Tea Party Recipes

Carrot citrus ginger soup

Ingredients:
3 Tbsps. olive oil
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 piece (2 inches long) ginger root, peeled, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 cans (14.5 ounces each) low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup honey
1 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt

Heat oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven; add onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions soften, about 2 minutes. Add ginger; cook 1 minute. Add garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute. Add carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly tender, about 5 minutes.

Add broth; increase heat to high. Cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Lower heat to medium; cook until carrots are easily pierced with a fork, but not mushy. Remove from heat.  Strain broth from solids. Return broth to pan and add honey and orange juice.  Place solids (carrots, onion, and ginger root) to food processor and process until smooth.  Return to pot and whisk together with broth mixture.  When ready to serve, add butter, salt and heat.

Servings: 6

Deviled Chicken with Pecans on Brown Bread

Two cups ground chicken (chicken breasts, poached in chicken broth and ground in food processor)
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
2 T finely minced mild onion (I use Texas sweet)
add just enough mayonnaise to bring it together and make it spreadable

Salmon with Cucumbers on White Bread

Two cups fresh, poached salmon, flaked and mashed
1/3 c. cucumber, peeled and seeded; minced fine
add just enough mayonnaise to bring it together and make it spreadable

Spread bread with chive butter before assembling sandwiches

Chive Butter

        1 stick soft butter
        scant 1/4 c. fresh, chopped chives

Queen Adelaide Sandwich on Rye Bread

1 cup ground ham, fat and rind removed
1 cup ground chicken
1 scallion, finely minced (use less than an inch of the green only)
heavy cream--just enough to bind it together and make it spreadable 

(this sandwich is said to have been King George IV's favorite)

A sprig of parsley is served to tip the guests that there is garlic or onion in the filling. 

Elmwood Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 Tablespoons unsalted cold butter
1/2 cups currants
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 Tablespoon cream
1 Tablespoon sugar
 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.  Combine flour, baking powder, salt and soda.  With a pastry blender, cut in butter, mixing it until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Mix in currants.
 
Whisk buttermilk and egg together, then add to flour mixture.  Stir together until a soft ball of dough forms.  Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently, turning five or six times.
 
Roll out dough with a floured rolling pin to about 1/2 inch thickness, Using a cookie cutter or biscuit cutter, cut scones out and place on baking sheet.  Brush the tops lightly with cream and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake 10 -12 minutes or until light brown.  Serve warm with lemon curd, clotted cream, or preserves.
Makes about one dozen depending on size of cutter.

Devonshire Cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons  vanilla extract
1       8 -ounce carton sour cream
 
Beat whipping cream sugar, and vanilla until stiff.  Fold sour cream into this mixture and refrigerate.  Serve with warm scones.

Lemon Curd
3 eggs                                               
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
 
In top part of a double boiler, beat eggs until frothy.  Stir in lemon juice, sugar and melted butter.  Place over simmering water.  Stir constantly for 20 minutes.
The mixture should become slightly thickened.  Remove from heat and spoon into a pint-sized container.  Cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.  Keeps well for two weeks.

Lavender Lemonade

Make a lavender infusion:

2 1/2 c. water and 1 cup sugar.  Heat to a simmer.  Remove from heat and add 3 T dried lavender (you can buy it at World Market in the Spice section or use your own, dried flowers (remove from stem--no leaves).  Allow infusion to cool to room temperature, strain, cover, and place in the refrigerator.

When you get ready to make the lemonade, substitute 1 can of the lavender infusion for 1 of the cans of water.  I use pink lemonade and it makes it a deep, rosy red.

The lavender infusion can be used to sweeten hot or iced tea, too.

We'll see if we can get my sister in law, Sally, to share her sugar cookie recipe with us!
 

Comments

[missmellifluous]

Yum! To all of those things Yum! Why do you have to live so far away? Imagine the fun dinner parties we could have! I'd love to cook for people with you, Kim!
Oh, wouldn't that be fun?

[ellen b.]

Can I come to a dinner you and Miss M. create?! The shower recipes look devine...

Yes, of course, but you'd have to bring one of your wonderful family recipes! : D

[lisa writes]

Wow, what a menu! It all sounds divine! I am especially intrigued by the Lavender lemonade and the salmon and cucumber on white bread--yum!