Innehållsförteckning för November - December 2012 från TeaTime

As we welcome the last two months of the year and enter what is often a far-too-busy holiday season, take time out to express your love and gratitude to family and friends. And what better way to do so than by hosting a tea party in their honor? Our holiday-themed menus in this issue—whether for Thanksgiving or Christmas—provide delightful inspiration for afternoon tea. If you simply don’t have time to prepare a three-course menu, consider having a simple cream tea (scones and tea), and just enjoy time spent in meaningful conversation. Guests will appreciate receiving a party favor as a reminder of your special teatime together. In “Tea Treats to Give” (page 22), we offer several recipes that make ideal gifts. From a gluten-free scone mix to crunchy toffee to…

A Fine Selection This luxury assortment of chocolates is both decadent and beautiful with teainfused varieties such as Passionfruit Sencha and Darjeeling Mascarpone. ($39; 406-219-0064 or kitchentlc.com) Teas to Please With teas such as Grand Jasmin Chung Feng and Tamaryokucha Imperial, this sampler set of whole-leaf green tea is a wonderful way to surprise a tea enthusiast. ($50; us.palaisdesthes.com) Tea and Cookies A duo of Harney & Sons teas and two types of shortbread cookies fill this delightful gift tin from Magnolia Bakery. ($42; 855-622-5379 or magnoliabakery.com) Tea for the Tree Add tea to the holiday décor with these adorable handcrafted tea-bag ornaments. ($9.99; 503-638-1536 or ornaments2remember.com) Popcorn Perfection An ideal hostess gift, this Almond Toffee Popcorn is coated in rich, buttery toffee and tossed with pecans, cashews, and almonds.…

Pecan-Butterscotch Scones Yield: 15 scones Preparation: 10 minutes Bake: 20 minutes 1½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour* 2 teaspoons baking powder ¼ cup sugar ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ cup cold butter ½ cup butterscotch morsels ¼ cup chopped toasted pecans 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream Garnish: turbinado sugar • Preheat oven to 350°. • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. • In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt, whisking well. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add butterscotch morsels and pecans, stirring to combine. Set aside. • Add vanilla extract to cream, stirring to combine. Add cream mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until a dough forms. (If mixture seems dry,…

Our nation’s capital is filled with everything tea lovers enjoy—worldclass museums, grand architecture, green spaces galore, delicious ethnic foods, and, thank goodness, exceptional tearooms and tea shops throughout the city. From a lofty and angelic tea at Washington National Cathedral to the gilded splendor of afternoon tea at The Willard’s Peacock Alley, there is something to satisfy every tea taste. MANDARIN ORIENTAL 1330 Maryland Avenue SW 202-787-6006 • mandarinoriental.com/washington A pleasant prescription for quickly recharging your tea spirit might include two hours feasting on endless treasures found in the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art, followed by a leisurely afternoon tea in the nearby Empress Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental. These two Asian masterpieces are only a couple of blocks apart, and both are as soothing to the soul as a…

My mother and my grandmother introduced me to tea when I was very young. While most kids at school were drinking juice or fruit punch at lunchtime, my little thermos was full of hot tea, prepared with love by my mom. I can still remember how it tasted: the warm tea, sweet with honey yet tangy from the milk, and that unmistakable taste of the plastic thermos. Recognizing that this was likely the start of my love for tea, I made a plaque for my mom last Mother’s Day that said “Thank you for putting tea in my Thermos.” She then admitted that the reason she did was because we didn’t have enough money to buy juice, but we always had tea in the house. I told her I was…

New Edition When I opened the book [Tea Celebrations], it was like looking at the year as one big tea party. Neat ideas, just like in the magazine. VICKY SOSTER Via Facebook I can’t wait to add the new book [Tea Celebrations] to my collection. I have purchased several books by Hoffman Media, and my favorites are The Entertaining Touch and Gracious Tables. Every recipe I have tried from the books and TeaTime has always turned out fantastic! EMILY MAYER Via Facebook A Delightful Surprise Last month, I found your Facebook site by accident, and I subscribed to the magazine immediately. My first issue [July/August 2012] arrived this week, and I have enjoyed it so much! I have read all the articles, and I have already placed an order with…

LORNA REEVES, editor Usher in the season with Harney & Sons’ fragrant White Christmas Tea. This flavorful white tea, scented with vanilla, almond, and cardamom, is available in pretty sachet-filled tins or as loose leaf. ANNE-HARRIS JONES, assistant editor Salem Baking Company’s tree-shaped Moravian cookies are coated in chocolate and sprinkled with crushed peppermint, making them ideal for teatime and gift giving at Christmastime. LUCY W. HERNDON, stylist Merry Ginori Christmas china by Richard Ginori will shine on any table, large or small, for a special and memorable holiday season. JANET LAMBERT, test-kitchen professional These durable and festive Emile Henry loaf pans bring the colors of Christmas into the kitchen and are the perfect size for baking quick breads, pound cakes, and more. AMY HANNUM, editorial assistant This beautiful white…

