Bacon, Cheddar and Green Onion Scones

     We have a little place in town here that makes wonderful scones.  I'm not one that likes a lot of things in my scones and I generally don't like a lot of fruit in them.  I'm a plain black tea and cream scone kinda girl, but every once in awhile I like some flavor.

     I went into the scone shop one day and they had these green onion, bacon and cheddar scones and I was like, give me six!  (there are only two of us here at home, but I was momentarily overcome.) They were so good!  But the scone place is clear across town and not open on Sunday and Monday.  Therefore on a rainy Sunday afternoon, I was forced to find a recipe.

      The one I liked best was on the King Arthur Flour website and since that is the flour I use, it was perfect! I simplified it and have it for you here.

 Bacon, Cheddar, Green Onion Scones

2 cups  Flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
4 tbs cold  butter
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/3 cup  finely diced green onions
1 cup bacon, cooked, cooled, and crumbled
3/4 cup heavy cream (have a little extra incase you need it and for brushing on the scones)

• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment.
  Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. 
• Cut the butter into the flour until the mixture is unevenly crumbly.
• Mix in the cheese, green onions, and bacon.
• Add cream, stirring to combine. Try squeezing the dough together; if it’s crumbly and won’t hang together, or if there are crumbs remaining in the bottom of the bowl, add more cream until the dough comes together. Transfer to a well-floured work surface.
• Pat the dough into a smooth 7" circle about ¾" thick.
• Cut the disk into 8 wedges
• Lay the wedges a baking pan. 
• Brush the scones with a bit of cream to brown crust.
• Bake the scones for 22 to 24 minutes, until they’re golden brown. 
• Remove them from the oven, and cool. 
• Serve warm, or at room temperature.
• Yield: 8 large scones

I serve these with potato cheese soup, or scrambled eggs and fruit, or with whipped or flavored butter for a savory with your daily cuppa. 

Chicken Salad Popovers

Three posts in two weeks?  This must be a new record for me on this blog.

So I read the Tea Shop Mysteries by Laura Childs and sometimes the things that Haley serves for their tea times sound so good!  In the latest book, Scones and Bones, the first tea menu hit me right off the bat.  Haley said they were serving chicken salad in popovers and I was like, what?  That's genius!  Why didn't I ever think of that?  There may be a recipe in the book, but I didn't see it and so I made up my own.

First, I made our favorite chicken salad recipe, which I have already given you on this site here.
Then I made a really simple popover recipe I found online awhile ago and adapted it a smidge.

Easy Blender Popovers

4 tbs. melted butter (divided)

3 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup flour

Use 2 tbs. of melted butter to grease the bottom and sides of a muffin pan.  I use a stoneware muffin pan.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put remaining 2 tbs of butter, milk, eggs and salt in blender and mix.  Add flour and blend for 10-15 seconds, just until the flour is incorporated.  Keep a slim spatula near by in case any of the flour sticks to the sides.  Do not over blend or your popovers won't pop much. Then pour batter into muffin pan until each section is 1/3 to 1/2 full.  This should make 12 popovers.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 35-40 minutes.  DO NOT CHECK POPOVERS FOR AT LEAST 30 MINUTES!  They need time to rise and this may cause them to fall.  Once the popovers are brown and popped, removed them from the oven and poke a hole in the top of each one to let the steam out (I use a sharp knife.

Once they are slightly cool, fill the hollow insides with chicken salad and serve.  Yum!

Here is a close-up.  And they turned out really, really good!  The inside of the popover is full of chicken salad.  This may be a new tea favorite!

 
For a tea recommendation, I never discussed it here, but there was a bagged tea advertised on one of the tea sites where I get my Yorkshire Gold and the site said it was a new favorite in the tea spots in London, so I ordered a box.  If a tea is good, we don't mind it being a bagged tea, especially when we just want one cup.  It was actually pretty good.  Not quite as good as the Yorkshire Gold, but good!  It's called The London Cuppa - a blend of Kenya and Assam.  Two of my favorite black teas!

