Tea Time
- Helen Baines
- May 9, 2020
- 6 min read
Updated: May 9, 2020
Tea can have so many delicious hand held savories beyond just scones with clotted cream and jam. It's one of my favorite meals as its so versatile. The foods can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge so it makes a perfect date night in meal. Once everything is ready you still have time to get yourself ready so you can relax and enjoy the time together as much as your date!
Here was the menu that we had for our date night in, these foods would also make a beautiful mother's day spread. 1. Cocktail Sandwiches The tip to these is to roll the bread prior to making the sandwich. Put the filling in then cut the crusts off, trim the bread to a square then cut in half. Here are some suggested fillings you may like to try, use a variety of brown and white bread to add interest to your platter:
- Cream cheese and cucumber- Spread the cream cheese on both sides of the bread then place a layer of thinly sliced cucumber, sandwich together then cut to size. - Cream cheese and ham- as above but with ham rather than cucumber - Egg mayonnaise- Mash the hard boiled eggs, I like to add coleslaw salad dressing or English Salad cream, a little dijon mustard and salt and pepper to taste. Mix then serve cold. - Prawn Cocktail- Mix shrimp with thousand island salad dressing. Assemble the sandwich with a layer of iceberg lettuce the top with the shrimp.
- Salmon and Cucumber- Drain a can of salmon. Mash the salmon with english salad cream or coleslaw salad dressing to taste, spread over the bread then top with cucumber and sandwich together. 2. Open Rolls
Cut your small dinner rolls in half, spread with cream cheese then top with pineapple, cucumber, smoked salmon, shrimp, ham. You could also top with a layer of lettuce then shrimp mixed with thousand island salad dressing. These are just a few of the many possible options! 3. Sausage rolls These can be made from scratch but I bought a box of frozen ones! I had to be realistic on what I had time for while being fair to my children and them needing my attention! I have bought pork breakfast sausages and a pack of puff pastry and made them that way several times in the past. Buttery Puff Pastry from scratch is on my cooking bucket list! This is the recipe I plan to try: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/261670/homemade-puff-pastry-recipe-with-sausage-rolls/
4. Mini Quiche Lorraine Short Crust Pastry, I used this recipe from Jamie Oliver and halved it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKt1H9Tp9Ck - Pre-heat oven to 350F - Roll the pastry then cut out 12 8cm rounds of the pastry and place in a muffin pan. - Place uncooked dry rice or beans in the pie shells and bake for 10 minutes. - Remove the rice or beans. - Add a sprinkle of grated cheese to each pie shell - Add a sprinkle of cooked bacon to each pie shell
- Whisk 2 eggs, add 1 table spoon milk, 1 table spoon of your favorite Epicure Dip Mix, add salt and pepper to taste and whisk until bubbly'
- Divide the egg mixture between the pie shells
- Bake for 20 minutes until the tops are golden and the egg is no longer runny.
- Eat warm or cold.
5. Scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam 350g all purpose flour 4.5 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
85g unsalted butter cubed
3T sugar
175ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 227g jar Cornish clotted cream (available at Sobey's and Safeway) 100g strawberry jam
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Mix the flour salt and baking powder together in a large bowl. Use your fingertips to rub in the butter until the mixture resembles bread crumbs then stir in the sugar.
- Heat the milk until warm (not boiling), stir in the vanilla. Use your hands to make a well in the flour mixture then pour in the warm milk and mix together with a knife.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and work it together until it is smooth.
- Roll out the dough to a 1.5 inch thickness.
- Cut out 5cm rounds until you have 8 rounds.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until golden. - Cool slightly before filling with clotted cream and jam.
6. Scottish Shortbread 250g all purpose flour
80g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
150g unsalted butter at room temperature
- Preheat the oven to 300F. Place the flour and sugar in a large bowl and mix. Use your fingertips or a food processor, rub in the butter. Work the mixture with your hands until it starts to bind together. Touch the dough as little as possible and take care not to heat the dough with your hands.
- Press the dough into the base of an 8 inch round baking pan. Use a fork mark the edge then prick it all over. Cut a 1 inch circle out the center then mark the outer circle into 10 wedges.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until pale golden in color. Remove from the oven and while still warm cut through the wedges. Leave to cool in the tin. Lightly sprinkle with sugar prior to serving.
7. Strawberry Tarts 175g All Purpose Flour (plus extra for dusting)
100g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed 70g sugar 1 medium egg yolk
100ml whipping cream
200g cream cheese
1tsp vanilla extract
400g strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 tablespoons apricot jam, melted
- To make the pastry sift the flour into a bowl. Lightly rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Stir in 30g sugar. Make a well in the mixture and add the egg yolk plus 1T cold water. Use a table knife to bring everything together, add a drop more water if needed. Use your hands to form a dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface. Using an 8cm flutted cookie cutter, cut out 8 rounds and use to line a muffin tin.
- Place uncooked dry rice or beans in the pastry shells and blind bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove the rice or beans and bake for a further 2 minutes. - Leave to cool. - Whisk together the whipping cream, cream cheese, vanilla extract, and 40g sugar. Divide the apricot jam between the pie shells top with the cream cheese mixture and sliced strawberries.
Serve chilled.
8. Bakewell Tarts
175g All Purpose Flour (plus extra for dusting)
100g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
60g unsalted butter, softened
70g sugar 1 medium egg yolk
8 teaspoons strawberry jam melted 60g sugar
1 medium egg
60g almond flour
1 tsp almond extract
- To make the pastry sift the flour into a bowl. Lightly rub in the 100g butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Stir in 30g sugar. Make a well in the mixture and add the egg yolk plus 1T cold water. Use a table knife to bring everything together, add a drop more water if needed. Use your hands to form a dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface. Using an 8cm flutted cookie cutter, cut out 8 rounds and use to line a muffin tin.
- Place uncooked dry rice or beans in the pastry shells and blind bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove the rice or beans and bake for a further 2 minutes. - Whisk together the softened butter and sugar. until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg then add the almond flour. Stir in the almond extract. - Spread the jam across the bottom of the pastry shells. Pour over the sponge mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. When a skewer is inserted it should come out clean. Remove from the tin a set aside to cool.
This can be a little daunting because of the number of foods to prepare, but, timing is very flexible as you can make one item at a time and store it in the fridge until you are ready so don't be afraid to try! These foods are amazing for kids, mine got up expecting me to make "a tea party for breakfast"!! While I was making the platter for hubby and myself I made one for my little people too then they had theirs before I put them to bed so hubby and I could enjoy our evening in peace.
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