Summer is almost here and now is a great time to catch up with friends and family in a relaxed setting. Afternoon tea at home or in the garden is a great way to unwind, laugh, smile and catch up on the gossip. In this post I will be sharing some simple ideas for pulling a tea for two together. Personally, tea for two is one of my favorite ways to celebrate life.
Let’s start with some video inspiration. Here is a fresh video to get you excited about entertaining for two.
Come for Tea – with Cindy Harris
Cindy walks you step by step through hosting a very casual tea party in your home dining room. I like her ideas. I would however suggest that you dress things up just a bit by adding a favor for your guest and perhaps a few more garnishes on the tea tray. Personally, I would like to see you use tea cups as mugs are very every day and a teacup says ” you are special.”
Cindy has more ideas on her website: http://www.ComeToTea.com
Now let’s look at some recipe ideas. One of the biggest problems with tea for two is cooking. Unless you are running to the bakery for each of your items making scones for two, cookies for two and tea sandwiches for only two is a challenge. Problem solved! Here are a few great recipes for getting the job done right.
First, let me introduce you to my personal secret weapon. Small Batch Baking is my all time favorite cookbook because it allows you to bake for 2 or 3 servings. This works perfect for me since there are only two in my family. (the four cats rarely eat dessert!) It also works great when I have a guest for afternoon tea.
Book Suggestions:
Small Batch Baking by Debby Maugans Nakos
Small Batch Baking for Chocolate Lovers by Debby Nakos
Cupcakes for Two by Alex True ( Kindle only – Free for Amazon Prime Members to borrow)
Website Suggestions:
Dessert for Two – http://www.DessertforTwo.com This website is filled with creative recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and goodies! She even has gluten free ideas.
Pillsbury – http://www.pillsbury.com/Recipes/Cooking-for-Two/Dessert-for-Two/All-Desserts-for-Two# Pillsbury can be a quick way to make something special. This site offers recipes for two. Check them out and add your own flare!
Women’s Day – http://www.womansday.com/food-recipes/dessert-recipes/10-romantic-desserts-for-two-102962 This was a great article listing 10 desserts for two. They are talking about Valentines day but the ideas can be used at any time of the year.
Scones for Two
No tea time is complete without hot, fresh scones. Here is a simple recipe that allows you to make just two or three scones. Freeze the dough ahead and pop it into a toaster oven for hot fresh scones for two people! This recipe was created by Ashley Mott.
1 cup of self rising flour (if you use all purpose then add ½ teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of baking powder)
1 egg
1-½ tablespoons of butter
1/8 cup of sugar
½ teaspoon of vanilla
¼ cup of soymilk (can substitute dairy milk or heavy cream)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Grease your baking pan.
3. Mix flour (and, if necessary, salt and baking powder) with granulated sugar.
4. Cut in your butter using twin fork method or a pastry blender.
5. Mix together you egg, vanilla, and soymilk with a whisk.
6. Add liquids to the dry mixture and blend.
7. Turn on to floured service, need, and shape.
8. Lay out on cookie sheet.
9. Bake for a quarter of an hour and enjoy!
Please note! Scones can be frozen ahead of time so you can also use a full recipe, freeze the dough and pull them out to bake as needed. The video below shares a recipe for a classic English Scone which can be adapted for two if you freeze the extras.
Classic English Scones
Cream Scone Recipe from Joy Of Baking.com
2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (75 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (120 ml) milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream
Glaze:
Cream or Milk
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and place the rack in the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender, two knives, or with your fingertips. (The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.) In a small measuring cup whisk together the milk or cream, beaten egg and vanilla. Add this mixture to the flour mixture. Stir just until combined. Do not over mix.
Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough gently four or five times and then pat into a 7 inch (18 cm) round. Then, using a lightly floured 2 1/2 inch (6.5 cm) round cookie cutter, cut the dough into rounds. Place the rounds on the prepared cookie sheet, spacing a few inches apart. Brush the tops of the scones with a little cream. (This helps to brown the tops of the scones during baking.)
Bake for about 15 – 18 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of a scone comes out clean. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve with Devon cream or softly whipped cream and your favorite jam. These scones are best the day they are made but can be covered and stored for a few days. They also freeze very well.
Makes about 10 – 2 1/2 inch (6.5 cm) round scones.
Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/scones.html#ixzz1x3XCZvhr
Tea Sandwiches for Two
Tea sandwiches for two is simply about adjusting your portions. I suggest you figure 1 full sandwich for two people. Remove the crusts and cut the sandwich into 4 triangles or 4 long rectangles. You can now garnish them and have 2 tea sandwiches per person. Choose 3 types of sandwiches and repeat the process. I recommend a cucumber, a chicken salad and a ham and cheese. These are simple and easy to prepare.
The following video will give you some additional recipes and ideas however this is NOT for two people. You must adjust accordingly. Full recipes and video is available at http://video.about.com/entertaining/Tea-Sandwiches.htm.
If you haven’t seen the Tea Party Girl post on Cucumber Sandwiches see it here: http://teapartygirl.com/2011/04/cucumber-tea-sandwiches-101/
** Image at the top is featured at….
See more on this image at http://deborahlynnesdreamincolor.blogspot.com/2011/02/shabby-tea-for-two.html
Tea Party Girls asks: Do you have a recipe for two? Share it here!
Here’s what I do. I encourage people to start at savories, work through breads and up to desserts. If you have a three tier tray start with savories at the bottom, breads and scones in the middle and top with sweets. On occasion I have attended teas in London where scones are served on the top of the tray under a silver dome. The dome is used to keep the scones hot and fresh. In this case the savories and desserts may be located at different places. No matter what order the food is in I encourage people to start with the savories and move onto breads and desserts. This just makes sense!
