Spritz Cookies
Spritz cookies are elegant little butter cookies than can be formed into flower shapes using a cookie press. They are also lovely sprinkled with white sugar crystals or sugar crystals in your mother’s favorite colors.
Apricot Custard Tartlets
These pretty little tarts are perfect to honor Mother. The buttery crusts, luscious homemade custard and sparkling golden apricot topping create a wonderful taste combination in every bite. And what could be sweeter than a lovely little edible violet on top?
Pink Champagne Cake
We love champagne and we love pink; what could possibly be better than pink champagne cake? Here, we up the champagne taste quite a bit with champagne in the cake batter, the frosting, and in soaking syrup that keeps the layers nice and moist. The cake edges are left exposed to reveal the pastel pink color of the cake itself. Billows of creamy frosting peek out from between the layers and crown the top. We’ve sprinkled the cake with a mix of sizes of edible decorative pearls to mimic champagne bubbles. Use you prettiest cake pedestal to show off this three-layered beauty.
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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