A Black & Blue Damask Tea

Today I'd like to sit and sip,

Forget about the world a bit,

Ignore the things I have to do,

And just enjoy a cup or two.

~Author Unknown

Greetings, Reader! How are you on this delightful Sunday evening? Here we are wrapping up another fine June weekend. I adore this time of year when everything is growing like gangbusters and it's not yet so hot I can't stand myself. These mornings of waking up to cool air and welcome sunshine slipping in through the bedroom shades are precious and fleeting. The gentle evenings make me want to fall asleep rocking in a hammock under the stars...

So when a friend I haven't seen in some time agreed to come to a late evening tea this week, I thought what could be better than a softly-lit tablescape that reflects a cool, starry summer night?

Black & Blue & White All Over

By now you may have noticed my deep and abiding attachment to black & white damask, Reader. I use it in many of my tablescapes not just because it speaks to my sense of style, but also because it's really versatile and can be paired well with almost any color. 

Here the damask tea set and plates create a backdrop that makes these delightful royal blue bandanna napkins pop like a gorgeous night sky. (Found these cotton napkins on clearance at Pier 1 a few years ago.) Bandanna napkins are perfect for outdoor teas & picnics. Or for bringing that outdoorsy feel inside.

White trivets, serving pieces and tablecloths allow the black and blue to take center stage. Meanwhile, an assorted group of mercury glass votive & tealight holders add a warm, silvery glow reminiscent of starlight. Damask glassware adds a whole new level of WOW--or substitute simple, clear drinkware to blend in easily. A vase filled with black and white damask taper candles (another clearance find) makes a lovely, candle-lit piece de resistance.

Late Hour: Simple Fare

My friend would not arrive until after 7pm and though she would be hungry, I didn't want to send her home on a long drive with an over-stuffed tummy. For a tea served later in the evening, my solution was to serve one light, main dish to be followed by a charming, uncomplicated dessert and a delicious, caffeine-free tea that won't keep my guest up for hours later on.

Black & Blue Damask Tea Menu

• Herbed Savory Crepes Stuffed with Chicken Salad
• Find a simple crepe recipe you like and once the batter is in the pan, use a pair of kitchen shears to snip bits of fresh chive and herbs into each crepe and season lightly with salt and pepper before flipping. Once the crepe is slightly browned on both sides, slide it onto a plate, stuff with your favorite chicken salad (store-bought is fine), roll it up and serve on a bed of arugula, lettuce or herbs. Delicious!

• Sweet Quickbread Bars with Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting
• Mix up a batch of your favorite sweet quickbread dough (I happened to have pumpkin on hand) and instead of putting it in a loaf pan, pour the dough into a greased, square brownie pan and bake for 15-20 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean). Let it cool slightly, then cut into squares.
• Mix 1-2 8z pkgs of cream cheese with a sweet flavoring that compliments your quickbread (Try pumpkin pie spice, splash of vanilla extract and 1/2 cup of sugar for pumpkin bread; lemon juice and sugar for lemon or blueberry breads; splash of maple syrup for banana or zucchini breads or experiment with your own). Slice each quickbread square in half horizontally and spoon a luscious dollop of your homemade cream cheese frosting in the middle, or just plop a spoonful on top and serve!

And there you have it, Reader: a delicious and summery late evening tea that gives a nod to the celestial night sky overhead. Might I suggest a little star-gazing outside after tea as the perfect finish? Lying barefoot in the grass with a friend and laughing as you look up at a luminous night sky--what more could a modern girl want?

Perhaps it is while drinking tea that I most of all enjoy the sense of leisure. ~George Gissing

Tea quotes courtesy of the Quote Garden.

Recipe of the Day: Lemon Lavender Simple Syrup

“Imagine a delicious glass of summer iced tea. Take a long cool sip. Listen to the ice crackle and clink. Is the glass part full or part empty? Take another sip. And now?”
― Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration

A crazy-delicious and easy recipe, this Lemon Lavender Syrup will delight your guests and spice up your favorite iced tea! Or adapt this versatile recipe to include almost any fruit & herb combination you have on hand. 

Ingredients:
2 cups of sugar
2 cups of water
1 lemon, sliced
4-5 good-sized sprigs of freshly cut lavender (pesticide-free)

Instructions:

• Pour 2 cups of water into a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

• While the water is heating, slice your lemon and rinse the lavender sprigs.

• Once your water is at a boil, whisk in the 2 cups of sugar and reduce the heat to med-low.

