Whether your mom enjoys a cup of joe or a spot of tea, here’s the perfect Mother’s Day plan:
It’s Jolly Good Teatime!
Since my native land is Canada, once a British Commonwealth nation, I grew up with Red Rose Orange Pekoe tea coursing through my veins. During my globetrotting days I patronized such iconic tea houses as the opulent Russian Tea Room and the swanky Plaza Hotel in Manhattan, the lah-de-dah Goring Hotel in London with plenty of royal pomp where the Middleton’s camped out before the grand circumstance, and, of course, in our own town, including the lobby lounge of the Fairmont Grand Del Mar, and the whimsical Britannia Tearooms in Point Loma with assorted themed events.
I recently attended the annual Sweetheart Tea Party at the Encinitas Seacrest Village with an impressive display of antique teapots and other fine china, elaborately plumed hats, an accomplished harpist playing popular melodies, and a sumptuous array of sweet and savory bites. If your mom is a tea lover like me, you can prepare an enchanting tea party to celebrate her special day. Cheerio!
Afternoon tea seeped into our culture through the whim of the Victorian upper crust, particularly when socialite Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford started the trend of indulging in a cup of tea and some nibbles to stave off late afternoon hunger pangs. The ladies of leisure daintily munched on tasty tidbits placed on low side tables calling the event “low tea” or “afternoon tea,” while the laborious classes soon adopted the custom after a long, arduous workday enjoying more substantial offerings on high dining tables giving rise to the term “high tea.”
Today’s tea parties take on a hybrid flavor blending delights from both high and low tea rituals. For your event an assortment of sweet and savory finger foods (and some heartier ones) might include classic British fare: bite-size fruity scones served with clotted cream and jam or lemon curd, sprigs in a blanket with vegetarian sausage or asparagus spears cushioned in buttery puff pastry, dainty crustless sandwiches with smoked salmon and goat cheese, watercress, cucumber, creamy egg or Coronation chicken salad, petite pastries, assorted macaron flavors like Earl Gray and lilac, strawberries and cream, or blood orange and rose, and lavender shortbread fingers.
An American afternoon tea might include turkey sliders, mixed mushroom flat breads, grilled cheese rounds with buffalo mozzarella and heirloom tomatoes, flat iron streak on toasted sourdough points, a domestic caviar tasting with blinis, mini salted caramel cheesecakes, and hummingbird cupcakes.
Now pinkies in position, saucers down, cups to the lips. For the delightful sips prepare a pot of mom’s favorite brew, whether aromatic, malty-flavored Black tea, spicy Chai tricked out with a blend of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, and ginger, Darjeeling dubbed “the champagne of teas” with its delicate hue and sweet musky nuances, classic Earl Gray blending Ceylon black tea with citrusy bergamot, English Breakfast combining teas from Sri Lanka and Assam, antioxidant-rich and jade-tinged Green tea or ceremonial Matcha sourced from Japan, mildly scented Jasmine, exhilarating Moroccan mint, soporific Chamomile, refreshing ruby-tinted South African rooibos, delicate White tea, sassy Ginger, and some fresh florals like hibiscus, lavender, elderflower, and rose. Or as the fog rolls in make a cup of London Fog (Earl Gray, milk, vanilla extract, and sugar), Tokyo Fog (swap out Earl Gray for matcha), Cape Town Fog (swap out Earl Gray for rooibos), and Victoria Fog (swap out Earl Gray for lavender tea).
Mocha Mom
Now if your mother is a coffee afficionado, here’s a most welcoming spread to nicely complement the perky beverage: a classic cinnamon sour cream coffee cake, buttery almond croissants, pecan sticky buns, a bowl of fresh berries with a splash of Grand Marnier or her favorite liqueur, mini quiches with seasonal herbs and vegetables, a seedy bagel with a slather of chive cream cheese, slice of peppered smoked salmon topped with baby arugula, mocha hazelnut biscotti, preserved lemon upside-down cake, sweet and savory crêpes of all manners, along with anything chocolate will hit the coffee spot.
Up to the lips and over the gums. . .pick your poison: high-octane Espresso, Cappuccino (Espresso with steamed milk and milk foam), Marocchino (Espresso blended with chocolate topped with milk foam), Frappé (Espresso with a dollop of ice cream and steamed milk), Vienna coffee (Espresso with whipped cream), Romano (Espresso with lemon), Irish coffee (coffee, whipped cream, sugar, and whiskey), Café Au Lait (coffee with steamed milk), and straight up Black coffee for the purist.
Now this luscious almond biscotti torte with Meyer lemon syrup is just as divine paired with coffee or tea. Happy Mother’s Day!
Recipe: Almond Biscotti Torte
Torte
½-pound almond biscotti (good quality store-bought)
3-tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
6 large eggs
1-cup granulated sugar
1-teaspoon vanilla extract
1-tablespoon lemon zest
1-teaspoon cream of tartar
1-cup almond meal
1-tablespoon all-purpose flour
Preheat oven to 325°F. Add biscotti to food processor. Process to coarse meal. Transfer to large mixing bowl with melted butter. Press into bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 6 minutes. Cool. Separate eggs, placing yolks in medium mixing bowl, whites in large mixing bowl. Beat yolks with ¼-cup sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest until pale yellow. Beat egg whites until frothy. Add cream of tartar. Continue beating, slowly adding remaining sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into yolks, followed by almond meal and flour. Pour mixture into prepared pan set on cookie sheet. Bake 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes clean. Cool. Unmold torte. Transfer to serving platter.
Syrup
1¼-cup Meyer lemon juice
½-cup water
¾-cup granulated sugar
1-tablespoon lemon zest
Combine ingredients in saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to simmer. Cook 15 minutes or until syrupy. Cool.
Presentation
3 lemons
½-cup toasted sliced almonds
Brush syrup on top and sides of torte. Cut lemons into thin slices. Shingle around edge of torte. Sprinkle with toasted almonds.
Courtesy Chef Bernard Guillas
