The Caterist Files ~ The Witches' High Tea

One of my favorite party themes for a Halloween event is The Witches' Halloween High Tea! The name itself inspires thoughts of costumery, shenanigans and hilarity!! And fun food, too!! Here's a bit of history for you, courtesy of Wisegeek! No, the witches probably weren't at the early days of High Tea, I'm taking Halloween liberties! Well...if they WERE, they for sure dressed like the locals! Bwahahahahahaaaa !! Let's go, gov'nah!!

The origins of high tea were actually quite practical. According to various historical records, high tea began in the early 19th Century. Allegedly, a member of Queen Victoria’s court, Anna Stanhope, Duchess of Bedford, disliked the long period of time between the noon meal and dinner, which was often eaten in at seven or eight o’clock in the evening. She began the practice of taking a small meal between three and five o’clock to help stave off hunger and prevent moodiness.

Anna Stanhope originally observed high tea as a secret ritual wherein servants were instructed to bring her a small meal of hot tea, cheeses, fruit, and sandwiches. Noting that other members of the Queen’s court suffered from afternoon peckishness as well, Stanhope let them in on her secret. Soon, most of the members of Queen Victoria’s court were taking part in this light meal. When Stanhope left the Queen’s court to return to her home in London, she’d grown used to her afternoon meal and wished to share it with others. She invited other women to dine with her daily, and the idea of high tea caught on. Spreading from the high ranks of nobles into the lower castes of society, a light five o’clock meal became something to look forward to for all of those that could afford it.

Generally, the first high teas were very small meals indeed. Light, crunchy cookies, along with spongy cakes, toast, jellies, and fruit were among the foods of choice. The meal rarely contained meat or alcohol, centering mainly on items that would stave off hunger without being overly filling. As high tea gained popularity, the light fare that came with it became something of a fashion statement. Those with status flaunted it by serving a variety of exotic teas and gourmet finger foods.

Workers lower in society couldn’t afford such extravagance, especially after the advent of the Industrial Revolution. Factory workers had little use for delicate finger sandwiches and sugary treats. This began a tradition of expanding high tea into a full meal. Cold meats, light soups, and wine made their way into high tea, along with dense breads and meat-filled pies. In the lower classes, these meals were filling but simple. Wealthier individuals used this new trend to create even more exotic and elaborate spreads.

Today’s high teas are often as large and filling as a full meal, occasionally replacing dinner. Afternoon tea, which is usually served around two o’clock in the afternoon, has replaced high tea as being a light, energizing meal. Both kinds of tea are still social affairs in much of the United Kingdom and in parts of Europe. Women are primarily the ones in attendance, though formal teas may also include some men. (wisegeek.com)

We're going to fashion our Witches' High Tea after the ladies' version, with tea sandwiches, scones or crumpets and tea cakes. And tea, of course!! We'll want a nice variety of tea...Earl Grey, Peppermint, Chamomille, and of course, English Breakfast Tea! We must set out cream, and we absolutely must have sugar cubes!!

Tables set for a large Tea, on the left... edible delights on separate buffet, above.

High Tea has come not so far over all of those years!! The steeped in traditions...yes, pun intended...have really managed to stand the test

of time!

Only the dress has changed!! Oh, it's still formal, mind you! Our local ladies still carry on the tradition of sweet little hats and gloves for the occassion!

Carrying on!! The High Tea is a three course affair, which can be served on a three tier service, using one for each table...or, set up a buffet for the food, with one end of our service table being reserved for the tea service. Or set up the tea on it's own small table...Rinni's Playground has a pretty set-up idea (below)

Our menu for The Witches' Halloween Tea will have some modern twists on the tea sandwich idea. And, we'll have some regular...or not so regular...tea sandwiches, too!

Deliicous hot scones with good quality butter...Kerrygold is great...and jam will make an appearance!

How about Crumpets? Crumpets are the original English Muffin, and when you see them, you'll notice that they really don't look like the English muffins we get from Thomas'!! I'll show you how to make those, too...it's fun!

And Tea Cookies for a sweet ending...maybe some mini cakes, too!

Let's start! The caulron's bubbling and the tea is brewing!!

Let's start with Tea Sandwiches. Tea sandwiches always use thin, thin bread, and the crust is to be removed. You may use soft white, wheat, pumpernickle, sourdough or rye. Some common fillings are chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salad, pimiento cheese, deviled ham, cream cheese, cucumber or super thin lunchmeats. A full sandwich would be sliced into four quarters or three long finger sandwiches to create a 2 or 3 bite sandwich. Delicate and dainty!

