The co-authors are blessed with a veritable garden of Roses in their lives. Aunt, niece, grandmother and great-grandmother are all beloved Roses. All have enjoyed the pleasures of afternoon tea. We created this menu as a tribute to our love of afternoon tea and all our Roses. And who doesn’t love this iconic flower, which has brought such beauty, fragrance and romantic inspiration to the entire world for centuries?
The Rose
On a June morning, the innocence is overwhelming–
A single wild rose stands out in the underbrush
Like a small pink planet.
A rock, almost hidden in the Manzanita,
Takes in sunlight in its quiet way.
Nearby, a tiny flow of air
Passes through the lower branches of the eucalyptus,
Sending the down-pointing leaves into a flutter
That almost tinkles,
Like fingers playing some numinous tune.
Menu
Beverages:
Rose Petal Tea
Kir Royale
White Jasmine Tea
Savories:
Radish Petal Sandwiches with Chive Butter on Challah
Deviled Eggs, Dusted with Sweet Paprika
Roses in Clover (smoked salmon rosettes on micro greens atop brown bread rounds)
Breads and Scones:
Almond Scones with Rose Hip Jam
Sweets:
Pink Velvet Rosette Cakes
Napoleons
Rosewater Shortbread
Butter Mints in Rose and Leaf Shapes (in pink and green pastel tints)
Rose Gelee Tart
Victoria Sponge with Sugared Rose Petals (On the Pedestal)
Kir Royale
Kir Royale is a simple but very pretty cocktail made only of crème de cassis (black currant liqueur) topped with Champagne or sparkling wine. You can start your Rose Tea by offering each guest a Kir Royale in an elegant flute as she arrives for the festivities. Have a chilled bottle of Martinelli’s Sparkling Apple-Grape Cider ready for guests who prefer not to drink alcoholic beverages. The lovely pinkish purple color of the Apple-Grape Cider will echo the same shades in the Kir Royale, colors reminiscent of old roses.
To make a Kir Royale, place one tablespoon of crème de cassis in the bottom of a flute and add nine tablespoons of pink Champagne or sparkling wine. It isn’t really necessary to measure the Champagne; just fill up the rest of the flute, and enjoy watching the dark purple Crème de Cassis mingle with the pink or soft golden Champagne. Kathleen likes to make Kir Royale with Francis Ford Coppola Winery’s Sofia Blanc de Blancs.
Radish Petal Sandwiches with Chive Butter on Challah
These charming radish sandwiches are designed to look like a rose. You will need a three or four inch cookie cutter in a flower shape so the radish slices will look like flower petals. If you don’t have a flower shaped cookie cutter, use the round one that you will be using to make Roses in Clover. You can still place a circle of radish slices on top of the buttered challah to resemble a rose.
Deviled Eggs
Deviled Eggs are one of the greatest snacks of all time. Although they are a simple food item, they need to be made with patience and meticulous care and eaten as soon after being assembled as possible. The “shelf life” for Deviled Eggs may be very short, but in our experience, they never last long enough at any gathering to worry about leftovers.
Roses in Clover (Smoked Salmon Rosettes on Micro Greens atop Brown Bread Rounds)
Roses in Clover is the fanciful name for smoked salmon that has been rolled to resemble roses and served on top of brown bread covered with micro-greens, creating the illusion of clover growing out of the earth. For such an imaginative food item, these are actually quite easy to make. If your first effort at rolling a strip of salmon into a rose doesn’t turn out quite right, just re-roll until you are happy with the result.
Almond Scones
These lovely golden scones are enhanced with almonds and brown sugar. In fact the dough contains almonds in three forms—ground toasted almonds, chopped toasted almonds and almond extract. For your own convenience, you can use whole almonds and toast them in the oven before separating the almonds that will be ground from the ones that will be chopped. Decorate the finished scones with fresh rose petals and serve with rose hip jam.
Pink Velvet Rosette Cakelets
Pastel versions of the popular red velvet cake, these sweet little cakes are baked in individual rose-shaped cake pans. We purchased our pan from Nordic Ware, the makers of the original Bundt pan, an American company started in 1946. A regular cupcake pan may be substituted, but we think you deserve a bouquet of velvet rose cakelets, so indulge; after all, you’re supporting an American company!