Stock up on colorful ribbons, festive boxes, and tissue paper from your local craft store to turn baked goods into cheerful presents. Vanilla–Sour Cream Tea Bread Yield: 4 mini loaves Preparation: 10 minutes Bake: 20 minutes 1½ cups all-purpose flour ¾ cup sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt ½ cup sour cream ¼ cup melted butter 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla, butter, and nut flavoring* • Preheat oven to 350°. • Spray 4 mini (3-x-5-inch) loaf pans with nonstick spray with flour. Set aside. • In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, whisking well. Set aside. • In a small bowl, combine sour cream, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla, butter, and nut flavoring, stirring well. Add to…

Ambrosia Scones Yield: 16 scones Preparation: 15 minutes Bake: 18 minutes 3 cups self-rising soft-wheat flour* ½ cup sugar 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest, divided ½ cup cold salted butter 1 cup coconut milk† 2 teaspoons coconut extract ½ cup confectioners’ sugar 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice • Preheat oven to 350°. • Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. • In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, and 1 tablespoon orange zest, whisking well. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside. • In a small bowl, combine coconut milk and coconut extract, whisking well. Add to flour mixture, stirring until a soft dough forms. (If mixture seems dry and dough won’t come together, add more…

Afternoon tea has always had a place of honor at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, but the genteel practice is garnering special attention this November during a monthlong celebration known as Get Steeped with Fairmont. Events get underway worldwide on Saturday, November 3. Each of Fairmont’s luxury properties will celebrate the popular beverage in a manner befitting the region in which it is located. Sommelier-led tea tastings, teainfused cocktails, and fancy-hat competitions will be on tap at some venues, while enhanced afternoon-tea services will prevail at others. The Plaza in New York City, for example, will feature a Roaring Twenties–themed afternoon tea to coincide with the upcoming release of The Great Gatsby movie in which the legendary hotel is featured, while Boston’s Fairmont Battery Wharf will offer a complimentary tea bar…

COVER Photography by Mac Jamieson, food styling by Janet Lambert, and photo styling by Lucy W. Herndon. Lenox Holiday 5-piece place setting ($89.95) from Replacements, Ltd., 800-REPLACE, replacements.com. Lenox Holiday teapot from private collection. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 3: Floral arrangement by Flower Buds, 205-970-3223, flowerbudsinc.com. Christian Dior Tabriz cup and saucer ($37.99) from Replacements, Ltd., 800-REPLACE, replacements.com. Linen hemstitch table runner in Cactus ($49) from Pottery Barn, 888-779-5176, potterybarn.com. MASTHEAD Page 6: Versace Christmas in Your Heart dinner plate ($155), salad plate ($135), and cup and saucer ($60) from Rosenthal, 201-804-8000, rosenthalusa-shop.com. NECESSARY THINGS Page 14: Magnolia Bakery gift box ($42), 855-622-5379, magnoliabakery.com. Ornaments to Remember tea-bag ornaments ($9.99 each), 503-638-1536, ornaments2remember.com. Tea Time Trading Co. One Touch Teapot ($32), 707-968-5393, teatimetrading.com. Le Palais des Thés tea sampler ($50),…

november 4 Presidential Tea 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Sweet Remembrances Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania Sweet Remembrances is pleased to welcome George Washington (interpreted by first-person historicalcharacter actor JeffGreenawalt) to a lavish tea party, where he will share stories about his life as president. The Presidential Tea will feature a complete afternoon-tea menu with sandwiches, scones and toppings, fresh fruit, miniature desserts, and properly brewed tea. The tea is $45 per person, and reservations are required. Call 717-697-5111 to reserve your spot. 20 Thanksgiving Tea 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Cherokee Ranch & Castle Sedalia, Colorado Join the Cherokee Ranch & Castle Foundation for a lovely seasonal tea and a beautiful scenic and historical experience. The tea features a sampling of eight finger foods (four savory and four sweet), along with clotted cream and…

I have had the good fortune to see much of the world through the lens of a camera, beginning in elementary school with my Kodak Brownie. My life experiences have been captured forever on film—and now, in digital images. I have never been in such photo-rich environments as those I found in the tea gardens of India. Here I often felt like a hunter with my camera poised to shoot whenever an image stirred to life before me. It might have been the colorful flash of a woman’s scarf as she walked through a tea garden or a ray of light reflected off the wet bud of a tea plant just as the morning fog lifted with the rising sun. My attention was constantly drawn to the faces of the…

Then felt I like some watcher of the skies When a new planet swims into his ken . . . —John Keats, “On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer” That’s how I felt upon discovering Baisao. Even in translation he is a great poet and saint and hero of tea, and lucky are we who are finally allowed to taste his wares. Baisao, third son of a scholarly physician, was born near Nagasaki in 1675. He entered a Buddhist monastery at age 11 and was almost 50 when his master died and he was asked to take the master’s place as abbot. Declining on grounds it would hinder his religious practice, Baisao left the hypocrisies, large and small, of organized religion to take up the life of a wandering monk. It…