Passport To Africa - Afternoon Tea

Earlier this month we welcomed guest chef Faith Cohick to coordinate the "Passport to Africa" Afternoon Tea. Faith prepared a menu that was comprised of a host of African flavors and specialties for this event. Following the event, Debbie Arthur joined us for her presentation about the adventures she experienced while visiting Africa, telling her story through her gorgeous photography. Her pictures brought the animals to life!

Susanna's husband David has a unique collection of hand carved wooden animals from Africa, and they were all put into service to adorn each table.

Keeping with the theme, in the tea room before the culinary adventure began.

The first course featured a Moroccan Chickpea Salad. This brightly colored salad was filled with chickpeas, carrots, raisins, toasted pumpkin seeds, and feta cheese all dressed with a blend of Moroccan spices and served atop a bed of fresh arugula.

The sandwich assortment included South African Mealie Bread (corn bread) with a tangy cheese spread and boasting the South African flag, East African Kachumbari (onion and cucumber) Crostini, Creamy Egg Salad on White Bread with an olive pick topper, Colorful Sweet Pepper Spread atop Crostini, Turkey Apricot Tea Sandwich with Almond Poppyseed Spread, and South African Frikkadel (spiced meatball). An amazing array of flavors and textures to sample.

A Vanilla Bean Cardamom Scone and Sour Cream Banana Bread was served accompanied with orange marmalade and Devonshire Cream alongside assorted fresh fruit.

The dessert medley featured South African Condensed Milk Cookie, West African Lime Cake, and South African Milk Tart or Melktert,  .

A special thank you to Faith Cohick for another fabulous themed tea and to Debbie Arthur for sharing her interesting experiences in the wilds of Africa.

Looking for lions and tigers and bears in the gardens?

Buckingham Palace Tea, a favor

Sharing another view of the tea room with the tables set and ready for the guests to arrive for the Queen's tea festivities. The bunting added an air of fun to the event.

Tucked in the folds of the napkin was a favor for each guest. We gifted each guest a package of the Buckingham Palace Royal Blend Afternoon Tea. The tea is a large loose leaf tea in a biodegradable pyramid shaped teabag. It can be ordered directly from the Royal Collection Trust at Buckingham Palace in London, England. The box includes a bit of history of the palace summer garden parties that were first introduced by Queen Victoria in the 1860s. This festive tradition continues to this day where, during the summer, invited guests are welcomed to the tea parties held in the palace gardens. Guests are served tea in the company of the Royal Family.

According to the packaging, regarding the Royal Afternoon Blend:  "Delicate, light and balanced, this delightful blend of high quality large leaf teas is perfect for drinking in the afternoon. It is equally good served the traditional way with a splash of milk or served chilled for perfect iced tea."

Treat yourself like a queen everyday, and enjoy a cup of hearty black tea alongside whatever sweet treat you have on hand. This darling little cupcake was available during the week leading up to the royal festivities at a local creperie in town. It seemed the perfect way to celebrate simply!

The Queen's Tea - 2022

As celebrations occurred throughout England in honor of Queen Elizabeth's 70 year reign, we too, had a celebration in her honor. We have held the Queen's Tea annually to celebrate her birthday, but this year was extra special. The bunting was hung, the tables were set, and the festivities in the tea room were held on Sunday, June 5th.

In addition to the guests seated in the tea room, we welcomed three recent Penn State University graduates to take tea in the garden. They donned their finest tiaras and crowns and joined in the revelry, toasting not only the Queen, but each other for their accomplishments over the past four years at Happy Valley. 

The first course featured a recipe from Eating Royally, a cookbook written by Darren McGrady, former chef to the Queen and Princess Diana. It was a Pear and Pecan Salad with Parmesan Cheese and Goat Cheese atop a bed of assorted lettuce. A fresh basil and olive oil vinaigrette dressed the salad. 

The sandwiches included a Roast Beef with Parmesan Mayonnaise on a Lemon Chive Pepper Muffin, Cucumber and French Style Cheese Round, Turkey, Havarti, & Sliced Apple on Raisin Bread, Buckingham Palace Rose Petal Sandwich, the Queen's Favorite Raspberry Jam Pennies, Coronation Chicken Salad, and Herbed Cheese with Sliced Tomato Rounds.

The scone course featured a Kensington Palace Scone (heart shaped) and a triangular scone using a recipe from the Claridge Hotel. Both were served with sweet cream and strawberry preserves alongside fresh fruit.

And the dessert medley featured a Fortnum & Mason Earl Grey Cupcake garnished with assorted gold and white sprinkles, a Victorian Poppyseed cake with a lime glaze and gold candy crown and our Chocolate Toffee Torte with gold dust and chocolate shavings. The paper with the photos of the Queen over the years held the menu.