Napoleons
These delicate, cream filled flaky pastries are widely known throughout Europe and the Middle East. In French, they are sometimes referred to as Mille Feuilles, cake of a thousand sheets. We will use the very thin Greek pastry sheets known as phyllo for our Napoleons; fortunately, phyllo can be purchased at the grocery store. We will fill our Napoleons with a luscious chocolate pastry cream and decorate them with chocolate glaze and icing rosettes.
Rosewater Shortbread
These sweet, delicate little Shortbread cookies are subtly flavored with rosewater. If you cannot find rosewater in your neighborhood grocery store, it will be easy to find in an Indian or Middle Eastern market.
Butter Mints in Rose and Leaf Shapes
Butter Mints are charming old-fashioned candies that are surprisingly easy to make. They can be formed into a variety of shapes using candy molds, and they can be tinted any color you want. For our Rose Tea, our Butter Mints will be molded and tinted to resemble pink roses and green leaves. Any kitchen store should sell leaf and flower candy molds at a reasonable price. Once you make that little investment, you can make these lovely candies for all sorts of special occasions, and they also make very sweet party favors.
Rose Gelee Tarts
Topped with a glossy, rose-scented gelee layer, our creamy and delicate miniature tarts will delight guests as part of our Rose tea. The rose scent comes from fresh rose petals and rose water. Serve garnished with a single perfect rose petal.
Victoria Sponge with Sugared Rose Petals
This famous Nineteenth Century English dessert is named after none other than Queen Victoria herself, who loved this golden sponge cake at tea time. Victoria Sponge can be served plain or sliced into two layers and filled with jam, lemon curd, berries or whipped cream. For our Rose Tea, we will serve our Victoria Sponge as a layer cake filled with raspberry jam, whipped cream scented with rose water, and edible Sugared Rose Petals scattered over the top.
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THE TEA BOOK
The Road Back to Civilization
A Brief History of Tea
Philosophy of Tea
Harmony
Humility
Respect
Creativity
Guidelines for the Host/Hostess
Gathering and Greeting
Sharing Stories
Sharing Food
Sending the Guests Home
Respect your Hostess/Host
Bring a Gift if You Wish
Practice Humility
Monitor Your Conversation
Arrive With a Grateful Attitude
Help if Help is Needed
Do Not Criticize
Leave Gracefully
Send a Thank you Note
A Checklist for Planning a Tea Party
Teas of the World and How to Make Tea
A Sampling of Teas
Herbal Teas and Tisanes
How to Make Tea
Making Iced Tea
Tea Concentrate
Brewing Tea for a Crowd
Tea Kettle
Tea Pot
Tea Cozy
Teacups
Plates
Silverware
Teacart
Tea Strainer
Tea Infuser
Three-Tiered Server
Cream Pitcher and Sugar Bowl
Cake Pedestal
Trifle Bowl
Jam Pots
Serving Dishes, Platters, and Trays
Silver Tea Set or Silver Tray
Linens
Kitchen Equipment for Food Preparation
Sandwiches and Savories
Savory Spreads and Dips
Scones and Tea Breads
Afternoon Tea and the Four Seasons
A Spring Tea
An Outdoor Summer Tea
A Winter Afternoon Tea
An Autumn Afternoon Tea
January:A Japanese New Year’s Tea
February:Valentine’s Day Tea
March:A St. Patrick’s Day Irish Tea
April:An Easter Tea
May:Mother’s day Tea
June:A Wedding Reception Tea
July:A Picnic Tea
AUGUST:A FAMILY REUNION TEA
A North American Family Reunion Tea
An Eastern Mediterranean Family Reunion Tea
A Kosher Family Reunion Tea
A Scandinavian Family Reunion Tea
September:An Ozark Farm Harvest Tea
October:A Tea to Honor Our Ancestors(Dia de los Muertos)
November:A Post Thanksgiving Tea
December: A Christmas Tea
In Defense of Fruitcake:Fruitcakes and Candied Fruit
A Chinese Dim Sum Tea
A Portuguese Tea
A Classic British Afternoon Tea
An Indian Chai Party
A California Tea
A Hawaiian Tea
An Italian Tea
An American Southern Tea
A Russian Tea
A French Afternoon Tea
A Kosher Teawith Traditional Jewish Foods
Afternoon Tea for Special Occasions
An Afternoon Tea for Children
A Tea for Our Elders
A Honey Bee Tea in the Garden
An Urban Tea on the Go
Tea for One
Afternoon Tea For a Large Group
A Vegan Tea
A Rose Tea