As time-consuming to prepare as a four-course dinner for six, but every bit as enjoyable, afternoon tea as an institution often looks as if it will disappear from the domestic culinary repertoire, but never quite does. Judging from the queues at the Ritz in London, where afternoon tea stretches, in several different sittings, from late lunchtime, half past two in the afternoon, to well into the cocktail hour at 7.30pm, afternoon tea is still regarded as a treat.
It is something I like to prepare for special occasions and special friends, and I always allow myself plenty of time, as there are a surprising number of tasks involved, quite apart from the shopping.
My afternoon tea includes three kinds of sandwiches on two kinds of bread: traditional cucumber on white; devilled egg salad on wholemeal and smoked salmon with lemon and pepper butter on wholemeal.
Peel, core, thinly slice and place the cucumber in a sieve with a little Gozo salt to degorge. Boil, peel and chop the eggs before mixing with a spot of mild curry paste and mayonnaise. Soften the butter and mix with finely grated lemon zest, a dash of juice and grind in the black pepper. There are 13 things to remember before you have even sliced the bread. No, actually, I do buy the bread ready sliced. And much of the preparation can be done in advance.
In fact, the cucumber needs dealing with two or three hours before required, peeling, halving lengthways, watery core scooped out, thinly sliced, placed in a colander with a light scattering of Gozo salt. Then just before you use it, rinse thoroughly under cold water and pummel dry in a clean tea towel.
Once the sandwich is constructed, there are the crusts to trim off. It is then cut into three fingers, before arranging close together on a long plate, filling facing the sky. Keeping the sandwiches close helps to keep them moist. This is further aided by covering with a couple of layers of damp kitchen paper and then cling film until required. A lot of work, but you and your guests will find the sandwiches irresistible.
Next come the scones, which are indispensable for an afternoon tea. You can prepare in advance the dry ingredients and keep it refrigerated until you are ready to mix, roll, cut out and bake. I time this so that I take them out of the oven just before my guests arrive. The final part of afternoon tea – the cake, pastries, biscuits or other dainties – can all be prepared in the morning, some even the day before and kept in an airtight container.
Researching material for my next book, I came across some recipes, in a very tattered and splattered BeRo recipe book from the 1950s, for teatime pastries my mother used to bake when we were young. She lent it to me for a few days and it became the source of much inspiration, with marathon baking sessions during the winter.
BeRo was the self-raising flour of the day and was much promoted, the company having distributed millions of these books. There were two pastries I particularly remember: coffee kisses and melting moments. But I was surprised to find a recipe for brownies, as I had thought these a more modern recipe.
There are 13 things to remember before you have even sliced the bread
After my first attempt at the kisses, I was so enthused that I went on to develop a whole series of different flavours. The size and shape of macaroons, but much easier to make, these are lovely teatime fancies or petits four and can be adapted to myriad flavours and fillings.
The pastry is a cross between cake and shortbread in texture, half butter to flour. The paste is very soft to handle and is rolled into small, marble-size balls, about 20 to 24 to a baking sheet.
When cooled on a wire rack, each pair is sealed together with a kiss of creamy filling. Ginger kisses, chocolate and peanut butter kisses, fig and rosemary kisses are just some of my flavours, as well as a whole array of floral kisses. The salt caramel version is very good indeed.
All these are perfect for afternoon tea or for after-dinner sweetmeats. A baker’s dozen in a pretty cellophane bag would make a lovely gift for someone. Mother’s Day, perhaps?
Baking recipes in the 1950s used margarine and lard for the fat. Here I use butter, as I prefer not to use hydrogenated fat. But I do still use lard occasionally, perhaps half and half with butter, as it has fine baking qualities, especially in pastry making and sweet yeast breads such as the traditional English lardy cake. And it is a natural product, so has that to recommend it too.
If you’re thinking about upgrading your baking equipment, a browse through the websites of baking equipment stockists or a walk through any kitchenware department will reveal items you did not even know you could not do without. A tray of dimple cake moulds? How perfect.
