Menu Ideas for a Tea Party
A traditional afternoon tea party is an event it its own right, although it can also be used as a theme for a birthday, anniversary or graduation celebration. When planning a tea party menu, brew a few different kinds of tea for guests to sample and serve snacks from the three major categories: sandwiches, scones and desserts. Does this Spark an idea?
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Sandwiches
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The first course at a traditional tea party includes a variety of savory tea sandwiches. One traditional option is a cucumber sandwich on buttered bread. Other types of sandwiches include egg salad, chicken salad, ham with orange marmalade, avocado with mayonnaise, tomato with basil, herbed cream cheese, nut butter and pimiento cheese. Cut the crusts off the tea sandwiches and quarter them into triangles or strips. Serve a variety of sandwiches arranged artfully on the same platter.
Scones
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The second course at a tea party should include plain or sweet scones served with spreads. Lemon curd and creme fraiche are two of the common spreads to serve with scones. Make your own creme fraiche by mixing together 1 cup of heavy cream with 1 tsp. buttermilk, heating to 85 degrees Fahrenheit and letting it stand at room temperature for 12 to 48 hours while it thickens. When making scones, add dried fruit, crystallized ginger, lemon zest, nuts or chocolate chips to flavor them.
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Desserts
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Bring out the desserts for the last and sweetest course of the tea party. Petits fours are the classic tea party desserts. These dainty cubes of cake include a layer of jam or other filling in the center, and are coated in pastel-colored fondant or icing. Decorate petits fours with candied flower petals, slices of nuts or piped icing designs. Other dessert ideas include tortes, shortbread, eclairs, madeleines and lemon bars.
Party for Children
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A tea party for children should focus more on including foods that are familiar to them and not on following the traditional tea party menu. For tea sandwiches, stick to classic favorites, including ham with cheese, peanut butter with banana, and cream cheese with strawberry jam. Cut the sandwiches with cookie cutters to make them into fun shapes. Skip the scones and opt for miniature pizza bagels instead. For dessert, serve petits fours or miniature cupcakes decorated with pastel-colored frosting. Instead of serving hot black tea, try iced herbal or fruit-flavored tea instead.
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References
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