 There’s no more graceful dining tradition than pouring tea from a charming teapot. Photo by Acik | IST.
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KAREN HOCHMAN, Editorial Director of THE NIBBLE, enjoys several cups of tea a day—alas, without the scones and clotted cream.
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January 2010
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Tea Party Ideas
Page 4: Tea Party Food
This is Page 4 of a four-page article on tea party ideas. Click on the black links below to visit other pages.
Traditional Tea Party Food
Get out your favorite linens, your nicest plates and tea pot, and the sugar and creamer. You’re ready to [tea] party!
Cake
Here’s your opportunity to serve special things that most people don’t have often enough. They can be simple, from sponge cake to layer cake to bite-size madeleines and individual cheesecakes. Should you serve your “Death By Chocolate” cake or rich chocolate brownies? It’s a personal choice. We prefer to keep tea on the light-to-medium side, since, after all, dinner is in a few hours.
Cookies
Tea is a wonderful reason to get out your favorite cookie recipes: butter cookies, gingerbread or gingersnaps, linzer cookies, shortbread—the sky’s the limit.
Scones
With curd or jam and clotted cream, they’re a classic favorite. It’s easy to bake your own moist scones with gourmet mixes from Iveta Scones and Sticky Fingers Scone Mix.
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Scones are a classic with afternoon tea. Iveta Scones are easy to make, moist and delicious. Try them with Curdelicious fruit curds. Both are NIBBLE Top Picks Of The Week. Photo by Claire Freierman | THE NIBBLE. |
Tarts
Fruit tarts and lemon tarts rule! You can make them quickly with tart shells and fruit curd.
Tortes
Almond, chocolate and linzer tortes are popular and less rich than layer cakes. Healthier Tea Party Food
Cholesterol-Free, Lower-Sugar
Cakes
Bundt cakes, carrot cake, zucchini bread and other cakes made with a heart-healthy oil—not butter—and no frosting.
Angel Food Cake With Fruit Purée
This airy cakes is made from egg whites and has fewer calories. Many people enjoy it plain, but those who need embellishment can have a healthy fruit sauce. Sweeten the purée, as needed, with healthy agave syrup.
Pavlovas
Meringue cups (egg whites and sugar only, lots of air, no fat) filled with fresh fruit or brandies fruit.
“Slender” Tea Sandwiches On Whole Grain Bread
Slice bread ultra-thin and serve with healthy spreads: hummus, tuna and olive tapenade, turkey with marinated cucumbers and curried yogurt spread instead of mayonnaise.
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Good cake doesn’t have to be rich and fattening. Serve angel food cake with fresh fruit. Photo © David Smith | Dreamstime. |
Healthy Tea Party Food
Fruit Salad
Pre-fill individual portions in orange halves (see photo at right) or wine goblets. If it’s winter and the fruit selection isn’t great, citrus salad with mint is delicious!
Fruit With Diet Yogurt Dip
Cut up fruit like crudités and serve with a dip made of fat-free yogurt, no-cal sweetener and cinnamon. If you don’t want to use a noncaloric sweetener, use agave syrup. The glycemic index is 21 compared to sugar (65) honey (56) and maple syrup (58).
Baked Apples
Bake apples with a bit of agave syrup—it’s very sweet, so a little goes a long way. Cinnamon and nutmeg provide wonderful seasoning. |
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Afternoon tea is an occasion to try new teas as well as new dessert recipes, like this gingerbread loaf. Photo by April Turner | Dreamstime. |
Poached Pears
Ditto. Or, leave off the cinnamon and nutmeg, and serve the poached pears with a small scoop of fresh goat cheese, whipped and slightly sweetened.
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