• September 30, 2019

High Tea Party

High Tea Party

High Tea Party 1024 988 Cooking Aboard with Jill

High tea is a British tradition and a great way to enjoy a special occasion. In England, it usually happens around 2 p.m. in the afternoon. It’s a wonderful time to chat with friends and family over an assortment of tea, small sandwiches, and sweet treats. There is no single way to do a festive occasion like this for Mother’s Day, birthdays or even a day out with friends. It’s such a flexible and fun party to prepare. My suggestions are just for my favorite tea sandwiches, but there are other goodies you can include. I like to go back to Ina Garten’s (Barefoot Contessa) advice, that no matter the occasion, make some things from scratch and buy a few others that are well made. I am not as gifted as a pastry chef so I buy those items from my local favorite bakery. Making the small tea sandwiches is easy to do. Have some varieties of tea on hand and some champagne if this is a special get together. There really is no hard work in having a high tea party for your family and friends!

 Small pastries from your favorite bakeries (2 -3 per person)
 One cucumber, sliced thin
 One red onion, minced
 One brick cream cheese
 One brick of spreadable cheese (like Brie or Boursin)
 French Baguette
 Rye Bread
 Sourdough Bread
 Whole Wheat Bread (or Dark Pumpernickel)
 Chicken salad
 Egg salad
 Smoked sliced salmon
 Arugula
 Fresh Basil
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This is how I do high tea. Use a three-tiered cake server. Place your sweet desserts on the top two levels. The bottom level can be for your small tea sandwiches, which are very simple to make. I like to use 4 different types of bread. First, trim the crusts off all sides of the bread except the thin baguette slices. Plan on having 4 little sandwiches for each guest. The 4 classics I like to use are smoked salmon with minced red onion and cream cheese on thin baguette slices; thinly sliced cucumbers and boursin cheese on triangle rye bread slices; open faced egg salad with a topping of fresh basil on a triangle sliced wheat bread; and chicken salad with arugula on triangles of a darker bread like pumpernickel. Keep in mind that if you have a reputable place that makes egg salad or chicken salad, you can purchase from those stores. I prefer to make the egg salad myself and you can find my recipe for Egg Salad on this link. I guess it’s just fun to bring some elegance that’s easy to create for a special occasion. Servings are three sweet treats and four mini sandwiches per guest, and don’t forget the tea and champagne!

Ingredients

 Small pastries from your favorite bakeries (2 -3 per person)
 One cucumber, sliced thin
 One red onion, minced
 One brick cream cheese
 One brick of spreadable cheese (like Brie or Boursin)
 French Baguette
 Rye Bread
 Sourdough Bread
 Whole Wheat Bread (or Dark Pumpernickel)
 Chicken salad
 Egg salad
 Smoked sliced salmon
 Arugula
 Fresh Basil

Directions

1

2

This is how I do high tea. Use a three-tiered cake server. Place your sweet desserts on the top two levels. The bottom level can be for your small tea sandwiches, which are very simple to make. I like to use 4 different types of bread. First, trim the crusts off all sides of the bread except the thin baguette slices. Plan on having 4 little sandwiches for each guest. The 4 classics I like to use are smoked salmon with minced red onion and cream cheese on thin baguette slices; thinly sliced cucumbers and boursin cheese on triangle rye bread slices; open faced egg salad with a topping of fresh basil on a triangle sliced wheat bread; and chicken salad with arugula on triangles of a darker bread like pumpernickel. Keep in mind that if you have a reputable place that makes egg salad or chicken salad, you can purchase from those stores. I prefer to make the egg salad myself and you can find my recipe for Egg Salad on this link. I guess it’s just fun to bring some elegance that’s easy to create for a special occasion. Servings are three sweet treats and four mini sandwiches per guest, and don’t forget the tea and champagne!

High Tea Party

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