Siegel Helene - Totally teatime cookbook

Copyright 1995 by Helene Siegel and Karen Gillingham.

Illustrations 1995 by Carolyn Vibbert. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information or storage and retrieval system, without the express permission of the publisher.

The Totally Teatime Cookbook is produced by becker&mayer!, Ltd.

Interior illustrations: Carolyn Vibbert

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Siegel, Helene.

Totally Teatime Cookbook / by Helene Siegel and Karen Gillingham.

p. cm.

ISBN9780890877555

eBook ISBN9781607749110

1. Cookery (Teatime) I. Gillingham, Karen. II. Title.

TX819.C6S53 1995

641.6373dc20 95-10967

CIP

Celestial Arts Publishing

P.O. Box 7123

Berkeley, CA 94707

v4.1

a

Other cookbooks in this series:

The Totally Garlic Cookbook

The Totally Chile Pepper Cookbook

The Totally Mushroom Cookbook

The Totally Corn Cookbook

The Totally Cookies Cookbook

The Totally Coffee Cookbook

The Totally Muffins Cookbook

Im a little tea pot

Short and stout

Here is my handle

Here is my spout

When I get all steamed up hear me shout

Just tip me over and pour me out.

Ever since a group of rowdy revolutionaries dressed up like Mohawk Indians and tossed 340 chests of good British tea into Boston Harbor, we Americans have had tangled emotions regarding tea.

We may drink it when we are sick or when we are out of coffee, but deep down in our collective food memories we just dont trust itunless it is poured over a large glass of ice and flavored with fruit.

Now, since one of the best things about being American cooks is our ability to borrow foods from the worlds great cuisines and then modify them to suit our needs and fashions, we think it is high time Americans reconsidered teaand in particular, the foods that accompany it.

We are not advocating a return to white gloves and proper etiquette here. What we suggest is inviting some friends over late on a weekend morning or afternoon for homemade ginger scones or biscuits, fresh apple cake, smoked turkey sandwiches, and a selection of cookies. Then sit back and give the Brits some credit for knowing how to entertain with ease, style, and panache.

You dont even have to serve tea to enjoy these hand-held tidbits and mood enhancersthough it does add an air of authenticity. Lemonade, sparkling water, or champagne will do just fine. As for coffee, it wont do any harm to have a pot available for any caffeine-crazed patriots in the room.

CUCUMBER AND DAIKON SPROUTS SANDWICH

Sliced paper thin and delicately layered between the leaves of a sandwich, cucumbers take on a meaning only the British can fathom. The best tasting cucumbers are the small, thin-skinned pickling cukes.

pickling cucumbers, peeled and very thinly sliced lengthwise

rice wine vinegar

thinly sliced wheat bread

softened butter

salt and pepper

daikon sprouts, ends trimmed

Place cucumber slices on plate, lightly drizzle with vinegar and let sit 15 minutes.

Spread each slice of bread thinly with butter.

Arrange cucumbers in single layer over half bread slices. Season with salt and pepper. Top with thin layer of sprouts and slice of buttered bread. Press to seal. Trim crusts and slice into fingers or triangles.

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Tea Sandwich Tips

The point of the tea sandwich is not to fill you up, but to leave room for morean un-American idea at best. To achieve daintier sandwiches: purchase very thinly sliced bread and freeze an hour or two before handling; keep fillings at room temperature for easier spreading, spread first (all the way out to the edges), then trim and discard crusts; use a serrated blade for neat trimming and cutting.

TOMATO, WATERCRESS, AND CHIVE BUTTER SANDWICH

These slender sandwiches really highlight the sweet, tart flavor of tomato.

4 tablespoons butter, softened

juice of lemon

bunch fresh chives, sliced

12 slices thinly sliced white or wheat bread

tomato, very thinly sliced

salt and pepper

watercress, stems trimmed, washed and dried

Mix together butter, lemon juice, and chives in small bowl to make a paste. Spread thinly over all the bread. Arrange one layer of tomatoes over half the bread slices and season with salt and pepper. Top with 2 or 3 watercress leaves and top with slice of buttered bread. Press to seal, trim crusts and cut into fingers or triangles.

M AKES 12 SMALL SANDWICHES

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Tea in England

Like the rest of Europe, England was a coffee drinking nation when tea was introduced by Catherine Bragana of Portugal upon marrying Charles II in the middle of the 17th century. Green tea soon became the rage at court, but the rest of the population remained devoted to ale for breakfast.

It took the tea gardens of the mid-18th century to truly popularize the drink. In these elaborately decorated public spaces, men and women gathered to dine, dance, display the latest fashions, and sip teagiving tea the social cachet it needed to make the jump from hot beverage to cultural icon.

SMOKED TURKEY TOMATO SANDWICH

If tomato preserves are not available, very finely julienned roasted red pepper strips are also delicious.

1 pounds whole skinless, boneless smoked turkey breast

4 tablespoons butter, softened

freshly ground black pepper

Tabasco sauce

tomato preserves

thinly sliced egg or white bread

Cut turkey breast in large dice. Pure in food processor till smooth. Cut butter into tablespoonsized pieces and add to turkey. Pure. Season to taste with pepper and Tabasco. Spread half the bread slices with turkey paste and half with tomato preserves. Close, trim crusts, and cut into triangles.

M AKES 1 CUPS SPREAD

FARMERS SPREAD SANDWICH