 I hope you give these Chicken Salad Popovers a try!  They really are delicious!

Chicken Tea Sandwiches

Let me start by saying that I have not always been a fan of the chicken sandwich, but as I have matured, it has become one of my favorites, with one condition... NO MUSTARD! We have a local tea shop that I refuse to frequent now because the owner is so heavy handed with the mustard and curry powder. Really, why even differentiate the tea sandwiches on the plate? They should all just be listed as mustard sandwiches because that is all you taste. And on top if it, the food doesn't compliment the tea, it overpowers it. Not what you want from a tea menu.

So today I want to share our family's favorite chicken tea sandwich. It is always incredibly popular, and it is so good, that I like to make up a batch and eat them for lunch during the week, which is what I did this week.

I believe that you will find that this tea sandwich perfectly accompanies a freshly brewed pot of black tea. Although my favorite is Kenya, you could even brew a light tea like a Darjeeling with this sandwich.

Chicken Tea Sandwiches

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1/3 cup mayonnaise (or I use plain yogurt because I hate mayo too)
1 tbs. chopped chives (or green onion)
2 tbs sliced almonds, toasted and chopped
1/4 tsp. dill weed
salt to taste

Mix ingredients until well combined. Spread half of the bread with a thin coating of mayonnaise. Spread the other half of the the bread with chicken salad. Trim off the crusts and cut into either three parallel sections or four small triangles.

Orange Crecents

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Orange Crescents
An old altered Pampered Chef Recipe
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This is hands down my husband's favorite. If I make a batch, he will eat them all day long. It's often a Saturday morning special, but sometimes if he is having a rough week, I'll make these and warm up a couple for him to have during the week.

2 cans Pillsbury Buttery Crescent rolls (no store brands!)
1 orange
1 8 0z. pkg. cream cheese (softened)
Powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Blend cream cheese, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp fine orange zest, 2 tsp.
orange juice. Place a dollop of the cream cheese mixture in the center of each crescent roll
and roll up. Place on a baking sheet (I prefer a Pampered Chef baking stone) and bake 15
minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. Drizzle with glaze.

Orange Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. orange zest
2-3 tsp orange juice.

**Optional additions - mini choc. chips, berries or nuts. If you would like to
add something to your rolls, add a 1/4 cup of your favorite addition to the cream
cheese mixture just before putting it in the crescent rolls.

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What is a tea cake?
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Although I don't know much about the history of tea cakes, I do know tea was sold in little cakes (they pressed it together to make a hard lump of tea leaves), but they wouldn't be very palatable. Edible tea cakes, better known as cookies or muffins, appear to have come about as a tasty little treat left over when the cooks tested the oven with a bit of cake batter before actually cooking the whole cake. I hope the sites below can shed a little more light on the subject if you are interested.

http://www.kitchenproject.com/history/cookies.htm

Here are some links to some tea cake recipes, but first I thought I would start off with my very favorite tea cakes, the Russian Tea Cakes!

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Russian Tea Cakes
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• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
   
2. In cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners' sugar.

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Welsh Tea Cakes
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http://www.virtualcities.com/ons/co/d/cod78014.htm


Old Fashioned Tea Cakes
Bread-like cookies that go with tea time.
http://members.tripod.com/cakerecipes/id32.htm

Grandmother's Tea Cakes
http://baking.about.com/library/recipes/blcoo14.htm

Chocolate Raspberry Tea Cakes
http://www.virtualcities.com/ons/nh/y/nhyb6015.htm

Yorkshire Tea Cakes
http://www.themediadrome.com/content/recipes/tea_cakes.htm

Lemon Teacakes
http://www.he-and-she.com/TeaParty/lemon.html

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Hazelnut Tea Cakes
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1 cup toasted* hazelnuts, very finely ground
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cake flour
1/2 tsp. salt
6 egg whites
1/2 cup melted butter

Mix nuts, sugars, salt and flour together until well blended. Add egg whites. Add melted butter and mix well. Grease a mini-muffin pan. Using a small stainless steel scoop (you can get them from The Pampered Chef or at a kitchen store), fill cups with one scoop. Bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Turn oven off but don't remove cakes for another 5 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan. These can be frozen.