Congratulations to the graduates! and Long Live the Queen!

The Greenfield Restaurant, Lancaster, PA

We joined fellow members of The Royal Tea Club at the Greenfield Restaurant and Bar for a special Afternoon Tea coordinated by Chef John Moeller in Lancaster, PA. Normally, the restaurant serves lunch and dinner, but upon request, he prepared an afternoon tea for our group. There were 52 attendees on Friday, and since it was a sold-out group, a second tea was offered and 42 members attended. The Royal Tea Club is a very active group, offering special tea themed events throughout the year.

On display are several pieces of White House china. Owner and chef, John Moeller worked in the White House under three presidents for 13 years. 

Our place setting included off-white cloth napkins and tablecloths, and white china. The plate of sandwiches were already on the table as we arrived. Assorted tea bags and a thermos of hot water was also on each table.

The sandwiches included a large croissant filled with chicken salad that had purple grapes and pecans for a nice crunch. a petite cucumber sandwich with a sprig of arugula under the cucumber, a caprese sandwich with tomato, mozzarella, and basil pesto on the bread, salmon on brown bread with a dill garnish, and egg salad on pumpernickel and rye bread.

Once the sandwiches were consumed, a platter of miniature desserts was served to each table.

The array of desserts included a spice bar with chocolate drizzle, a small raspberry cheesecake, a berry tart filled with lemon curd, a chocolate tart with piped chocolate ganache, and miniature cannoli. It made a pretty plate of miniature desserts, and a nice variety. 

The members of the Royal Tea Club committee make sure that you are seated with your travel mates. We had an assigned table, and the three of us enjoyed this special tea (recent graduate, Angelica, blog author, Nancy, and Susanna's husband David filled in as Susanna had to work). We do look forward to returning to The Greenfield Restaurant to enjoy their culinary creativity at lunch or dinner.

Following the tea service, there was a presentation by Chef John Moeller regarding his career, his adventure living and training in Paris (without pay) and his subsequent experiences as a White House chef. He is very entertaining, and has many stories to tell. Readers of this blog might remember that we welcomed Chef Moeller to Sweet Remembrances as guest speaker at our Presidential Tea in 2020. Consider following the Greenfield Restaurant on Facebook. Also of note, John Moeller is the author of  Dining at the White House.

 

International Tea Day

By a resolution adopted in 2019 by the United Nations, May 21st has been decreed to be International Tea Day. It is celebrated annually to raise awareness of the long history and deep cultural and economic significance of tea around the world. 

In celebration of International Tea Day, we set up a sampling of a variety of teas and herbal tisanes in the Rosemary House and also in the garden under the pavilion.

In the shop, Susanna was offering Eight Treasures of the Shaolin. This delightful blend of black and green teas combined with pineapple and strawberry flavors was prepared as an iced tea since temperatures in central PA on this tranquil Saturday were well into the 90s. She also offered a hearty Assam tea from India and an organic Turmeric Chai tea laden with a variety of spices including cinnamon, ginger, cardamon, black pepper, and turmeric of course. This one was a favorite!

Under the pavilion, Nancy was serving Triple Mint Tea, a naturally caffeine free herbal blend that is a refreshing combination of peppermint, spearmint and catnip. This minty  tisane is a nod to our herbal heritage as it is a blend that mom created during the early years in Rosemary House. There was a Gunpowder Green tea to taste. The unique pearl shape of the tea leaves imitates gunpowder pellets, hence the name. This was a nice mellow green tea. And an Iced Tea Punch was also served, brewed with Harney & Son's Big Red Sun as the punch base, frozen orange juice and lemon juice along with some sugar produced a refreshing thirst quencher on this steamy day. The recipe is shared from a KY tea friend.

Linda's Favorite Tea Punch

Pour 1 quart boiling water over 2 heaping tablespoons of Big Red Sun loose leaf tea. Steep for 5 minutes. Strain. (for ease of use, we recommend Tea Saks to contain the loose leaf tea).

Remove and discard the tea. Add 1-1/2 c. sugar. Mix well until dissolved. Add the following ingredients: 1 - 6 oz. can frozen orange juice (thawed) 1 - 6-oz. can frozen lemonade (thawed)

and 10 cups of water. Chill. Yield: 1 gallon

Thank you for celebrating International Tea Day with us!

Another milestone! PSU Graduation 2022

How it started

How it's going

 Congratulations, Angelica! Penn State University, Graduation Day, May 8,2022. 

Double Major: Community, Environment, & Development and Spanish

The future is yours!

