Virginia
Afternoon Tea ~ Vintage 1825
It is certain that a cultivated young lady of that era would have known well that the proper way to hold a teacup was to place a thumb at the six o'clock position and the index and middle fingers at the twelve o'clock position while gracefully lifting the pinkie up for balance, really a subtle sign of attitude. She knew never to loop her fingers through the handle and always minded that her napkin was folded with a crease and put to the left side of her place upon completion of the meal. The ladies tea of the day was a prime source of entertainment and interesting to note, it included plenty of wines, liqueurs and often rum and Bourbon. It could become a very spirited party as it featured savories, tiny sandwiches or appetizers, scones, served with jam and clotted cream and pastries, cakes, cookies, shortbread and sweets, all artfully decorated and served with the hostess’s finest china, crystal, silver and linens.
Vintage Tea Party Menu
Tiny Sponge Cakes with Wine Jelly ~ Lady Baltimore Cake
Syllabub ~ Blackberry Fool ~ Tea Cream ~ Fresh Berries with Kiss Froth
For our Tea Party we created a crunchy munchy pastry filled with orange
liqueur spiked cream, roasted almonds and tiny hunks of fudge. For the tea
we used the classic Thai tea recipe and added a sprinkle of mace.
For the Phyllo Pasties ~ Ingredients
1 package prepared phyllo dough
3 T. Butter
1/2 C. Ricotta cheese
1/4 C. Mascarpone
1/4 tsp. grated orange rind
splash of Orange Liqueur
Agave Nectar
sprinkle of raisins
tiny chunks of fudge or chocolate bar
roasted chopped almonds
Melt the butter and prepare a 12 compartment muffin tin with a spray of non-stick. Grate the orange and add to the cheese along with the orange liqueur and nectar to taste. Assemble raisins, chocolate and almonds. Now quickly unwrap the phyllo and taking three sheets at a time cut or tear into 4 pieces and then with a pastry brush cover lavishly with the melted butter making sure that all layers are covered. Crinkle bunches and put into the muffin tins being careful to keep the dough fluffed not compressed. Now add a sprinkle of nuts and chocolate a teaspoon full of Cheese mixture, a sprinkle of raisins and top with some strips of phyllo for each pastry. Keep each one as spiky as possible. Now bake this off at 350 for about 8-10 minutes or until crispy golden brown. Allow to cool for several minutes and carefully place on a platter. Finish off with sparkly streams of agave nectar or honey.
A very nice dish for a dinner party, will have a go at it soon!
Posted by: Daniel - TheTeenCook | July 31, 2010 at 03:47 AM
I love tea parties and this looks like a great menu for one :)
Posted by: Baking Serendipity | July 10, 2010 at 12:50 PM
This looks beautiful, I will be giving this a try, I've always had a hard time phyllo, but I'm going to try because this one looks so good!
Posted by: Gina Stanley | July 10, 2010 at 09:18 AM
This looks awesome! I want to make this now! :-)
found you on FoodBuzz.
Posted by: Tami | July 01, 2010 at 11:59 AM
This looks awesome! I want to make this now! :-)
found you on FoodBuzz.
Posted by: Tami | July 01, 2010 at 11:55 AM
This looks awesome! I want to make this now! :-)
found you on FoodBuzz.
Posted by: Tami | July 01, 2010 at 11:54 AM
This looks fabulous!
Posted by: Rebecca | June 29, 2010 at 06:42 PM
I love finding new blogs to read - this is sure to be fun
Posted by: doggybloggy | June 29, 2010 at 03:27 PM
Stunning! What a great dish:)
Posted by: Magic of Spice | June 22, 2010 at 07:19 PM
I cant wait to try these!
Posted by: Kathleen | June 09, 2010 at 10:29 AM
What a beautiful and delicious dish. Where can I find Agave Nectar?
Posted by: Lauren @ Delicateflavors | June 05, 2010 at 05:58 PM
Just lovely!
Posted by: Sinful Southern Sweets | June 02, 2010 at 02:23 PM
Fun tea party - most of all, I love those teacup sets!
Posted by: Alta | June 01, 2010 at 11:55 AM
i would love to attend a tea party! fabulous pastry recipe!
Posted by: Brie | May 28, 2010 at 12:07 PM
these look really beautiful. i'd love to give them a try.
Posted by: Grapefruit | May 26, 2010 at 07:24 AM
Scrumptious phyllo pastries, just perfect for a tea party!
Posted by: 5 Star Foodie | May 25, 2010 at 11:32 AM
Hey, this looks so delicious! Is it easy for a newbie to try making this??
Posted by: Blackswan | May 25, 2010 at 12:01 AM
This looks wonderful! I'd love to have such a tea party
Posted by: Kathy Gori | May 24, 2010 at 03:51 PM
beautiful post!and delicious,of course!
Posted by: alison | May 24, 2010 at 01:05 PM
I really like the combination of ingredients for the pastry filling. What a fun tea party.
Posted by: Cooking with Kait | May 24, 2010 at 10:22 AM