Cherry Scones and Lemon Curd

Cherry Scones

(32 scones)

Ingredients

1 package Victorian House Scone mix
3 sticks butter
2 cups buttermilk
1-2 cups dried cherries
Instructions
Pour contents of bag into mixing bowl. Cut in 2 sticks of chilled butter, until mixture is fine and crumbly. Stir in 2 cups of buttermilk. Dough will form a soft ballTurn dough out onto floured board or pastry cloth and knead gently 3-4 times.

Divide dough into quarters and shape each quarter into a flattened circle 6-7 inches in diameter, aproximately 3/4 inch thick. Knead in the dried cherries.

Using a biscuit cutter, cut out scones. *Dough may be frozen at this point, to use later. Place scones on parchment-lined cookie sheets. Brush with crean and'or sprunkle with sugar. Bake in preheated oven at 425 degrees for 13-18 minutes, depending on size of scones. Tops should be very light golden brown when done.

Serve warm with butter, preserves, lemon curd and/or clotted cream.
To order scone mix, go to: http://victorianhousescones.com/.

Lemon Curd

Ingredients

1 stick butter

1 cup sugar

juice of 4 med-lg lemons

2 tablespoons lemon zest

5 egg yolks

Instructions

Melt butter in sauce pan. Add sugar, lemon juice and zest. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add egg yolks. Cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly. May be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Clotted Cream

Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar

Instructions

Using a whisk attachment on the mixer, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Remove from mixer, and hand whisk in the sour cream and confectioners' sugar until just combined. Store in refrigerator

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Return to the the Victorian Tea

As promised, I will share my plans for our first Victorian Tea in April of this year. I thought I would take you along with me as we explore the two kinds of Victorian Teas: High and Low, the foods usually served at these events, and the many varieties of teas that can be used.

A Victorian Low Tea
In Victorian times, Low Tea was a Tea that was typically served in a 'parlor' or living room type of setting using side tables, and a tea cart or tea or coffee table to serve from. It is called "Low" because of the tables that were used. They were lower than dining tables. It isn't unusual now, though, to serve a Low Victorian Tea at a dining table. Most Teas offered in tea rooms and shops are low Teas because of the nature of the food served, but are served at a high table

Food served at a Low Tea
Tea Sandwiches
Savory Scones, seasoned with herbs, cheese, etc.
Other Appetizers
Plain Scones served with Clotted Cream & fruit curds
Sweet Scones
Tea Breads, Banana, Zucchini, etc
Tea Cakes
Cookies
Sweets
and a nice hot pot of tea.

Low Tea protocol
Although more food options are served in a Low Tea, like tea sandwiches, scones, special desserts, candies/chocolates... it is still considered like a snack. Therefore, when helping yourself or being served, do not expect a lot of food. One or two of each item is normally appropriate. Seconds may be passed or a return to the buffet table may be indicated, but the same principle applies, one or two of each item

A Victorian High Tea
A true Victorian High Tea will be a full dinner served at a dining table.

Food served at a Victorian High Tea
Some or all of the following:
soups
meats
casseroles
a vegetable dish or two
scones
breads
cakes
other sweets

Victorian Tea prices per person
We have decided to offer three different teas: a Low Tea at $17.50 per person, a Low Tea at $21.95 per person, and a High Tea at $24.95 per person The difference in prices depends upon the amounts, the variety, and kinds of foods served. We will come up with a list of interesting and delicious sounding foods that we like to make, we've made before, or we have recipes for. We will categorize them into the groups mentioned above and price each group so that we may customize each Tea party.

On our next post, we will mention specific foods we plan to encorporate into our available food items list, along with some of our recipes, and discuss our research on varietals of tea and which ones we have selected for our Tea parties.
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TEA: Where does it come from?

In my last post, I gave a little history of how tea came to America, how it became popular, and how Victorian Tea Parties developed. We are planning to host afternoon Victorian Teas here at our Inn, so I thought I should do a little research on the many kinds of teas available. I've identified various countries who specialize in tea farming and thought maybe you might like to see what I came up with...........

Tea consumption
Tea has been a popular pick-me-up for thousands of years. Black, green and other teas are made from the leaves of the same plant, Camellia sinensis, which grows in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. India, China, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Argentina, Brazil and other countries export large volumes of the dried and shredded leaf. About 2.4 million hectares (six million acres) are planted in tea, often in large plantations called "estates." Tea consumption is increasing thanks to news about its health benefits, but production has been growing even faster, resulting in an oversupply and depressed prices for farmers.