Peter Rabbit's Birthday Party Tea

Guests gathered in the tea room this past Sunday to celebrate Peter Rabbit's birthday. Although written in 1893, the tale of this mischievous bunny, authored by Beatrix Potter, was not published as a book until 1902. In celebration of this famous rabbit, we welcomed guest chef Faith Cohick to present her themed tea to honor Peter Rabbit. 

Rabbits perched upon each table, and could be found tucked around the tea room. Menus announced what each course held.

The first course featured Mrs. McGregor's Special Salad with Mixed Greens, Strawberries, Toasted Almonds, and Feta Cheese topped with a Fresh Lemon Hone Vinaigrette. Bottomless pots of tea were served throughout the day.

Savories and Sandwiches included Benjamin Bunny's Balsamic Blackberry Tart with whipped ricotta, Jemima Puddle-Duck's Carrot Cake Sandwich on Cinnamon Swirl Bread, Mr. Tod's Zucchini Herb Bites, Peter's Radish Petal Sandwich with Pepper Spread, Mrs. Tittlemouse's Sun Dried Tomato, Parmesan and Basil Whirls, and Samuel Whisker's Spinach and Artichoke Crostini.

The scone course included Miss Moppet's Blueberry Lemon Scone and Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle's White Chocolate Vanilla Scone served with Peach Jam and Devonshire Cream and fresh fruit.

 The dessert plate held Mrs. Rabbit's Mini Bundt Carrot Spice Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Icing (complete with birthday candle), Flopsy's Chocolate Raspberry Cream Tart, and an Almond Bunny Sugar Cookie.

Special thanks to Faith Cohick for coordinating and hosting this special birthday party in honor of Peter Rabbit. We look forward to welcoming Faith as our returning Guest Chef in June. The next themed tea (already sold out) is a "Passport to Africa". We can't wait to experience her creative interpretation for this event!

 

Happy May Day!

This clever hand crafted tea bag holder was a favor at the annual Penn Cumberland Garden Club Herb Tea held last month. The sweet perfectly formed paper cone filled with flowers looks like the ideal petite May Day basket for the fairy folk. The tradition of hanging a May Day basket has long passed us by, but we like to reminisce about the joy of finding a sweet basket, perhaps from a secret admirer, gaily swinging in the breeze on the doorknob on May Day. 

For more about the long history of May Day baskets, check out this article written by Linton Weeks in 2015 for the NPR History Department, A Forgotten Tradition: May Baskets. Here's a short excerpt: "A reporter in the Sterling, Ill., Gazette in 1871 explained the seasonal ritual this way: "A May-basket is — well, I hardly know how to describe it; but 'tis something to be hung on a door. Made of paper generally, it contains almost anything, by way of small presents you have in mind to put in it, together with your respects, best wishes — love, perhaps. It is hung after dark at the door of anybody the hanger fancies. — Which done, the said hanger knocks and scampers."

Happy May Day!

It's Violet Jelly Making Time!

These sweet little violets are popping up throughout our garden, a sure sign that spring has arrived. This little perennial blossom, one of the herbs the colonists found here, is native from Canada to Carolina and is adored for its sweet blossom. Now is the time to gather a jar full of these petite blooms in anticipation of making violet jelly. Gather a quart jar of blooms, with the understanding that the more flowers you gather and steep, the richer the purple color of the jelly.

This loosely packed jar of blossoms was quickly gathered one morning this week. It's best to harvest the blossoms on the morning you plan to use them. Herewith are the directions for making Violet Jelly from The Bride's Herbal, written by our mother, Bertha Reppert. "Fill a quart jar with violet blossoms; cover with boiling water. (Approx. 2-1/2 c.) Steep for 24 hours. (Note: I only let it steep for 2 hours.) Strain. To 2 cups of this liquid, add the juice of 1 lemon, and 1 box of Sure Jel. Bring to a boil and add 4 cups of sugar. Bring again to a boil and boil hard for 1 minute. Ladle into jars. Seal with paraffin or freeze." The end result is a beautiful jewel-like jelly with a delicate sweet grape-like flavor. If you do not seal or can the jelly, it will keep refrigerated about 2 weeks.

 The Herb of the Year for 2022 is the Viola which includes violets, pansies, and heartsease. As we celebrate the herb of the year, we will be serving this jelly after our free Herb Garden Tour hosted during National Herb Week this coming Thursday, May 5th at 6:00.  Susanna will guide a tour of the herb gardens, guests will create a violet pot pourri, and then we will sample some herbal treats prepared by Nancy. This event is held rain or shine, no need to pre-register.

We also plan on serving this sweet jelly at our (now sold-out) Mother's Day Tea on Saturday. 

In the language of flowers,

Blue Violets symbolize Faithfulness.

Dame Violets for Watchfulness.

Sweet Violets are for Modesty.

Yellow Violets stand for Rural Happiness.