I hosted a book club for the book
"Sorcery and Cecilia or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot" which is one of my favorite series. Since it took place in England, I decided the food would be tea party food and of course, I had to serve hot chocolate. But not the pre-packaged type. Nope. That wouldn't due. I must be homemade and divine. So, here are the recipes for the two chocolates I did and where I went for finger sandwiches:
Ginger Orange Hot Cocoa Recipe
Smaller glasses like these are ideal for serving this intensely rich, piquant hot cocoa.
Lindsey Goodwin
This dark chocolate
ginger orange
hot cocoa recipe hot cocoa recipe is spiced with orange zest and ginger root for a dazzlingly bold flavor. Serve in small glasses or mugs -– a little goes a long way!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: Two to four servings
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tsp. peeled, chopped fresh ginger root
- 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- The zest of 1/2 orange (preferably organic; be sure to avoid grating the white pith of the orange)
- 4 tbsp. unsweetened, extra dark cocoa powder (available from Hershey’s and other brands)
- 1 cup milk (or milk substitute)
- 1/2 cup water
Preparation:
- Combine the brown sugar, ginger root, orange zest and vanilla extract in a small food processor. Blend for one minute, stirring if needed.
- Add the cocoa powder and continue to blend until the mixture is even. If needed, periodically stop blending, allow the powder to settle and stir the mixture with a spoon before resuming the blending.
- Combine the milk and water in a small pot. Warm on low heat over the stove.
- As the milk-water mixture warms to a simmer, begin to add small quantities of it to the cocoa mixture. Add about 1 tsp. liquid at a time, stirring well before adding more.
- Once your cocoa has become a thin paste, very slowly stir it into the simmering liquid.
- Once the mixture is well mixed and hot, it is ready to be served. Serve in small glasses or mugs.
Parisan Warm Chocolate
This one is sooooooo very creamy and delish!
Downright decadent. This hot chocolate recipe calls for heavy cream and whole milk. No need for spices or other flavours when you have real chocolate and cream.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/3 heavy cream
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 5 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
Preparation:
Simmer the milk, cream and sugar together until just boiling. Stir in the chocolate until melted. Don't let it boil. Serve warm in demitasse cups. I added some more milk to the glass when I served my kids. They didn't like it so strong. It also makes great cold chocolate milk when mixed with extra milk. This recipe is DIVINE!
Serves 4
Sweet and Savory Ham Sandwiches
Apricot jam and mustard add some tangy zest to thinly sliced ham. You might want something savory to go with all your afternoon tea sweets. These sandwiches will do the trick.
Ingredients:
- 8 slices white bread, sliced thin (I used wheat with the roast beef)
- Thin slices of ham (or roast beef)
- 1 part apricot jam
- 1 part dijon mustard
- Thin slices of bread, with crusts removed
Preparation:
Mix mustard and jam together and spread on one slice of bread, layer on some ham, then top with another slice of bread. Slice into triangles or fingers.
Simple Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches Recipe
A bit of mustard, dill and parsley give these egg salad finger sandwiches a mild flavor.
Lindsey Goodwin
This simple egg salad
tea sandwich recipe is simple in its preparation method and its flavor. You can use dried or fresh herbs, depending on how much time you have to make them, and the eggs can be hard boiled several days in advance.
Prep Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 12 minutes
Yield: 8 tea sandwiches
Ingredients:
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, chilled after boiling to prevent green yolks
- 1 Tbsp. mayo or mayo alternative
- 1 Tbsp. plain yogurt
- 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp. chopped or dried dill
- 1 tsp. chopped or fresh parsley
- Sea salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 slices bread (White bread is traditionally used, but you can use whole wheat or whole grain bread for healthier tea sandwiches.)
Preparation:
- Mash the eggs, mayo, yogurt and mustard with a potato masher or a fork.
- Stir in the herbs and spices.
- Spread the egg salad onto two slices of bread.
- Top the egg salad with the remaining two slices of bread.
- Remove the crusts and slice the sandwiches two times, diagonally, to make four tea sandwiches from each large sandwich.
Cucumber Tea Sandwiches Recipe
These cucumber tea sandwiches were made with herbed butter. The butter contains a mix of fresh chives, cilantro and mint.
Lindsey Goodwin
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 36 finger sandwiches
Ingredients:
- 1/4 to 1/2 white wine vinegar
- 1 thinly sliced English cucumber (peeling is optional)
- 1 loaf white bread (such as buttermilk bread)
- Softened butter, or softened herbed butter prepared with mint, chives, cilantro, parsley, dill, tarragon and/or rosemary (Softened butter is far, far easier to spread on white bread than cold butter, so make sure to use butter that has been at room temperature for a few hours.)
- (Optional) sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation:
- In a shallow bowl, allow the cucumber slices to soak in the vinegar for about 30 minutes. (This step will improve their texture and add flavor.)
- Drain the cucumbers and pat them dry with a clean dish towel or paper towel.
- For every two slices of bread, spread both slices evenly and thinly with butter or herbed butter.
- Cover one side of the sandwich with sliced cucumber in one to two layers.
- Season with lemon juice and spices/herbs.
- Put the slices together, cut off the crusts and slice the sandwich diagonally two times to create four triangle-shaped finger sandwiches.