*To toast hazelnuts and remove skins, place the hazelnuts (I do the whole bag, which I purchase at Trader Joe's, so that I have the rest of the hazelnuts ready to use for another recipe. I store them in the freezer) on a pan with sides, bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. The skins should blister. Remove them and cool, then rub them between your palms, and the skins will flake off. There will be parts of the skin that remain, but don't worry about it. Store the extras in an airtight container in the freezer if you won't be using them right away.

Cream Scones and Lady Londonderry Tea

I really like this scone recipe. It is easy to keep the items on hand so that they can be made quickly. I like to drink these with a nice, cuppa tea! One of my new favorites is called Lady Londonderry. More on that below. Otherwise, try Assam or Ceylon tea.

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Cream Scones
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1 1/4 cup Flour
1 1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 cup Cold unsalted butter
3 tbs. Sugar
1/3 cup Whipping cream, or milk
Choose one: 1/2 c. Mini chocolate chips
1/2 c. Currants (raisins)
1/2 c. Dried blueberries or cranberries
1/2 c. Walnuts or pecans
1.2 c. Dried fruit (chopped)

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut cold butter into pieces. Using a pastry blender, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add sugar and choice of additions. Toss to blend. Add cream and stir just until mixture holds together. Gather into a ball. Knead ten times. Pat dough into a six-inch circle. Cut into 6-8 wedges. Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes until light golden. Remove scones and place on a towel on a cooling rack. I like to drizzle these with a glaze. Water and some confectioners sugar mixed to a runny glaze.

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Lady Londonderry Tea (Traditional)
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"It is commonly known that, if one had a grand enough standing in society, one could, for a price, taste and design one's own tea blend, which forever after would carry one's name, thus ensuring a legacy of taste with connoisseurs and commoners alike. When Lady Londonderry first aspired to greatness, her attention turned first to the teaching of fashion and etiquette (of which she considered herself an expert) and then to the creation of the perfect tea. It is said she spent weeks in the tea houses, tasting this and that tea, mixing and matching teas to come up with the elusive delicate perfection which she sought. And finally, after two months of intensive research, it was finished. The result was a mixture of Ceylon, India, and Formosa teas, more delicate than English Breakfast and Earl Gray, but with, in her estimation, an essence that would inspire the mind toward things of higher and more noble substance. Lady Londonderry's personal blend. " ---from St. James Tea Room, Albuquerque, NM

"Was Princess Diana's favorite. A very interesting and flavorful tea (hints of strawberry and lemon). Have a cup and see yourself lounging on a divan at the end of the day."

http://www.culinarycafe.com/Store/Traditional_Teas/SAM-109.html

Raspberry White Chocolate Petit-fours

This is a fun, simple petit-four recipe and a tea tasting recommendation. Just so you know, I don't make any money from any of the websites that I list or recommend. I am just passing on some information for you to consider. Usually I list a website because that is one I have used, which is the case today. I ordered some tea samples from Culinary Teas and have greatly enjoyed tasting many of the different teas and comparing them. I am looking forward to trying many more of their exotic teas. When I come across one that I think might be of interest to you, I want to share it and then give you some information regarding it

I saw a variation of this recipe on a free recipe card that I got in the mail years ago. I added a few things to really make them special, like the jam and white chocolate.

(photo courtesy of lisa.edwards45)

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Heart-Shaped White Chocolate Raspberry Petit-fours
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Ingredients:
1 frozen Sara Lee Pound Cake
Seedless raspberry jam
white dipping chocolate
1" or 2" heart-shaped cookie cutter
wax paper
cake decorations or colored chocolate (optional)

Thaw the pound cake. Slice into 1/2 slices. Put raspberry jam on one slice and top with another, making a sandwich. Continue with all slices. You can freeze quickly before cutting if you would like. Using the cookie cutter, cut "sandwiches" into hearts. Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Place one heart on a plastic fork (with center tines cut out) or a dipping tool, and spoon chocolate over the top, making sure it covers the sides. When cake is completely covered and excess has come off, set heart cake on the waxed paper to cool and harden. Before the chocolate cools, you may sprinkle it with cake decorations, or decorate with colored chocolate later.