Today, we take some liberties with the sandwich definition, itself! I started tweaking our ladies' tea menus when I worked for the Women's Clubhouse Association of Navarro County. So fun!!

One of their favorite alternative to tea sandwiches were Choux Puffs! Now, these little puffs are normally the thing that cream puffs are made from...but, in themselves, they aren't sweet. They're buttery, rich little morsels, and when they bake up, they become hollow inside, so they make the absolute cutest pocket for a two bite sandwich.!

They do take some time, and attention to detail, and dry weather. We're having the deluge of the season right now...the streets are completely flooded, and the drainage ditches are full to the tops...no, today would not be the day for making Choux Puffs!! But, once you get the hang of it, they're quite easy. Come along now!! Pip, pip!! Chin up!! It's not going to rain forever!!

Choux Puffs are a pastry, made with flour, water or milk, butter, eggs and salt! Can't go wrong with that combo!! You want all of your ingredients to be at room temperature.

Begin by melting a stick of unsalted butter, cut into pieces, in a heavy based saucepan, along with a cup of water and 1/2 teaspoon of kosker salt. When mixture boils, remove saucepan from the heat. Add in a cup of flour and use a wooden spoon to stir until smooth. Return saucepan to the stove over high heat.

Beat like a mad woman!!! This will, eventually, become a smooth mass, and a light film will form on the bottom of the pan. It'll take a minute to a minute and a half. Place this mixture into the bowl of your stand mixer. Beat on low, using the paddle attachment, until the mixture has cooled a good 5 to 10 minutes.

When the sides of the bowl are cool to the touch, turn on the mixer to medium and add 4 large eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly between eggs.

The consistency you're looking for is thick enough to hold together...like a thick waffle battter.

It won't necessarily 'pour' ...it's shaggy and loose. It's perfect!

Scoop the batter into a piping bag with a large round tip, to pipe small rounds, or just use a cookie scoop to place the batter on a parchment lined sheet tray. Make sure to leave at least an inch between the puffs, and your puffs should be about an inch tall

After you've piped out the darlings, brush them gently with egg wash made from one egg and a teaspoon of water, mixed together well. If you wish, you can sprinkle on some poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or even some finely minced rosemary! Place the puffs in an oven that you have pre-heated to 425. Bake the puffs for 12 minutes. Reduce heat to 375. One at a time, remove the trays of puffs from the oven. Using a skewer, gently and carefully pierce the choux puffs on the side to release the internal steam. This helps the hollowing and allows the moisture to escape. Nobody wants a goopy choux puff! Do this quickly, and get the puffs back into the oven as you finish each!! Don't dally!! Be sure to rotate the trays when you replace them, for even baking.

Continue baking until the choux puffs are a lovely golden brown...10 to 15 minutes more.. The puffs should be firm on the outside, and dry on the inside, not sticky or doughy. Cool the puffs on a wire rack. They say you can store these frozen, in a covered container, for up to three weeks. But...personally, I've never had them last over a day! Anything that is creamy that goes into a tea sandwich may be used to fill the choux puffs!! And PB&J is so much fun for a Little Witches' Tea!

Another fun twist on the sandwich idea is Palmiers, or Elephant Ears!! These, really, are super easy, beginning with one of my favorite freezer go-to's, Puff Pastry Dough!!

It's shown here without any filling, so you can see the folding process. Start by rolling out the thawed puff pastry on a floured surface, with a floured rolling pin. You'll have two sheets in each package. Sprinkle it with your desired fillings, and roll up...bring in a two inch section on each side, fold each into the middle. Fold to make one log. Wrap and chill thoroughly. Some filling ideas include Parmesan or Asiago cheese, finely grated, minced sundried tomatoes, chopped black olives or olive tepenade, basil pesto or rosemary, or roasted garlic paste. The possible combinations are immense!!

After they've chilled, slice the log into 3/8 inch slices.

Place them 3 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Round the 'ears' if you wish, for a more elephantish appearance. Return the Palmiers to the refrigerator for an additional hour. This chilling is crucial to the puffability of the Palmiers. Preheat your oven to 450. while the dough is chilling.

Bake the Palmiers until puffed and lightly golden, about 6 or 7 minutes. Remove from oven, quickly flip the Palmiers and return them to the oven for another 4 or 5 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. This shows the Parmesan, pesto and sundried tomato combo! Feel free to make up your own!! They are so buttery and richly delicious...your guests will be quite impressed!!

