Berries and Blooms

Bruce and Shelley Richardson visited Sweet Remembrances several years ago when Bruce presented a program to the Mid-Atlantic Tea Business Association. During the '90's they owned and operated the Elmwood Inn in Kentucky, and have since published several cookbooks. Although the tea room is no longer open, they continue to influence the tea world by offering a Tea Room-101 masterclass, selling their tea blends and books on-line, and speaking across the country. To learn more, please visit their website which also includes recipes (including Eve Hill's recipe for Kensington Palace Scones).

These tasty little morsels, featured in an Elmwood Inn cookbook, are simple to make yet elegant to serve. Wash and cut strawberries in half, leaving the green stem attached. Sweeten mascarpone cheese with a bit of sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. Mix until sugar has dissolved. Top each strawberry half with this mixture. Sprinkle with nuts. The original recipe uses pistachio nuts, but since they are temporarily off the market, I substituted pecans. Not quite as colorful as pistachio alas. Garnish with a petite edible flower, in this case, white violets. My mother planted the white violets on the day we opened Sweet Remembrances in 1990. They now flourish and abound throughout the gardens! They are quite prolific but very pretty at this time of year when they are in bloom.