Duane Said:

Good Tea Party Foods?

We Answered:

APRICOT WALNUT TEA BREAD

1 cup dried apricots
1½ cups boiling water
2½ cups flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9" loaf pan. Cut the apricots into small pieces & place in a bowl. Add the boiling water; set aside to cool. Sift the flour, baking powder & salt & set aside. In a large bowl, combine the egg, vanilla, sugar & oil; beat until blended. Gradually add the apricot mixture, beating constantly. Add the flour mixture & beat until smooth. Stir in the nuts. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan.
Bake 1 hour. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then loosen with spatulas & transfer to a rack. Cool. Wrap in foil & store in the refrigerator at least 12 hours before serving.
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Chicken Curry Tea Sandwiches

2 cooked whole chicken breasts, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped nuts
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
Salt to taste
Mayonnaise (enough to moisten)
Curry powder or paste to taste
16 slices best-quality white bread
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

In a large bowl, combine chicken, nuts, celery, salt, and mayonnaise; stir until well blended. Add curry powder or paste (Remember, a little goes a long way with curry - be careful).

Spread one side of each piece of bread lightly with butter. Top the buttered side of 8 slices of bread with some of the chicken mixture and top with the remaining bread slices, buttered side down.

Carefully cut the crusts from each sandwich with a sharp knife. Cut the sandwiches in half diagonally and then cut in half again.

Yields 16 halves or 32 fourths.
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Carrot Cake Tea Sandwiches
Makes 18 sandwiches

1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
½ cup grated carrots
¼ cup powdered sugar
¼ cup chopped pecans
12 slices Raisin Bread, crusts removed

Combine first 4 ingredients until well mixed. Spread cream cheese mixture on half of the bread slices, topping with another slice of bread, and cut into 3 fingers.

--Tea Time, Nov/Dec 2006
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Sunshine Poppyseed Scones

1½ cups A/P flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. poppyseeds
3 Tbsp. chilled butter
½ cup lemon yogurt
¼ cup orange juice
1 large egg, beaten
1 tsp. fresh lemon or orange zest

Preheat oven to 425ºF. In a large bowl, whisk together first 7 ingredients. Cut butter into dry ingredients.

Combine yogurt, OJ, egg, and zest. Add to wet ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Do not overmix.

With lightly floured hands, form dough into a circle that is 1” in thickness and place on a greased baking sheet. Cut dough into 8 wedges and bake 15 minutes until browned.

--Today’s Diet & Nutrition, Winter 2006
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Shrimp Butter Tea Sandwiches
1 cup butter
1 cup minced cooked shrimp
1/4 tsp. salt
dash paprika
3 tablespoons lemon juice
lettuce
thinly sliced country style white bread, crusts removed
Cream butter shrimp, salt, lemon and paprika to a paste or leave a little more texture if you wish. Spread a small slice bread with the shrimp butter, add a piece of lettuce and top it with another slice of bread. This is also good on a cracker with a tiny sprig of fresh dill topping it off.

Hector Said:

What kind of dessert foods could i bring to a tea party?

We Answered:

Berry tarts, danishes, lemon bars, mini cheesecakes, scones, crumpets, shortbread, homeade pecan sandies, orange vanilla white chocolate-covered pretzels,... anything delicate, fancy and bite-sized. I wouldn't bring the chocolate-covered strawberries or marshmallows, just because they are very simple and messy but it is up to you.

Samantha Said:

Easy and Beautiful Tea-party foods?

We Answered:

how about mini cheese cake squares (you can even make different flavors: pumpkin, peanut butter, lemon, berry...), strawberries dipped half in chocolate, date filled cookies, carrot coconut puffs, cranberry applesauce rolls

Nellie Said:

What are some good foods to serve at a tea party?

We Answered:

FANCY CUCUMBER SANDWICHES

2 medium size cucumbers
1 tub whipped cream cheese spread
shaker of dill weed
1-2 packets of dry Italian dressing mix
1 pkg rye or wheat cocktail bread

Wash cucumbers well. Using a fork, scrape down the cucumbers lengthwise leaving "stripes" all the way around. Slice the cucumbers into 1/4 inch slices or thinner. Set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together cream cheese and dressing mix; combine well.

Using a butter knife, spread the mixture onto the individual slices of small cocktail bread (cocktail bread might be found in your deli section rather than the bread aisle, it's just a small and dense miniature version of bread).

Don't cake the slices with the mixture, just a thin layer concentrated in the middle of the slice.

Next, lay one slice of cucumber (per slice of bread) in the middle of the bread. Once done, shake a small amount of the dill weed onto the cucumber slice. Remember that dill is strong and a little goes a long way. Just one or two taps of your finger on the shaker should do it per slice.

The ruffling of the cucumber slices with the fork and the dill garnish really dress up this open faced appetizer. I always get raves about this at parties and requests for it at potlucks.

Just remember to cover them tightly because the bread will dry and the cucumbers will get wilted if left out too long. It's a good idea to do some preparation work the night before, but leave the slicing of the cucumbers and the assembly of the sandwiches for the last minute.
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FRESH STRAWBERRY TARTS

1 qt. fresh strawberries, (sm. to med.)
3/4 c. sugar
Dash of salt
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
6 baked tart shells
1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 c. water
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Wash and hull berries. Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in a small saucepan. Stir in water. Cook, stirring constantly 6 to 8 minutes or until mixture is clear and thickened. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and vanilla. Cool slightly.
Arrange whole strawberries, stem end down in tart shells. Spoon glaze over the top. Refrigerate to set glaze. Top with whipped cream or sour cream, if desired. Makes 6 servings. Delicious!
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Crumpets
3 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoon butter -- melted
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon sugar
2 and 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
1/2 teaspoons baking soda dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
Additional butter for greasing
In large bowl, stir together yeast and water. Let stand five minutes then add warm milk, butter, salt, and sugar. Stir in flour until the batter has a slightly elastic consistency. Cover and let stand 45 minutes.Stir in dissolved soda, cover, and let rise 20 to 30 minutes. Grease griddle and heat over medium-low heat. Drop batter by 1/4 cup onto griddle, spacing 2 inches apart. Reduce heat to low, cover griddle and cook crumpets until tops look dry, about 15 minutes. They will look a little gummy, but will be done; do not turn over. Repeat until batter is used up. Toast before serving.


Don't forget to toast them before you eat them. Top with butter and honey and you'll never go wrong.

Nora Said:

What kind of tea, foods, desserts, table set-up, etc, would be best for a tea party?

We Answered:

My friend had a tea-party for her birthday and it was absolutely lovely - she baked so many beautiful cakes and biscuits it was heaven! She set the table with a cute checked tablecloth and laid out all the cakes and biscuits as well as a teapot and cups and saucers. Good old-fashioned English Breakfast tea is delicious as is Earl Grey. Not everyone likes fancy fruit or herbal teas plus I don't personally think they go well with cakes and biscuits. Now being from the West Country (in the UK I'm not sure where you are in the world) I'm a bit biased but it's hard to beat delicious fruit scones with clotted cream and jam with your tea - ever heard of Devon Cream Teas?!

Other cakes you might want to include are French Fancies, Butterfly Cakes and Cup Cakes. You can buy most of these ready-made if you don't fancy baking.