Scones are a huge part of the High Tea tradition!! What exactly ARE scones??? Well, actually, they're a biscuit with sweetness and fruity flavors. For the Witches' High Tea I'll let you in on the base recipe...from there, you can add in all sorts of things!! Just like when we make biscuits, the most important thing is to not overwork the dough!! If you can make biscuits, you can make scones!

This recipe makes 8 wedge shaped scones...here we go! In a mixing bowl, combine 2-1/2 cups of flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 4 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Using a pastry blender, or your hands...those work too...cut in 1/3 cup of very cold butter, cut into small pieces. Alternately, you could do a quick pulse of this in your food processor. In a medium bowl, combine 2 slightly beaten eggs, 3/4 cup of heavy cream and 1/2 cup of raisins, currants, dried apricots, cranberries, dried cherries, and/or nuts. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and use a fork to mix just until everything is moistened. Turn out onto a well floured surface and gently knead the dough by folding it over and upon itself. 10 to 12 strokes and the dough should be fairly smooth. Pat it out into a 8 inch circle and use a pizza cutter to make 8 wedges...or more, if you want them smaller. Place the wedges an inch apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet, brush with a bit of cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in a pre-heated 400 oven for 12 to 14 minutes, until they're golden. Serve these warm with soft butter and jam! If you wish, you could add cinnamon, nutmeg and/or other spices to the dry mix for additional flavor!! This is just a base recipe...possibilities are endless! Note!! You can use fresh or frozen berries in the scones, just add them to the dry mix, instead of the wet.

Crumpets take about an hour, but it's mostly rising time!! They're rather like a cross between pancakes and English muffins! To get this perfect round, you'll need some egg rings, or large round metal cookie cutters 3 1/2" or so. They're perfectly delicious free formed, too...they just won't be as tall!

In a glass bowl, place 1 cup of warm milk. Add 6 tablespoons of lukewarm water, a teaspoon of sugar and a tablespoon of yeast. Set in a warm place for 15 minutes, until the mixture is foamy and yeasty.

Pour the foamy yeast mixture into 1 3/4 cups of all purpose flour mixed with a teaspoon of salt.

Use a woden spoon to work the flour and liquid together. You'll end up with a smooth but shaggy batter, that pours, but doesn't run. Cover this bowl with a tea towel and let stand in a warm place until it's light and frothy, see below. It takes about 45 minutes.

Preheat a griddle over low heat. Place your rings on the griddle and spray well with non stick cooking spray. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of batter into each ring...the batter should be about an inch high.

Let them cook for 5 minutes or so. First, small bubbles will appear on the surface, and, then, they'll suddenly burst, leaving the traditional holes. Take a knife and run it around the ring to help release the crumpet and flip it. Don't try this until the bubbles have burst...that lets you know it's set enough. Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until they're golden brown. Cool slightly on a rack. Serve warm with butter and jam!

Now, that's it for the tea sandwiches and the scones & crumpets...on to the sweets!! Yes!!

What is more perfect for a Ladies' Tea than Lemon Tea Cake Cookies!!! And, they couldn't be simpler!! This recipe makes about 3 dozen. Place a stick of softened butter in your stand mixer with a cup of sugar. Beat until it's fluffy and light yellow. Add in one egg, the zest and juice of one lemon, and beat briefly to mix. Then, it's 1/4 cup of buttermilk and a half teaspoon of vanilla. When that's all blended, add 2 cups of flour, a half teaspoon of baking soda and a teaspoon of baking powder. Blend well. Dough will be soft and wet. Turn it out onto a well floured surface and work it into a disc. Wrap with plastic and chill for an hour. Next, flour your rolling surface and your rolling pin. Roll the dough out to a thickness of 1/4". Cut into your desired spooky shapes, place an inch apart on a lightly sprayed sheet pan and bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. For the lemon glaze, place 2 cups of confectioners' sugar in a bowl. Add lemon juice a little at a time to get a nice glaze consistency. Drizzle over the cookies...delicious!!

All that we have left to do is to brew the perfect tea!!! We always have one large silver service for the house tea...in this case, the English Breakfast Tea. Start by warming your teapot by filling it with boiling hot water. Empty it out. Place 4 to 6 regular size tea bags in the teapot. Add 4 cups of boiling water. Let steep for 3 to 5 minutes, and remove and discard the tea bags. Serve hot.

Keep a carafe of hot hot water with the assorted tea bags, for the ladies who might prefer those.

See??? That wasn't so hard!!! Let's go get our costumes on, and get this party rolling!!

That's it on the food front for this party!! Tomorrow...Dia de los Muertos!!! Bwahaahaahaahaa!!!

#halloweentea #thewitchestea #ladiesteaparty