Portent
September’s moon suspends
In an oyster shell sky,
Her newly waned shape a baroque pearl.
Her light dazzles, silver-white,
And the stars keep their distance.
Summer’s earth beneath her
Holds the heat from golden days
When the sun has had his way.
Pink petunias dangle from flowerpots,
And the grape-hued blooms of the crepe myrtle
Hang like heavy fruit.
The moss at the foot of the rose bush
Turns dark and dry,
And the dog sleeps with his ear in the dust;
His soft paws at rest among acorns, newly fallen.
Does he hear autumn’s whisper
Through his golden dreams?
Does this jasmine moon
Sense the cool coming of the western wind?
Last month, we celebrated August, the pinnacle of high summer. Then, we were all about outdoor activities, picnics, potlucks, church suppers, and Afternoon Tea in the back yard. September is more nuanced, a bit ambiguous, like the half-moon, shifting from big to small, form small to big or from summer to fall. In some places, like Canada and New England, this transition is dramatic, with the maple leaves starting in early September to change color from green to yellow, rust orange and vibrant red.
In the soft morning,
Maple leaves start to turn. Jays
Call from the live oak.
In home gardens and farmlands, summer’s last fruits and vegetables linger with autumn’s first produce, sunflowers remain, and asters and chrysanthemums replace August’s roses and hydrangeas while spring gardenias re-bloom in the fall.
In cool morning mist,
Two white gardenias glisten
As an oak leaf falls.
Early autumn fruits include apples, pears, grapes, cranberries and pomegranates, and strawberries continue into September.
Oak leaves and acorns
Cover the walkway beside
The red apple tree.
.
The tops of redwoods
Point to the full moon above
The strawberry patch.
Markets and farm stands are loaded with late summer and early fall vegetables providing a wonderful and healthy array for our transition time tea parties and family meals. Easily available at this time of year are late summer tomatoes and squash, and early autumn broccoli, cauliflower, artichokes, beets, cabbage, kale, spinach, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, mushrooms, green beans and bell peppers. Many of these fresh and delicious vegetables will be featured in the Afternoon Tea menu I am sharing this month, and in the Family Meal I will introduce in October.
Under bright blue skies,
Farm workers pick artichokes.
Crows circle the field.
East of the distant
Gray sea, the farm stand sells sweet
Onions and mushrooms.
This September, I am sharing a simple Afternoon Tea menu with you as we all make the gentle or startling transition from summer to fall. Some of the recipes in this menu are available in our Tea Book on this website or in our blogs. Others I will provide from my own resources. My September and October blogs will be interconnected through fresh autumn ingredients and a multicultural perspective, reflecting our family here in Hawaii and our extended family in California and beyond. September’s Summer to Fall Afternoon Tea features the seasonal produce I have mentioned above. Using the traditional three-part format of Savories, Scones and Sweets, this Afternoon Tea can be enjoyed outdoors if the weather is still pleasant in your area, or indoors for a cozy early autumn gathering.
Autumn arrives and
The flame tree flowers linger
On the green mountain.
The October menu will describe a family meal we will be hosting in our own apartment for six adults and two children. We will be celebrating my husband Wayne’s birthday at the end of August and Diana’s birthday in early September. Diana and Francis are the parents of Willa and Giulia, the eight-year-old and three-year-old we have been babysitting for the past eight years. The girls’ adult brother Thomas and his girlfriend Kristi will also be our guests. Among the eight of us, our cultural heritages include Hawaiian, Filipino, Japanese, Italian and Irish, each a rich trove of culinary treasures. Several of the items from the September Afternoon Tea menu will be included in next month’s larger family meal, so hold onto your recipes!
Can the spirit of
Aloha cross the mountains,
Waft across the sea?
