Having a tea party with friends – and often stuffed animals – was a childhood fantasy of many, including many foodies who grew up to still like the idea of a tea party, but hoped that it would include a wide selection of both regular and exotic teas and tasty treats, rather than stuffed animals. This is one of the reasons that Alice’s Tea Cup, a New York City tea house is so popular. The shop pairs the whimsy of an afternoon garden tea party with great teas and delicious treats for diners, and in Alice’s Tea Cup: Delectable Recipes for Scones, Cakes, Sandwiches, and More from New York’s Most Whimsical Tea Spot , some of these delights are put into a book you can take to your own kitchen.
The cookbook is divided up into chapters by type, starting off with recipes for the scones that are oh-so-popular at Alice’s. The scone recipes are great and cover a wide range of flavors, including Turtle Scones, Lavender Earl Grey Scones and Rice Krispies Treat Scones. The recipe of the chapters include Breakfast, Soups/Salads, Sandwiches, Cookies, Cakes and Other Sweet Treats. There are also two chapters that describe the art of brewing a great cup of tea and suggest drinks that you can make with that tea. The book is a small volume, but it is packed recipes and great photos. There is definitely something for everyone in here, and plenty of great ideas for easy and delicious treats.
Making these recipes at home, rather than traveling to NYC to experience the tea house first hand, means that you are going to miss out on some of the things that make the atmosphere there so light and fun. But there are many tips in the book that will help you to throw your own whimsical tea party at home, from menu suggestions to how-to guides to using tea to dye linens for your party. The easiest thing to do is one of the first tips in the book: dust yourself with glitter. It will definitely add a sparkle to your day, but I would have to recommend doing the baking first, as you want the glitter to be a part of the tea party and not a part of your menu.
the blissful baker
December 13, 2010this cookbook sounds amazing! i love hosting tea parties for friends! it so lovely sitting around sipping tea and eating delicious little treats. plus it gives me another excuse to bake!
haribo sweets
December 13, 2010Thanks for introducing such a fine tea party cookbook. It must be great to actually hang out at Alice’s.
I like making biscuits and cupcakes for my when my friends would come over. Sometimes we have tea with it at times we have coffee. But mainly we have them as dessert. 🙂
Gordy(PimpThatFood)
December 13, 2010Great Book to have around in your collection! Those Afternoon teas can last forever 🙂
Scott
December 14, 2010It’s wonderful to see a book on something that is such an important part of English culture!