Treat your Mom to a Mother’s Day Tea in her honor. You can make it for just your mom and your children, or invite your sisters to come along. You can invite several moms, daughters, and granddaughters because the more the merrier.
Afternoon tea in England was taken in the late afternoon in a sitting room where there were stuffed chairs and end tables. It consisted of scones, crumpets, jams, and other sweets along with the tea. High tea was a bit more substantial and could actually be dinner. Here folks sat at tables and nibbled on delicate sandwiches, scones, and a multitude of cakes or pastries.
Be sure to use pretty china and silverware. Place a beautiful tablecloth on the table and use fabric napkins. Flowers should be placed in a centerpiece to top off the beauty of the table. Your tableware doesn’t have to match. Some of the most beautiful tables are made up of entirely mismatched china and silver. It gives more interest and color to the table.
Basic Scone Recipe
You can add flavoring or fruits to this recipe and make scones however you would like. They are tasty and should be served with Lemon Curd or Clotted Cream (recipes follow)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ cup margarine
- 1/8 cup sugar
- ½ cup milk
- 1 egg yolk, beaten (optional) or 1/8 cup sugar (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. You do not have to use parchment but the scones tend to brown too dark on the bottom if you don’t.
- In a bowl combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
- Cut in the margarine as done in pie dough and continue cutting until mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
- Stir in 1/8 cup sugar and enough of the milk to make a soft dough.
- Turn out on floured surface and knead lightly for about 3 minutes.
- Pinch off walnut sized pieces of the dough and form into balls.
- Place about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet and lightly press down to flatten the balls.
- Brush with beaten egg yolk if desired to make brown and if you want a little extra sweetness sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake 10 minutes or until brown and remove from oven to cool on wire racks.
You have several options to make your scones different. You can add ½ to ¾ cup golden raisins, currents, or dried cranberries. To make a citrus scone add 2 tablespoons citrus rind (orange, lemon, lime or a mixture) and instead of using milk, use lemon or orange juice (or a mixture of both)
Lemon Curd
You can buy this in a can in most large grocery stores, but taking the time to make it yourself shows Mom you really care.
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons lemon rind
- ½ cup lemon juice, squeezed from the lemons (about 5 or 6 lemons)
- 1-1/2 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons, butter – cut into small pieces
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
Directions:
- Grate your lemons when they are cold as they are easier to grate then. Let them sit to room temperature before you squeeze them as room temp lemons produce more juice. Roll the lemon on a counter with the ball of your hand before cutting and juicing. It will get the juices up and flowing.
- In a medium saucepan combine juice, rind and sugar.
- Stir well and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to simmer and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add pieces of butter and stir until it is all melted.
- Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
NOTE: Use a stainless steel pan. The Lemon juice will react with an aluminum pan and will give you a nasty flavor. Use a whisk to hand beat the eggs into the cooled lemon mixture until well blended. Place over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 10 to 15 minutes or until mixture thickens and coats the spoon when lifted from the mixture. Do not let it boil as it will curdle. Remove from heat – it will thicken more as it cools. After it has cooled place a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface. This will prevent a skin from forming on the top. Store in refrigerator until serving. This can be made several days in advance.
CLOTTED CREAM
Some people think this to be whipped cream, but it really isn’t. Its origin is from Devonshire England and it is thick and buttery similar to a very sweet, soft butter. Clotted cream is pretty difficult to make and was traditionally made from unpasteurized milk, which is hard to find – so this is a modern version.
Ingredients:
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 + ½ teaspoon sugar
- Dash of salt
- 1 cup whipping cream (you can use a non-dairy whipped topping – try vanilla)
Directions:
- In a mixing bowl with electric mixer combine cream cheese, sugar and salt. Cream well.
- Add whipping cream and beat until it becomes stiff.
- Store in refrigerator until serving.
- This should be made the day you are using it.
Serve scones and toppings in pretty plates and bowls and make sure to servetea in teapots and delicate tea cups. You can serve this right before church on Mother’s Day or for an afternoon snack around three in the afternoon.
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