How afternoon tea was invented - part 2

So when did all this tea drinking go on?

The beverage was offered to visitors to the house at almost any time of day (and the house would have been an elegant and expensive town house or a country mansion), but the most important time for tea was after the main meal of the day.

In the mid-17th century, dinner was served at any time between 11 am and 12 noon and was a rich, heavy, alcoholic meal that lasted for anything up to 3 or 4 hours. Once all the food had been devoured, the men liked to stay at the table in the dining room and smoke, chat, and drink more wine, ale, brandy or port. (It was not uncommon for men to drink so much in those days that they ended up under the table in a drunken stupor!)

So the ladies were expected to withdraw to a smaller closet or boudoir to talk more quietly, sew, brew tea, and generally behave in a more elegant way than their menfolk. When, at about 5 or 6 pm, the men eventually decided that they had had enough of their smoking, drinking, and loud conversation, they would join the ladies for tea in the drawing room or closet. Sometimes they also played cards or listened to some form of musical entertainment until a light supper was served and the guests then departed.

So, right from the earliest days of tea drinking in England in the second half of the 17th century, certain patterns developed which eventually influenced the ritual of afternoon tea in the early 19th and on into the 20th.

Taking tea was always associated with elegant rooms set well away from the kitchen, with fine porcelain tea wares, silver spoons, sugar nippers, and kettles, with beautiful tables carved by craftsmen, and with the elegant manners of society ladies - as it was through the Victorian period and still is today.

The brewing of the liquor was always the responsibility of the lady of the house (or gentleman if he lived alone), sometimes with the help of the eldest daughter, and was carried out in the room where the tea was to be served. Today of course we brew our tea in the kitchen but it is still the duty of the hostess to pour and serve it. Usually, the only food to be served to accompany the tea was very thin slices of bread and butter. That has developed, of course, into a more elaborate menu but bread, toast, muffins, tea-cakes, crumpets and other bread-like foods are still a very important part of a traditional tea. And, the most important time of day for drinking tea was in the late afternoon - in the early days at the end of the main meal, but (as we all now know) in the 19th century and today between lunch and dinner.

Assam tea scones

Submitted by: Adam Gibbs

Ground tea adds the perfect touch to these subtly spiced scones.

Prep Time:15 minutes

Cook: 12-15 minutes

Serving Size: Serves 2 for breakfast, 4 for tea

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
4 tsp Assam tea leaves
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 dashes cardamom
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp cream
cinnamon sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 425.

Grind the tea leaves to a fine dust.

Shake them through a sieve to filter out the larger pieces.

Volume of ground tea leaves should be roughly 1/4 that of the unground (i.e. 1 tsp).

Combine first eight ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.

Make a well in the center, add cream, and stir until just combined. (Don't wash the measuring cup you used for the cream just yet, you'll want the residue later.)

Turn out on to a lightly floured work-surface and gently kneed until dough coheres and is smooth, about one minute.

Turn over from time to time to prevent dough from sticking to surface.

Pat dough out into a round 1/3 of an inch thick.

Using a biscuit cutter of any shape (mine was a 2 inch diameter circle) cut out scones and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Gather up scraps, pat out, and cut again.

Brush the tops of the scones with the cream residue left in the measuring cup.

If there isn't enough to lightly cover all the scones, pour in a bit more.

Dust with cinnamon sugar.

Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes.

Makes 10-12 scones 2 inches in diameter.

Lemon Verbena Iced Tea

To make a gallon of tea:
Steep 1 cup lemon verbena herbal tea leaves in a quart of boiling water for 15 minutes.
This creates a concentrated liquor.
Strain, then transfer lemon verbena liquor to a large container and add 3 quarts cold water; cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
For a 2-quart pitcher, add half of the tea mixture.
Quarter 1 orange and 1 lemon.
Squeeze orange and lemon quarters into the pitcher.
Add mint sprigs for garnish.
To serve, pour over glasses of ice and add a sprig of fresh lemon verbena or mint and citrus slices to each.

Almond Oolong Bread

A simple but delicious bread made easy in a bread machine. Great at any time of the day with a cup of tea.

Prep Time: Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serving Size: 12


Ingredients:
2 tsp. yeast
2 1/2 c. bread flour
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
3 tbs. honey
2 1/2 tbs. oil
1 1/2 c. brewed Oolong tea
1/3 - 1/4 c. sliced almonds

Directions:
Place the following in a bread machine:
yeast, flours, salt, honey, oil, and tea.
*Note: Bread machines vary. Some machines need liquids last, while other models need them first. Please check your bread machine directions to find out.
Set to dough setting
When dough is complete, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Shape bread in loaf pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
Sprinkle 1/4 to 1/3 c. sliced almonds on dough.
Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Golden Monkey Banana Ccream Pie

Submitted by: Julie Delos Santos

This cream pie combines the full-bodied flavor of Golden Monkey tea with the light crunch of the crust and the soft sweetness of the banana. Chocolate shavings provide a nice accessory to the dish.

Prep Time: 45 min. + 3 hrs. to chill

Serving Size: 6-8

Ingredients:
Shortbread Cookies
4 Tbsp. Melted Butter
4.6 oz. package vanilla cook & serve pudding
3 cups whole milk
2 Tbsp. Golden Monkey Tea (divided)
1 large banana
1 cup Whipping Cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup boiling water
1 oz. bittersweet chocolate chunk

Directions:

Place shortbread cookies in a ziplock plastic bag and pound into crumbs until you have 1 ½ cups of crumbs.

Transfer crumbs into a 9 inch pie pan and combine with the 4 Tbsp of melted butter.

Press the mixture into the pan to form a crust.

Place the 3 cups of milk and the pudding mix into a medium saucepan.

Cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a full boil, stirring constantly.

Add 1 ½ tablespoons of golden monkey tea to the saucepan and remove from the heat.

Let the tea steep in the pudding mixture for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the tea is steeping, slice the banana and place the slices on the bottom of the pie crust to cover.

Strain the pudding mixture into the pie crust using a spatula to force the pudding through. Discard the tea leaves.

Place plastic wrap on the surface of the pudding and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. To make the whipped cream, first steep the remaining ½ tablespoon of Golden Monkey tea in 1/3 cup of boiling water for 5 minutes.

Save ½ cup of the tea and chill.

Whisk the whipping cream in a mixer until soft peaks form.

Add the powdered sugar in three separate portions and whisk into the cream.

Once the tea is cooled, add it to the whipped cream and fold into it.

This may water down the whipped cream slightly, so whisk it back to form small peaks.

Spread the whipped cream over the pudding pie and grate the chocolate piece over the cream. Slice, and serve!

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