Rainforest Alliance

Rainforest Alliance certification is a comprehensive process that promotes and guarantees improvements in agriculture and forestry. Their independent seal of approval ensures that goods and services were produced in compliance with strict guidelines protecting the environment, wildlife, workers and local communities. The Rainforest Alliance launched its tea certification program in 2007. The first Rain Forest Alliance Tea farm was Kericho, an estate in Kenya owned by Unilever that supplies the Lipton and PG Tips brands.

Tropical crops
Like any tropical crop, tea raises a number of environmental and social issues, each with a cost/benefit balance that can be tipped in a positive way. Tea grows year-round, employing a lot of people, especially pluckers who carefully pick the top three or so leaves from every branch on the bush. That makes tea an important employer, and there are challenges around wages, labor organization, housing, health care and other rights and benefits.

Tea Farming
Tea farming replaces biodiversity-rich tropical forests with a beautiful, but single-species, monoculture. Soil erosion, competition for water, pollution from fertilizers, and the need for firewood to fuel tea dryers are some of the main environmental concerns. By following the Sustainable Agriculture Network standards, growers can proactively address the social and environmental challenges. The Rainforest Alliance organized multi-stakeholder meetings in Kenya to gather input on the standards, ensuring that they are as effective at tea as they have been for coffee, bananas and other crops.

(some information in this article taken from "Sustainable Agriculture", an on-line article by the Rainforest Alliance)

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Tea anyone?...............the creation of a Victorian Tea Party

Tea is so popular right now, even the men are drinking it. Prior to the 20th century, the drinking of tea was associated with "ladies" attending afternoon tea parties or meeting each other in tea rooms for a slice of cake and a little pleasant conversation. But it seems it is more popular now than ever and has become more or less a household staple, drunk throughout the day by some and in stead of coffee by others. So has the Victorian afternoon tea died out completely? Not according to some. I have a Victorian bed and breakfast. Although we have very modern amenities, we have retained Victorian decor and the feeling of the 1800s, when my house was built. Visitors love it. It makes them feel as though they have been taken back in time . So what has this got do with Victorian teas?

Well, it seems as though being taken back in time is not enough, some visitors want a hands on, more authentic experience. What was the food actually like? What did the dishes, and the cups and the tea service actually look like. What did it feel like to participate is such a ritualistic, elegant event? How fun would it be to have that experience? And so, after getting numerous calls asking if we do Victorian teas, we've decided to give the people what they're asking for. First thing we did was dig into the history a bit.

According to legend, tea drinking started accidentally in 2737 BC, when Chinese emperor Shen Nong was served water into which dried tea leaves had fallen. He thought it had an "interesting" flavor and eventually drinking tea spread though out his empire. It later became so well liked that it was cultivated and served during ritual tea ceremonies both in China and Japan. The art of the tea ceremony became so popular that tea houses sprang up all though out the orient.

By the late 1600s, tea drinking had made its way to Europe. And, by the 1700s, France and Holland led Europe in using tea, with England running a close third. And it was here, in England, that the European tea service format was created by Anna, the dutchess of Bedford. She would frequently invite her friends to an afternoon of conversation, serving small cakes, sandwiches, assorted sweets and, of course, tea.

Two types of tea services emerged, high tea and low tea. Low tea was served in the homes of the wealthy and consisted of gourmet tidbits, rather than a regular meal, with the emphasis on presentation and conversation. High tea was the main afternoon meal of the middle and lower classes and featured meats and vegetables, as well as sweets and tea.

Eventually tea was imported into and readily available in America around 1690. Most distribution companies were based in New York, Boston or Philadelphia. In the 1880s tea rooms began to spring up all over, in both Europe and America. Hotels like the Ritz, in Philadelphia and the Plaza, in New York became noted for their daily afternoon tea service.

So, we, at the Aleksander House, are planning on presenting Victorian Teas, in all their splender, to maybe 10-12 persons from 2-4 pm, by appointment. We will be doing this on a customized basis and are already emersed in the planning of one such event for the first week in April. In later posts, I'll let you know about the service, the food, and so on. Keep posted!

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