Summer to Fall Afternoon Tea
Beverages:
Fruit Flavored and Unflavored Sparkling Waters, Iced Rooibos Tea, Hot Genmai Cha
Savories and Sandwiches:
- Best Summer Tomato Sandwiches, Egg Salad Sandwiches, (Tea Menu Basics in The Tea Book)
- Stuffed Mushrooms (Adapted from The Fanny Farmer Cookbook)
Scones:
- Almond Apricot Scones with California Apricot Jam and Kerry Gold Butter
(Adapted from TeaTime, March/April 2025)
Sweets:
- Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Fresh Pears (Adapted from Southern Living June/July 2025)
- Oreo Chocolate Icebox Pie (Adapted from Southern Living, June/July2025)
Summer’s laid-back vibe can change quickly when school starts, and we shift into high gear with long-range planning for the fall and winter holidays. We don’t want any stress in our first Afternoon Tea of Autumn. I deliberately chose very easy to make items for all of the courses in this traditional menu. The Scones and the Chocolate Icebox Pie can be made a few days ahead and frozen, the Panna Cottas can be made the day ahead and refrigerated, along with the Egg Salad Sandwich Filling and the Iced Rooibos Tea. The Stuffed Mushrooms can be made earlier in the day of the tea party and re-warmed if necessary, and the Sandwiches can be assembled about an hour before your event begins, while you are baking the scones and slicing the pears. Set your table, arrange your flowers and place the Jam and Butter in decorative dishes early in the day to avoid last-minute details. Bring the butter for both the Scones and the Sandwiches to room temperature before assembling and serving. I have placed these easy recipes in the chronological order in which you will prepare them.
Almond Apricot Scones: Makes about 12
Over the years, TeaTime magazine has set the standard for traditional Scones recipes. Your guests will love these elegant classics made with California apricots and almonds. I like to make Scones in my food processor, but you can also use a pastry blender or two forks to blend the dough. You will need a rolling pin and a round cookie cutter about 2-2 and ¼ inches to form the scones.
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ½ cup dried apricots, finely chopped
- ¾ cup sliced almonds, toasted and cooled, ½ cup slightly crushed, ¼ cup reserved for garnish
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon cold buttermilk, divided
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Preheat the oven to 375 Degrees F
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper
- Place the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor or large mixing bowl and pulse or whisk until blended. Add the cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the ½ cup crushed almonds and the chopped apricots. Pulse once or twice to incorporate. In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, stir together 1 cup of buttermilk and the vanilla and almond extracts.
- Pour the Buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and pulse until a shaggy dough begins to form. Remove the dough from the food processor and gently form the dough with your hands on a lightly floured surface, adding small amounts of buttermilk if the dough seems too dry.
- Gently knead the dough until it is smooth and fairly firm, patting and folding it in half 3 or 4 times. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin to a ¾ -inch thickness. Using a round, fluted cutter, dipped in flour (2- 2 and ¼ inches) cut as many Scones as possible, about 12. Reroll the scraps and cut additional Scones until you have used all the dough.
- Place the Scones 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Freeze for about 15 minutes until the Scones are firm, or leave in the freezer, wrapped in plastic wrap, to bake later. Remove the formed Scones from the freezer and brush the tops with the remaining tablespoon of buttermilk. Decorate the tops of each with four slices of the reserved almonds in a floral pattern, pressed gently to adhere.
- Bake in the Preheated oven until the Scones are golden brown, 16-20 minutes. Serve fresh and warm from the oven. I will serve mine with California Blenheim Apricot Jam made last summer by my nieces Kathleen and Tiffany and Irish Kerry Gold Butter, at room temperature.
Oreo Chocolate Icebox Pie: Serves 10-12 in thin, rich slices
This rich and luscious but incredibly easy to make Chocolate Pie requires no cooking or baking and can be frozen or refrigerated before the day of your tea party. The filling is made of ganache, the French style combination of hot cream and semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate stirred into a smooth filling. America’s ever-popular Oreo Cookies form the crust and the decorative topping.
- 20 cream-filled Chocolate Oreo Sandwich Cookies (from one 13.29-ounce package)
- ½ cup (1stick) butter, at room temperature, divided
- 1¼ cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 12-ounce package of bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips, (such as Ghirardelli)
Cooking spray for the pie pan
For garnish: 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1 tablespoon powdered sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla and ½ cup crushed Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
- Spray a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray and set aside. Pulse the Oreo Cookies into crumbs in a food processor for about 45 seconds. Microwave 4 tablespoons (half the stick) of butter in a glass measuring cup until melted, about 30 seconds. With the food processor running, pour in the melted butter and pulse until well combined, about 15 seconds
- Transfer the crumb mixture into the prepared pie plate and press the crumbs firmly and evenly into the pan with your fingers. Freeze for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the 1 ¼ cups of heavy cream in a 1-quart glass measuring cup and microwave until the cream begins to steam. Do not bring it to a boil. Place the chocolate chips into a large heat-proof mixing bowl and pour the hot cream over the chips. Let stand for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter into small pieces. Gently whisk the chocolate mixture with a rubber spatula until smooth. Add the butter and stir until all the butter is melted and completely incorporated into a smooth ganache.
