Vintage Tea Party Recipes

I'm not quite sure why but every spring I get the urge to make tea party food.

Finger sandwiches, cream scones, cake, deviled eggs etc.  All foods with a distinctly retro feel to them, and all easy to make.   In just a few hours you can easily assemble a tea party feat that will make you feel as if you stepped back in time.


Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

Softened cream cheese, about 3-4 ounces
whole grain or whole wheat bread with the crust cut off, about one loaf
1/2 seedless cucumber sliced very thin with a mandolin slicer (I just got one ad it makes such a difference)
salt and pepper

Spread the cream cheese on one half of the bread.   Top with a few paper think slices of cucumber season with salt and pepper.  Cut into triangles or squares.



Radish Tea Sandwiches with Lemon butter

High quality unsalted butter, very soft
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper
4-5 radishes sliced paper thin with a mandolin slicer
white bread with the crust cut off, about one loaf

Mash the soft butter together with the lemon zest and juice and salt and pepper to taste.  Spread the lemon butter on 1/2 half of the bread and top with the radish slices.  Cut into triangles or squares.


Cream Scones from Tea and Sympathy

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 375 .  Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl.  Pour in the cream and mix with a fork until it just comes together.  DO NOT OVERMIX! Dump onto a floured surface and pat out with your hands until about an inch thick.  Cut out circles with a biscuit cutter and place on a parchment lined sheet.   Bake 12 minutes rotating at the half way point.  Serve with raspberry jam and clotted cream.  You really need clotted cream for these.   Some gourmet grocers in the US have it or you can buy it online. These are really only good the day they are made.


Deviled Eggs 

I use a different recipe every year.  This year I tried this one.





Victoria Sandwich from Tea and Sympathy (This is the ultimate tea party cake)

Cake
2 sticks unsalted butter, very soft
1 cup sugar
4 eggs at room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

Frosting
1 stick butter
1/4 tsp vanilla extract 
2 cups powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
1 -2 tbsp milk

Raspberry jam (the best you can find)

Preheat the oven to 350.
Cream the butter and sugar in the electric mixer until very light and fluffy.  Beat the eggs in one and a time, scraping down after each addition.  Beat in the vanilla.  Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold in with a spatula.  Mix until smooth.

Divide between two 8 inch cake pans and bake for 20-25 minutes until a tester comes out clean.  Cool on a rack before frosting.


Buttercream Frosting
Beat the soft butter and confectioners sugar together until fluffy.  Beat in the vanilla.  Add enough milk to achieve a good spreading consistency.


Assemble
Place one cake on the cake stand and spread the top with all of the buttercream frosting.  Spread on a nice layer of raspberry jam.  Top with the other cake slice.  Sift confectioners sugar on top.