Recipe of the Week: In wintry weather it’s time for tea

As we make our way through the wintry weather of January, pots of tea and tiny sandwiches are beckoning.
I like tea, the meal, with its tea, scones, sandwiches and small desserts, any time of year. But when the weather turns blustery and cold it is especially hard to resist.
We can thank the English for our love of tea. They have been enjoying the beverage, and subsequently the meal, since the 1600s. A queen who hailed from Portugal loved tea and made it fashionable. That was enough for it to take off and become a national favorite.
Tea, the beverage, has been around for thousands of years, enjoyed first in southern China.
Americans have embraced tea and made it their own. Here, a “high tea” is one that’s a complete meal, starting with soup or salad, moving on to sandwiches and scones, and ending with dessert.
If you visit one of our local tea rooms, The Talking Teacup in Chalfont, Tilly Mint’s in Souderton, and Teaberry’s Tea Room in Flemington, N.J., that’s what you will find. Smaller options always are available, but many customers make the trip for the full meal.
You can make your own tea party at home, adjusting your menu to suit your guests. For grownups you can choose cucumber, tuna, chicken salad, ham, egg salad, turkey, watercress or shrimp salad sandwiches. If serving a child’s tea, you might want peanut butter for fluffernutter sandwiches. Scones are easy to make for everyone, and the flavor depends on what you think the guests will like. For dessert you can make a cake to cut into slices, or opt for cookies or pudding.
If your guests are vegetarian, you can combine watercress with egg salad for a traditional English sandwich.
Classic tea sandwiches use thinly sliced white bread, but these days you are just as likely to find whole wheat, rye, pumpernickel or multigrain breads used.
Whatever you choose, make things that you and your guests will enjoy. Then brew up a pot of tea or two and have fun.
These recipes are from thespruceeats.com.

Watercress Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches

4 large eggs
4 tablespoons herbed butter, or unsalted butter, softened
4 tablespoons mayonnaise, or mayonnaise alternative
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Paprika, to taste
8 slices bread, divided
1/2 cup fresh watercress, chopped
Parsley, chopped, to taste, optional

1. Gather the ingredients.
   
   2. Hard-boil the eggs, rinsing them in cold water when they are done.
   3. While still warm, peel and mash eggs with butter, using a potato masher or a fork.
   4. Stir mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and paprika into egg mixture.
   5. Spread egg salad onto 4 slices of the bread.
   6. Add watercress and parsley, if using.
   7. Top watercress with remaining 4 slices of bread.
   8. Remove crusts and slice sandwiches twice, diagonally, to make 4 tea sandwiches from each large sandwich.

Salmon and Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches

Loaf white bread (such as buttermilk bread)
½ cup cream cheese (½ brick), softened
½ pound smoked salmon (nova), thinly sliced
Lemon juice, to taste
Dried parsley, to taste
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Gather the ingredients.
2. Spread all of the slices of bread evenly with the cream cheese.
3. Cover one side of the sandwich with slices of salmon.
4. Season with the lemon juice, parsley, salt, and pepper.
5. Put the slices together and cut off the crusts.
6. Slice the sandwich diagonally twice to create 4 triangle finger sandwiches.

Join our readers whose generous donations are making it possible for you to read our news coverage. Help keep local journalism alive and our community strong. Donate today.