- Pour the chocolate filling into the chilled pie crust, spreading it into an even layer to the top. Refrigerate the pie, uncovered, for at least 2 hours. (Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for longer storage Before serving, acclimate the pie in the refrigerator overnight.) When ready to serve, with a hand-held electric mixer, beat 1 cup of heavy whipping cream with 1 tablespoon powdered sugar and ½ teaspoon vanilla until soft peaks form.
- Spread the whipped cream decoratively over the top of the pie with a rubber spatula and sprinkle crushed Oreos over the top. Refrigerate until your guests arrive and serve on a decorative cake pedestal.
Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Fresh Pears: Makes 8 Panna Cottas in individual Custard Cups or Coffee Cups with Saucers for the Pear Slices
Panna Cotta is a light Italian dessert that many people confuse with a flan or a custard, but in fact it is a gelatin which is not boiled or baked. The recipe which I adapted from Southern Living recommends serving this Panna Cotta with Caramel Peaches, but I am simply suggesting fresh pear slices, which will have to be prepared at the last minute to prevent brown discoloring as your guests enjoy these refreshing little sweets.
- 1 ½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin (from 1 one-fourth -ounce envelope)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- Pinch of Kosher salt
- 2 cups whole buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- 2-3 fresh pears
Lemon juice to sprinkle the pear slices before serving
- Place 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let stand for ten minutes. Meanwhile, place the cream, sugar, lemon zest and salt into a medium saucepan. Over medium heat, bring thee mixture just to a simmer, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula to dissolve the sugar, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the gelatin mixture, stirring to dissolve. Whisk in the buttermilk and vanilla. Divide the buttermilk mixture evenly among 8 custard cups or coffee cups and place the cups on a tray. Chill uncovered until firm, 8 hours or up to 3 days.
- Just before your guests arrive, wash the pears and slice them unpeeled from the top into quarters. Cut out the cores and seeds and slice each quarter into four wedges. Sprinkle a little lemon juice over the wedges. Place the coffee cups on saucers and arrange them on a decorative tray. Place about four pear wedges on each saucer and serve immediately with teaspoons for the Panna Cotta. The pear wedges are finger food which can be dipped into the Panna Cotta.
Egg Salad Sandwich Filling from Tea Menu Basics in the Tea Book
To find the recipes for Best Summer Tomato Sandwiches and Egg Salad Sandwiches on our website, click on the three small horizontal lines on our Homepage (called the hamburger) and go to The Tea Book.
Scroll down to Tea Menu Basics and click on Sandwiches and Savories. You will find the recipes there.
Iced Rooibos Tea from Teas of The World and How to Make Tea in The Tea Book
To make Iced Rooibos Tea, follow the procedure above by clicking on the three small horizontal lines on our Homepage and Scrolling to The Tea Book, then scrolling to Teas of the World and How to Make Tea. Scroll down again to Making Iced Tea and follow the directions using Rooibos Tea Bags to make a perfect pitcher of Iced Tea.
Stuffed Mushrooms: Makes 12
Fanie Farmer is the queen of delicious bare bones basic cooking with fresh seasonal ingredients. Here, fresh mushrooms are mixed with onions, fresh parsley and breadcrumbs for a perfect teatime finger food savory.
- 12 large mushroom caps, stems removed
- 1 stick butter (8 tablespoons)
- ½ cup dry breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped white onion
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Extra butter or cooking spray for the pan
Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees F. Generously butter a shallow baking dish. Gently wipe the mushroom caps clean with a moistened paper towel. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a small skillet or saucepan and let it cool slightly. With your fingers, coat the mushroom caps with butter and place them in the baking dish, stem side up. In a medium sized bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, parsley, onion, salt, pepper, and egg. Fill each mushroom cap with the mixture, distributing it evenly. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese evenly over each filled mushroom and pour melted butter over the tops. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
