I admit it, I'm a complete Anglophile; I love all things British, and one of my favourite English traditions is 4 p.m. family tea.
I'm not talking about the hoity-toity £20-perperson variety served in posh London hotels; I mean the everyday homey kind of tea served by families throughout the United Kingdom.
The following recipes concentrate on the sweet side of things. A traditional everyday tea would also include a savory item, such as some fried sausages (aka bangers), baked beans on toast or the quintessentially British toad-in-the-hole (sausages baked in Yorkshire pudding batter). Put the kettle on for a strong pot of tea, settle yourself in front of the telly to watch Coronation Street and dig into some lovely grub. Bob's yer uncle.
CREAM SCONES
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar, plus a bit more for sprinkling on top of scones
1 Tbsp baking powder ¼ tsp salt
½ cup cold butter, cut into half-inch cubes
1 egg
2 ?3 cup light cream Soft butter, raspberry jam and whipped cream to serve alongside
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; whisk to mix thoroughly. With a pastry blender, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it is in pea-sized pieces. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg; remove about one tablespoon and reserve for glazing the scones. Add the milk to the remaining egg and mix well; pour egg mixture all at once into the dry ingredients. Stir with a fork to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. Gather the dough gently into a ball and turn out onto a lightly floured surface (if the dough seems a bit dry add a little more cream). Knead dough lightly a few times until smooth; roll or pat out into a three-quarter-inch thick circle. Cut the circle into eighths. Place the scones on an ungreased baking sheet; brush the tops lightly with the reserved egg and sprinkle each with a bit of sugar.
Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden. Serve warm with butter, jam and whipped cream.
Makes eight scones.
ORANGE AND DATE CAKE
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, room temperature
Finely grated rind of one large orange
1 cup chopped pitted dates
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup buttermilk (or sour milk - add 1 Tbsp lemon juice to milk)
1 tsp baking soda dissolved in 1 Tbsp water
Glaze: Juice of one large orange plus ½ cup granulated sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the butter and one cup sugar; beat in egg. Add the orange rind, dates and nuts. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder; add alternately with the milk to the creamed mixture. Stir in the baking soda-water mixture. Pour the batter into a well-greased nine-inch-square baking pan. Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Remove from oven to a wire cooling rack. Mix together the orange juice and a half cup of sugar until sugar dissolves; pour evenly over the top of the warm cake.
Makes nine servings.
LEMON MELTAWAYS
¾ cup butter, softened
1 ?3 cup icing sugar
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cornstarch
Icing:
¼ cup butter
¾ cup icing sugar
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and one-third cup of icing sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in one teaspoon lemon juice. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and cornstarch; gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Shape the dough into two eight-inch-long rolls; wrap each roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours or until firm. Preheat oven to 350 degrees; line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap the dough rolls and slice into quarter-inch slices. Place two inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for eight-12 minutes or until the cookies are firm to the touch. Let cool for a couple of minutes on the pan then remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely; top each cookie with icing when cooled. While the cookies are baking, prepare the icing: Beat all ingredients together until completely smooth; if icing is too thick add a bit more lemon juice. Makes four to five dozen cookies.
Angela Shellard has done informal catering for sports and business functions and enjoys entertaining family and friends at home. Contact: [email protected].