NOTE: Use the left over pieces to mix with a litte whipped topping and white chocolate pudding for a mini-trifle for two. Be sure to shave white chocolate over the top and even throw in a few fresh or frozen raspberries. This recipes affords you two desserts in one!

**Variation: You could cut the slices into fours and frost rather than cut out as hearts and dip in chocolate, shaving some white chocolate on the jam in the center and on top of the frosting.

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Tea Recommendation
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Consider serving these with a very light, delicate, and rare white tea. I got a sample of this tea from Culinary Teas It is a little pricey as teas go because of the rarity, but I think it is worth trying at least once. http://www.culinarycafe.com/Store/

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Adam's Peak Rare White Tea
by Candie Yoder
Editor/Owner Culinary Cafe
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Country of Origin: Sri Lanka
Region: Nuwara Eliya
Shipping Port: Colombo
Grade: Silver Tip White Tea
Altitude: 7800 - 8200 feet above sea level
Manufacture Type: Hand rolled Orthodox
Cup Characteristics: Delicate, very light liquoring with notes of pine & honey.
Infusion: Golden coppery

Information:
White teas are very rare and good quality specimens such as this are seldom found outside of China. The little buds that form on the plant are covered with silver hairs that give the young leaves a white appearance. They are carefully picked by hand, sun dried (some white teas are gently steamed in a pan to evaporate the water content) and then packed in air-tight containers. When brewed, white teas give hardly any color and infuse a very delicate flavor into the water.

Near Adam's Peak, the cloud kissed and mist blown slopes are blessed with some of the finest teas on Earth. This white tea is especially rare as only 30 kilos are made on a weekly basis. The reason for limited production is that only the best fresh shoots are selected and then withered and sun dried. The tips are silvery and have a fresh fuzz similar to that on a peach. The heady aroma is unlike that of any other tea and is somewhat piney. The subtle taste may only be appreciated with an experienced palate, and we encourage tea lovers to initiate themselves to a rare gem.

Adam's Peak is one the most sacred mountains in the world. Buddhists believe the footprint on the summit is that of Buddha; Hindus hold it to be the mark of Shiva; Muslims are convinced it is that of Adam, who wept after the loss of Eden (whereby the mountain got its name); and some Christians believe the indentations were caused when St. Thomas, Christ's Apostle who came East, prayed at the peak.

Hot tea brewing method:
When preparing by the cup, this tea can be used repeatedly - about 3 times. The secret is to use water that is about 180'F or 80'C. Place about 1-1 1/2 teaspoons in your cup, let the tea steep for about 3 minutes and then begin enjoying a cup of enchantment - do not remove the leaves from the cup. Once the water level is low - add more water, and so on and so on - until the flavor of the tea is exhausted. Look at the pattern of the leaves in the brew - they foretell life.

Alternatively as with all top quality teas, scoop 2-4 teaspoons of tea into the teapot, pour in boiling water that has been freshly drawn (previously boiled water has lost most of its oxygen and therefore tends to be flat tasting), steep for 2-4 minutes (to taste), stir (virtually all the leaves will sink), pour into your cup but do not add milk or sugar since green tea is enjoyed `straight-up'.


An exotic white tea from Sri Lanka. Exceptionally long leaf painstakingly hand selected and rolled. Exquisitely light and delicate.
To order a 0.5 oz sample for $5.89 (makes two pots of tea)
http://www.culinarycafe.com/Store/Green_Teas/SAM-002.html

Tea Time Traditions

Many people have special tea time traditions that they carry on with their family or friends. When we were little, my sister and I would often be at grandma's house and she had a tiny little tea set that we adored. We loved to have "tea" (which was really milk) and then we would add the sugar, and "cream" (more milk) and eat little snacks, like her mini tarts, off the tiny plate with even tinier forks and knives. You've never seen two little girls take longer to eat slices of bananas than we did when we were "having tea." We spent a great deal of time at Grandma's house, but tea time is to this day one of our fondest memories.

