A Very SF Version of a Proper Tea Party
Ever since I was a child I loved having afternoon tea. Not sure if it was the kitchy decor, getting dressed up, or being able to eat copious amounts of dessert and call it a meal, but I loved the whole experience. What I did not realize until later is that hosting a tea party is actually fairly easy. Here is a short list of how you can pull it off.
Tea
This is the critical part, because without tea you have no tea party. Make sure to have a combination of caffeinated and decaf teas. You can brew batches of tea if you have a tea pot. Brewing individual cups might be easier if there are not a lot of people. Ensure you have enough hot water on hand at all times with an electric kettle. Also get good quality tea. Let’s be honest — Begelow won’t impress anyone.
Scones
This is one of my favorite parts of afternoon tea. I would recommend making scones as it is really no harder than baking cookies. You can make the batter, shape the scones on a baking sheet and freeze, then bake them the day of the party. Traditional scones are generally pretty plain with some currants or raisins. I prefer making some more unique ones like these Chocolate Pear Scones from Smitten Kitchen (my favorite Food Blog).
Tea Sandwiches
Here’s where you can get creative. Definitely have at least three different types of tea sandwiches minimum and cater these to your guest’s needs. Vegetarians? Vegans? Lactose-intolerant? etc.
Some basic fan favorite sandwiches:
Salmon cream cheese
Cucumber cream cheese
Egg salad
Hummus veggies
Curried chicken salad
Turkey/ham & cheese
You can buy a loaf of white bread at any store (even Whole Foods). Yes, white bread still exists. If you want to get fancy, you can also get a loaf of whole wheat bread. Cut the crust off all of the bread and you are ready to assemble sandwiches. I prefer to use KiteHill almond spread instead of real cream cheese. My personal favorites are salmon cream cheese, cucumber cream cheese and egg salad. For the cucumber sandwiches, make sure to slice the cucumber very thin. Also do not assemble the sandwiches in advance or the bread will become stale. Finally cut sandwiches into 3 rectangular strips or 4 small triangles.
Clotted Cream
What the heck is this, you might ask? Clotted cream also known as Denvonshire Cream is like a cross between butter and whipped cream. This is a staple at afternoon tea to eat with the scones. Lemon Curd and Jam are some other must-haves. You can usually find Clotted Cream at Whole Foods in the cheese section. If you can’t find it, you can make it from heavy whipping cream and sour cream.
Sweets
A tea party is not a tea party without sweets. Personally I think scones with clotted cream, lemon curd & jam is enough, but a traditional tea party has sweets. Anything can work here from cake to petit fours to French macarons to tarts. One of my favorites (or favourites) is Battenberg cake looks like this . The key here is to make small bites of sweets.
Nice China
Here is where you can cut corners. If you live in San Francisco you probably don’t own “China” so your Heath will do. Really though, anything can fly here except for paper plates.
Serve everything together and enjoy!
