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Receta January is National Hot Tea Month, Let's Celebrate With an Afternoon Tea!
by Shari, The Saucy Gourmet

A beautiful January day in Florida was the perfect day to celebrate National Hot Tea Month, I mean we did start the day in the mid 40's and by the time the tea started, it was in the 60's, a little chilly for our standards, great for a hot cup of tea!

We started our day with Wonderful Raisin Scones. I decided, with the agreement of the students, to do a little experiment. Instead of cutting in the butter with a pastry blender, I used a technique I learned from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day. I froze the butter for 30 minutes and then used the large holes on a box grater to grate the butter into the dry ingredients, tossing the "butter threads" often to evenly distribute them. It worked wonderfully and was so much easier then using a pastry blender since I had doubled the recipe. I also mentioned to our students, that by tossing the raisins in the dry ingredients, this helps them from clumping together or sinking to the bottom. While the scones were in the oven I made the custard for our Fruit Tarts. I combined the sugar, flour, and salt in a small mixing bowl, whisked it gently to break up any lumps, and set it aside. I prepared an ice water bath by filling a bowl halfway with ice and water and set that aside. I combined the buttermilk and egg yolks in a small saucepan and whisked until smooth. I continued to whisk as I stirred in the dry ingredients and placed the pan over medium heat. I cooked, whisking constantly, until mixture was thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 4 minutes. I removed the custard from the heat, and stirred in the vanilla bean paste. I then transferred custard to a small bowl nestled in the ice water bath and let cool, stirring to help it cool faster. Since I was not using the custard immediately, I pressed plastic wrap on the surface of the custard to keep a skin from forming and chilled the custard in the refrigerator.

When the scones were done, we removed them from the oven, and placed them on a plate with Devonshire Cream. They were wonderful, warm, full of raisins and paired perfect with our English Breakfast tea!

We then moved on to our tea sandwiches. Cheddar and Chutney (made with Major Grey's Mango Chutney), Cucumber and Dill served open faced and garnished with a fresh dill sprig and Chicken Salad with Smoked Almonds. We used the finely chopped smoked almonds to "decorate" one side of the sandwiches by just lightly spreading some mayonnaise on a side and dipping it in the almonds. What a great plate presentation it was!

While everyone was enjoying their sandwiches and another cup of tea, I prepared the Lemon Poppy Seed Tea Cakes and popped them into the oven. While they were baking I mixed up the glaze, mentioning that we were leaving the glaze thick since we would be drizzling it over very warm muffins. I then removed the custard from the fridge, spooned a little into our pre-cooked mini tart shells and topped each with combo of blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and a little sliced mango. By then, the muffins were done and we plated the desserts. Yummy. Our Afternoon Tea at Rolling Pin was so much fun, I can't wait until our next one on Wednesday, February 3

"A Valentine's Day Afternoon Tea"

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat, or spray with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut butter into flour mixture until particles are the size of small peas; stir in raisins. In a medium bowl, beat 2 eggs lightly with 1 cup milk. Add to flour mixture; stir just until mixed.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough gently. Pat or roll out the dough into a circle 1/2-inch thick. Using a lightly greased and floured 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut into rounds, cutting close together to generate as few scraps as possible. Dip cutter into flour as often as necessary to keep dough from sticking. Push scraps of dough together so that edges join; firmly pinch edges with fingertips to make a partial seal. Pat this remaining dough to 1/2-inch thick; continue to cut 3-inch rounds. Space 1-inch apart onto prepared baking sheet. When making scones, work the dough quickly and do not over mix. The scones can be cut into any shape you desire. Use a drinking glass to make circles, or cut into squares or wedges with a knife. Dip the edges of the cutter in flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Do not pat the edges of the scone down; instead leave the cuts as sharp as possible to allow the scones to rise in layers.

In a small bowl, combine 1 egg and 1 tablespoon milk; brush onto scones. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and serve warm.

Make Ahead Tip: When the scones are cool, wrap airtight and hold at room temperature for up to one day or freeze to store longer. To reheat, unwrap scones (thaw wrapped, if frozen) and place onto a baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degrees oven 8 to 10 minutes or until warm.