Ye Olde Tavern Life

Tea time is my response to a fast paced life and a return to a relaxed tradition. It's also, without a doubt, my desire to return to reflective, civil conversations and perhaps to another age that I imagine less complex. Here are two of my favorite tea time recipes.

Maids of Honour

(makes about 30)

1 lb. puff pastry

1/2 pt. milk

4 tbsp. white breadcrumbs

4 oz. butter, cut in cubes

2 tbsp. superfine sugar

grated rind of 1 lemon

2 oz. ground almonds

3 eggs

Preheat oven 400. Roll out the pastry and cut in rounds to fit small bun or tartlet tins. Bring the milk with the crumbs in it to a boil, remove from heat and leave for 5 minutes. Beat in the butter, then the sugar, rind and almonds. Although the mixture has a slight texture, make sure it has no lumps. Lastly beat in the eggs. Half fill the pastry cases with the mixture and bake for 15 minutes or until the pastry is cooked and has shrunk from the sides of the tins and the filling is golden brown. Remove maids of honour from tin and cool on wire rack.

Cherry Cake

3 oz. self-rising flour

pinch of salt

8 oz. glace cherries, washed and drained

6 oz. butter

6 oz. superfine sugar

3 eggs, beaten

3 oz. ground almonds

Preheat oven to 325. Grease a 7 inch cake tin and line with parchment paper. Sieve flour and salt together. Cut cherries in half and mix them together with a little of the flour to prevent them from sinking to base of the cake when cooking. Cream butter and sugar together until they are pale and creamy. Add the beaten eggs a little at a time, adding two tablespoons of flour after half the egg has been used to keep the mixture stiff. Fold in remaining flour, cherries and ground almonds. Turn mixture into tin and bake for 1 1/4 hours or until skewer inserted into cake comes out clean.

Earl Grey is a lovely tea to serve with the above recipes. It is a traditional blend of China and Darjeeling teas, scented with oil of bergamot. It was created by the Chinese for the second Earl Grey. Serve it with our without milk.

Tea, like wine, should be chosen to accompany the food it is served with. Some of my favorite teas are...

Assam is a strong, bright colored tea with a malty flavor. This tea is grown in the Brahmaputra Valley in Assam, northern India. Drink it with milk and serve hearty food.

Rose Pouchong is tea from the Guandong province in China. It is mixed in the traditional way with rose petals to give a fragrant liquor. Serve it black with sweets.

Russian Caravan is a blend of fine quality China and Taiwan oolong teas, delicious with or without milk, hot or iced. It was traditionally brought across Asia to Russia by camel caravan. Serve this tea with sandwiches and salads.

Keemun is a traditional black China tea with a light, delicate flavor from Anhui Province. It can be served with or without milk. This tea goes well with Chinese food.