With these you can bake small cakes which, when turned out, have a depression in the middle that you can fill with flavoured buttercream, jam or jelly. But you will also find scalloped moulds, fluted squares, hearts, miniature Bundt pans and many more, all in convenient trays of six or 12. A Swiss roll tray is invaluable. Bake a sponge in it, when cool cut into three equal pieces lengthways and sandwich with flavoured buttercream. Top with more buttercream or glacé icing, add a decoration, such as a chocolate curl or walnut, and cut into triangles, lozenges or fingers for the perfect iced fancy.
Salt caramel kisses
(Makes 10 to 12)
100g self-raising flour
50g light or dark muscovado sugar
50g salted butter, softened
½ egg beaten with 1 tbsp milk
For the filling:
25g salted butter, softened
25g dulce de leche or thick caramel sauce made with salted butter, adding extra salt if required
Icing sugar (optional)
Mix flour and sugar and rub in the butter. Stir in the egg and milk. Form into marble-size balls. Place on well-greased baking sheet. Bake at 125˚C to 150˚C for 15 to 20 minutes.
Cool on wire rack and when cold sandwich with the slightly chilled butter cream. Make this by thoroughly mixing the butter and caramel and letting it firm up in the fridge for half an hour or so. Sift icing sugar over the kisses before serving them if you wish.
Peanut butter and chocolate kisses
(Makes 10 to 12)
85g self-raising flour sifted with 1 level tbsp sifted cocoa powder
50g light muscovado sugar
25g salted butter, softened
2 level tbsps peanut butter
½egg beaten with 1 tbsp milk
For the filling:
1 or 2 tspbs peanut butter
2 tbsps sifted icing sugar
Mix flour and sugar and rub in the butter and peanut butter. Stir in the egg and milk. Form into marble-size balls. Place on well-greased baking sheet. Bake at 125˚C to 150˚C for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack and when cold sandwich with the slightly chilled butter cream.
Make this by thoroughly mixing the peanut butter and icing sugar and letting it firm up in the fridge for half an hour or so. If the peanut butter is very solid, you may need to add a little softened butter.
Catherine wheels
(Makes 12 to 15)
100g caster sugar – plus extra (see recipe)
100g unsalted butter
200g self-raising flour
1 small egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp cocoa
Line or grease and flour baking sheets
Cream the sugar and butter until pale and creamy, add the flour and egg, mixing well. Divide the mixture in two.
With one piece knead in the cocoa thoroughly and roll out to a rectangle about ½ to 1cm thick. Sprinkle with caster sugar. Roll out the second piece to the same size and place it on top of the first one.
Lightly pass a rolling pin over the top and trim the edges. Sprinkle with more caster sugar. Roll up tightly, loosely cover and keep in a cool place for half an hour.
With a sharp knife cut into ½ cm slices, place on baking sheets and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes at 180˚C. Cool on a wire rack.
Melting moments
(Makes 20 to 24)
75g caster sugar
100g butter, room temperature
150g self-raising flour
½ egg
Vanilla essence
Rolled oats, desiccated coconut or chopped almonds
Cream the sugar and butter, beat in egg and essence, stir in flour and mix thoroughly. Wet hands and form the mixture into balls the size of large marbles.
Roll in oats or coconut. Place on a greased or lined baking sheet and press out slightly. Bake at a temperature of 125˚C to 150˚C for about 15 to 20 minutes.
The traditional decoration was a glace cherry.
Coffee crescents
(Makes 20 to 24)
These delicate shortbread-like biscuits will also accompany a coffee ice cream to perfection.
175g plain flour
150g butter
50g caster sugar – plus extra (see recipe)
75g ground almonds
1 tsp finely ground coffee
2 to 3 tsps brewed espresso coffee
Line or grease and flour baking sheets.
Rub flour and butter together, add the sugar, almonds, and coffee, kneading to a stiff paste.
Roll out to about one centimetre thick, cut into crescent shapes and carefully transfer to baking sheet.
Bake for 30 minutes at 150˚C. Transfer to rack to cool and while hot sprinkle with caster sugar.