 

• Simmer the syrup for 15-20 minutes, whisking often.

• Then remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the lemon slices.

• Using scissors, snip the lavender stems into small pieces (to release oils from the leaves) and add to the syrup.

 

• Stir the syrup and let the fruit and herbs steep for 3-4 minutes. (Leaving them in too long or adding them in too early in the cooking process can result in bitter-tasting syrup.)

• Remove the large pieces of fruit & herbs and discard.

• Then pour the hot syrup through a sieve to remove any remaining herbs or citrus pulp.

 

• Allow the syrup to cool and serve in your favorite pitcher or pretty container.

 

Recipe makes about 2 cups of syrup and will serve 6.

Store leftover syrup in an airtight plastic container in the refrigerator for up to a week. 

Iced Tea Quote courtesy of goodreads.com.

A Butterfly Tea

The butterfly is a flying flower,
The flower a tethered butterfly.
~Ponce Denis Écouchard Lebrun

The Setting:

Whether you are young in years or young at heart, few places are nicer for whiling away the afternoon than a Butterfly Garden. Any excuse to linger there is a pleasant one and I can't think of a lovelier venue for hosting a light Afternoon Tea in late spring or summer. An Outdoor Tea Party is also a delightful and affordable way to treat your guests to something special. (It usually means less housecleaning before the guests arrive too, which makes every modern girl happy.) 

If you're blessed to have a butterfly garden near your home at a zoo, botanical garden, or local park, serving tea among the fluttering wings could be very doable. (But be sure to get permission before showing up with tea cups & guests in tow.) If not, I suggest hosting tea at the home of a friend whose garden features butterfly-friendly plants or, if you have plenty of time to plan, consider planting some butterfly-attractors in your own garden and set a table there.

The Tablescape:
If having tea in an actual Butterfly Garden is not a realistic option, or if the rain drives you indoors, a few artificial butterflies wrapped round the middle with floral wire and tucked into your tablescape will add a fluttering (and budget-friendly) nod to the delightful flyer. You'll also find inexpensive butterfly partyware & hors d'oeuvres picks at most party stores. Tuck them into napkin rings. Or fasten a paper butterfly to a silk flower with floral wire and set under a cloche for a fresh, just-caught feel. Don't forget to mix fresh flowers into your tablescape too.

Butterfly-patterned cups & saucers are another great way to delight your guests and draw your theme throughout the Tea. I picked up these Classico Butterfly Tea Cups (set of six) at an antique mall some years ago for $25.  Something similar would also work well with a botanical or horticultural theme. 

Having a few non-matching butterfly cup & saucer sets is also adorable.  Or, skip the cups all together this time and pull out your best glasses for iced tea! 

Another great, reusable way to get the butterfly look on your table is to pair butterfly salad/dessert plates or floral bowls with your existing solid or lightly-patterned dishes. (This is one of my favorite ways to change up a tablesetting cheaply while reducing the storage space required for a new set of dishes. Sharing or swapping themed salad plates & bowls with friends can also keep things fresh and reduce the cost.)

The Menu:
What does one serve at a Butterfly Tea? My rule of thumb for summer tea menus is they should feature light and delicate fare.  Also whatever the season, a good tea menu will delight your guests while encouraging them to expand their culinary horizons by trying new things.
 

 Butterfly Tea Menu:
An Assortment of Stash Iced Teas

 Cherry Rose Scones 

Whipped Butter & Dandelion Jam

Chevre-stuffed Dates with Basil & Prosciutto

Herbed Quiche Bites

Lemon-Thyme Curd Cakes

Menu Considerations:

• Start with a sweet scone featuring your favorite summer fruit (perhaps cut-out in the shape of a butterfly?). This sets the tone for your tea. Pair the scone with whipped butter and an unexpected spread like Dandelion Jelly or Rose Petal Jam to emphasize both airiness and the garden connection.

• Every tea course should compliment your theme and offer a variety of palate-tempting, seasonally-appropriate flavors. Each dish in the suggested menu above reflects both a sense of summer freshness and a homemade wholesomeness straight from the garden.

• Also keep in mind, most guests appreciate bite-size finger food portions at tea parties. Any way you can reduce messiness and simplify the amount of dishes, silverware & cups they have to maneuver will be much appreciated.   

• If you opt to serve tea sandwiches in place of the quiche, consider incorporating your theme into the menu by cutting the bread in coordinating shapes--flowers, butterflies, etc. 

