Time for a Spot of Tea
To me, the words “tea time” conjure up images of southern ladies with white gloves and wide brimmed hats, nibbling daintily on crustless sandwiches while milling about a perfectly manicured garden. A triangle or light bell is sounded to call the ladies to tables that are covered with lacy tablecloths, polished silverware and flower printed china. Waiters in tails pour tea into tiny gold rimmed cups and make sure the supply of delightful delicacies is continuously replenished.
My vision of tea time was not too far off from what I saw when I flipped through the (rather pink) pages of Tea Time magazine. An article on tea etiquette gave advice on how to properly eat a sandwich and whether or not there is a place on the tea table for personal items, (in case you’re wondering, there isn’t, they should be on your lap or under the table). Another article detailed the tea experience in Charlottesville, Virginia, a historic town that seems to be the perfect place to take afternoon tea.
That’s all well and good, but what about the food? It’s unlikely that I’ll ever be the host of a formal tea party, (I’m like a bull in a china shop…) but that doesn’t mean I can’t steal tea time recipes to make an afternoon snack, and a fancy one at that! Tea Time magazine does provide quite a few recipes for all sorts of finger foods to be consumed with one’s pinky finger in the air… or not. Seeing as though I’m not a regular at afternoon tea nor am I a picky five year old, it’s been ages since I’ve had a triangularly cut, crustless sandwich and darn if I didn’t want one!
I began by making my own bread using my Mom’s recipe but half way through I realized that I actually like the crusts on my sandwiches and decided to make a different tea time treat instead. Cherry tarts anyone? I tinkered a little with the recipe from Tea Time, (as I usually do with recipes) and ended up with these chocolate cherry tarts, topped with toasted almonds. I’ll provide you with the original, which you can interpret as you like, but I suggest using chocolate dough because who doesn’t like the combination of chocolate and cherries?
Click “Continue reading” to see the recipe.
1 (15oz) package refrigerated pie crusts
1 (14.5oz) can red tart cherries
¼ cup sugar
1 ½ T cornstarch
1 T cherry flavoured brandy
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 ½ T milk
½ tsp almond extract
Preheat oven to 400F. On a lightly floured surface, unroll crusts. Using a 2 ½ inch round cutter, cut 12 circles from each pie crust. Line each cup of a 24-cup miniature muffin pan with prepared crusts; prick bottoms of crusts with a fork. Bake 5 minutes.
Drain cherries, reserving ½ cup juice. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Gradually add reserved cherry juice and brandy, whisking until smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook 1-2 minutes stirring constantly, until mixture is clear and thickened. Remove from heat and stir in cherries.
Evenly divide cherry mixture between muffin cups. Bake 8-10 minutes; remove to a wire rack and cool completely.
In a small bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar, milk and almond extract, whisking until smooth. Drizzle icing on top of each tartlet.
I don’t know how to bake, so I really respect people who can! Salute.