For a couple of years, my husband and I had a tradition of having tea each afternoon when he would comes home from work. Sometimes it was just a pot of tea, and other times I would add some cookies, fruit or crackers and cheese. We would sit down, pray for someone special, and then just talk about our day for a few minutes. It gave us time to stop, slow down, focus on others in prayer, and then focus on each other as we would share and listen. It was a nice tradition and one we hope to be able to return to when our work schedules allow.

Another tea time tradition we enjoyed for several years was Tax Day Tea. We decided that each February, we were going to take a day off together, go to breakfast, then to the accountants,
then take afternoon tea at a favorite tea house, and spend the rest of the afternoon at a garden, park or museum. It was a really fun tradition that helped to take the sting out of the bad news at the accountant's office. Again, work schedules have encroached on this fun tradition, but it is certainly one we hope to return to.

Tax Day Tea 2005

The last one has been much easier to maintain. That is a nice pot of tea every Sunday afternoon after church. It is the perfect thing for a relaxing afternoon at home.

I want to encourage you to start a tea time tradition of your own, even if it is as simple as having a pot of tea with your husband, children or a friend each day, or week, or month. It is always nice to have a quiet, relaxing tea time to look forward to, especially in this harried world we live in. But even more, it is important to take time, for a few moments, to set aside the demands of life and focus on those who are precious to us, savoring the time we have together.

These are a few tea time traditions that I really enjoyed reading. I hope you do too!

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Tea Parties of My Life
by Mary Emma Allen
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Here is an article about tea time tradition memories:
http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/tea.html

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Tea Time with Emma Barr
by Donna Godfrey
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This is one of my favorite tea time traditions ever. I suppose I like it so much because it is true, and also because it shows the importance of caring for others by taking the time to prepare something special, and then to sit and listen. We get so busy with things and I just love to hear Donna share her memories, because they always involve her family and friends taking time to focus on others. This is a beautiful tradition started by her grandmother that she has passed on to her children and grandchildren. I hope you are as encouraged and challenged by it as I was.
http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/donna1.html

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Sun-Dried Tomato and Red Pepper Sandwiches*
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1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup roasted red peppers (rinsed and drained)
5 slices of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained

In a food processor or blender, process cream cheese, tomatoes and peppers, until smooth. Spread on a slices of thin bread, top with a second. Cut off crusts and cut into four squares with a serrated bread knife.

* We had these at the Four Season's Tea Room in Sierra Madre, California. They were a nice, zesty change to normal tea sandwiches.

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Cambric Tea
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"Cambric tea was hot water & milk, with only a taste of tea in it,
but little girls felt grown-up when their mothers let them drink cambric tea. "
~ Laura Ingalls Wilder, The Long Winter

A favorite tea time drink of children in the late 1800's, this drink is made up of milk, water, sugar and the tiniest touch of tea. It is an American drink that is named after a white, thin fabric called "cambric." This is a perfect drink to serve if you are starting a tea time tradition with children.

Warm 2/3 of a cup of whole milk and 1/3 cup water for each child. Add some sugar and pour in a touch of brewed tea. Pour into a tea pot and serve in tiny tea cups.

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Vanilla Nursery Tea
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2 c. Milk
2 tsp. Vanilla extract or one Vanilla Bean
2 tsp. English Breakfast Tea
2 cups Boiling water.

Pour the milk into a saucepan, add the vanilla, and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Remove the pan from the heat and let the milk cool. Brew the tea with the boiling water. Steep 3 minutes. Strain the tea into the milk. Pour into the teacups and add sugar as desired. Makes 4-5 servings.