• Cupcakes topped with edible butterfly or caterpillar decorations would also be a hoot. But be selective in how many ways you introduce your tea theme into the menu--clever can quickly become overdone if you're not careful.

 
A Butterfly Tea is a great way to entertain both kids and adults.  For kids, swap out some of the more sophisticated dishes for mini butterfly-shaped PB&J tea sandwiches & stuffed celery bites. Or come up with a menu all your own. Whatever you choose, pairing butterflies with tea can't help but make for a wonderful afternoon.

 

We are but small butterflies in the garden of life. -Carston D. Roach

 

Recipe of the Day: Delicious Gluten-Free Blueberry-Ginger Scones

We've served these delectable little golden scones twice at tea parties now, and they are by far my favorite sweet scone to serve. The fact they are also gluten-free just adds to the wonderfulness. The flavor is so good, you won't miss the wheat. Please note, this photo is of the first batch I made, which weren't cut as small or as neatly as they should have been (I too, am living and learning this tea party thing as I go along).

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. (I really like Namaste Foods' Perfect Flour Blend.) 
3/4 cup sugar plus 1 tsp kept separate (Date Sugar is a nice low-glycemic alternative.)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbl butter (for a healthier spin, try substituting coconut oil for part or all of the butter)
1 tbl crystallized ginger, minced (you can substitute fresh, grated ginger but keep in mind, it packs a lot more punch so you will need much less)
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup fresh blueberries, keep half separate
1 tbl heavy cream

Procedure:

• Have the oven preheated to 400 degrees.
• Use parchment paper to line a baking sheet.
• Using a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients (except the extra tsp of sugar).
• With a pastry blender or fork, cut the butter into your flour mixture until you get coarse crumbles.
• Stir in the ginger.
• Add in the buttermilk and stir just until combined. Add a bit more if the mix is dry until you have a dough.
• On a lightly-floured board, gently knead the dough 3 times and roll it out until it's 1/2 an inch thick.
• Sprinkle half the blueberries over 1/2 the dough.
• Then fold the other 1/2 of the dough over the blueberry half.
• Roll the dough gently one more time to a 1/2-inch thickness.
• Using remaining blueberries, repeat sprinkling, folding and rolling of dough once more.
• With a 2 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out approx 15 scones and place them on your baking sheet.
• Brush scone tops with the heavy cream and sprinkle with the last tsp of sugar.
• Bake the scones until they're lightly golden on top--about 15 minutes.

I usually plan 2 scones per person (because I adore leftovers) so figure this recipe will serve 7-8.

Muah! Enjoy!!!

**Original recipe courtesy of the March/April 2012 issue of Tea Time Magazine.**
 

Recipe of the Day: White-Chocolate-Marscapone-Stuffed Strawberries

 These little gems are one of my favorite tea party desserts to serve because they're as decadent as they are flashy.  (They're also simple to make with only 3 ingredients.) Be forewarned, if you put these little darlings on your tea table, it's best to have a lot of them. Cuz one per guests is just not enough!


Ingredients:
4oz white chocolate chips
8oz marscapone cheese, at room temperature
20 large strawberries, rinsed
1-2 tsp of coconut or vegetable oil to thin chocolate, if necessary

Procedure:

• Put a small saucepan filled 3/4 with water on the stove and bring to a boil.

• Once the water is boiling, put a small glass or heat-resistant metal bowl over the top of the water to create a simple double-boiler effect.

• Once the bowl is hot, add the white chocolate chips, one ounce at a time, stirring constantly. If the melting chip mixture is too dry, add in some oil as you stir, a few drops at a time until you have a smooth but not runny consistency.

• Remove melted chocolate from heat and transfer to an electric mixer bowl.

• Add marscapone cheese to the chocolate and beat the filling on medium speed until well-combined.

• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the filling for a minimum of 4 hours, but no more than a couple days. I find it easiest to make the filling the night before a tea party and then pull it out of the fridge in the morning, so it has time to soften to a consistency I can pipe through a pastry bag.

• Once softened, spoon some of the white chocolate filling into a pastry bag fitted with the decorator tip of your choice, or if you prefer an easy and disposable solution, use a quart-size ziplock baggie and snip one of the corners (be sure to add the filling first!). Set the prepared filling aside.

• Place one strawberry on a cutting board, with the green stem facing down and using a small paring knife, cut an X in the top of each berry, being careful not to cut all the way through the berry.

• Gently pull apart the 4 sections of the berry and pipe the white chocolate filling inside until the berry is visibly stuffed with sweet, delicious  chocolate goodness.  Repeat with remaining berries and serve immediately. (These will do just fine if left on a buffet table for a bit while you visit with your guests.)

Recipe serves 10-ish.

 **Original recipe courtesy of the March/April 2012 issue of Tea Time Magazine.**

Recipe of the Day: The Modern Girl's Caprese Salad

This is my go-to summer salad recipe.  If you are looking for something light and easy to prepare with a fresh, Italian flavor profile that will wow your guests and elevate you to stellar tea party hostess status, this recipe is for you!  Over a couple summers it's been tweaked, vetted and approved by the taste buds of some dear friends and now it's ready to be served at your summer tea party. I hope you love it.

Ingredients:
1 tub of small fresh mozzarella cheese balls packed in water, drained & cut in half
1 pkg grape cherry tomatoes, rinsed, drained & cut in half
1/2 lb thinly-sliced prosciutto cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup fresh basil, stems removed & roughly chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, washed and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Procedure:
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large salad bowl.
Then add the olive oil and toss gently to coat.
Finally, season with salt & pepper as desired.
Serve immediately.

Salad makes 4 servings.

Recipe of the Day: Watermelon Feta Salad

It is the chief of this world's luxuries, king by the grace of God over all the fruits of the earth. When one has tasted it, he knows what the angels eat. 

It was not a Southern watermelon that Eve took; we know it because she repented. 

- spoken by Pudd'nHead Wilson as written by Mark Twain

This salad recipe is one of my absolute favorites to serve at summer tea parties for three reasons:

1. It's a super time saver. There's no actual cooking involved. All you need is a knife, cutting board and one 2-3 inch cookie cutter in the shape of your choice. These salads are so easy to make. I usually cut them out early in the morning the day of a party and plate them directly onto the plates or bowls I plan to serve. Then I cover them in plastic wrap and refrigerate until 15 min before the guests arrive. (You could get away with prepping them the night before if you put them in tupperware with a paper towel underneath to absorb any extra water from the feta & melon overnight.) I then garnish each salad with a sprig of mint and have the plates already on the table when my guests appear. So simple!
2. It's a healthy novelty. This is a dish that few of my friends have tried before so it's both a new culinary experience for them and one they can indulge in without feeling guilty about wrecking their diets. Fresh fruit and cheese make it a light but satisfying summer dish with a surprisingly delicious flavor profile. Plus it makes my guests feel very spoiled, which I love.
3. It adds big, budget-friendly panache to your tablescape. One of my signature looks in a tea party table-setting is having at least one item on the table cut in a shape that coordinates with my party theme. It could be tea sandwiches, scones, cookies--even a gelatin. This dramatically increases the wow factor on the table without costing me any extra money or time than it took to prepare the dish. 

Watermelon Feta Salad
Ingredients:

•  4 slices of seedless, organic watermelon about 5 inches across and 1inch thick

• 1  7oz block of feta cheese (not crumbles) drained & patted dry, then cut into 4 half inch-thick slices  (Mt. Vikos is great, otherwise try your local grocery deli or specialty cheese section and approximate how much you'll need for the 4 slices.) **If you really don't care for feta, substitute fresh mozzarella or queso fresco for a milder, creamy flavor.**

• 2 tablespoons of red pepper flakes (Simply Organic has a a great product at a really good price for organic spices.) **If you don't like spicy, substitute 2 tablespoons of your favorite ground herb.** 

•  4 sprigs of mint to garnish (or substitute your favorite leafy herb: parsley, cilantro, thyme, dill, etc)

Assembly:
Lay a watermelon slice flat on the cutting board and using your 2-3 inch cookie cutter, position the cutter so you will be able to get 2 cut-out shapes from each watermelon slice and press down.

Remove the first cut-out carefully and then cut a 2nd identical shape from the remainder of the slice. Cut 2 shapes from each of the other watermelon slices, then set watermelon cut-outs aside and rinse both the cutting board & cookie cutter.

Place the feta cheese on the cutting board and use the same cookie cutter to cut one shape from each feta slice. Remove the shapes carefully as they are delicate and set aside.

Place the red pepper flakes on a small plate and gently dip or roll the edges of each feta cut-out in the flakes until well-coated.

On a salad plate or in a pretty bowl, place one watermelon cut-out, then top with one feta cheese cut-out (be sure to line up the edges so they match), and finally, top with a 2nd watermelon cut-out. 

Garnish with a sprig of mint to serve. Recipe makes 4 individual servings.  

Watermelon quote courtesy of twain quotes.com.