Tea time sweets and savories, Part One

As I promised last week, here are some simple ideas for making the ceremony of afternoon tea a special occasion:

~Homemade scones, or ones from the bakery, are delicious served with fresh strawberry jam and a dollop or two of this decadent Mock Devonshire Cream:

Whip ½ cup heavy cream with 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar till stiff peaks form. Then gently fold in ½ cup sour cream. Serve generously with warm scones or tea biscuits.

~Tea sandwiches are the ultimate finger food. The bread should be sliced as thinly as possible (I like to use Pepperidge Farm) and the sandwiches can be made either open-faced or closed. Cut your sandwiches into interesting shapes using cookie cutters, if you wish, or slice them into tiny triangles with a knife. Here are some of my favorites:

Salmon:
Layer finely-sliced smoked salmon atop brown bread points that have been spread with cream cheese. Top with a tiny sprig of dill.

Cucumber:
Peel the cucumber with a vegetable peeler and slice very thin. Place one slice on a circle of soft white bread that has been cut with a 2-inch biscuit cutter and spread with butter. Top with a dash of paprika.

Date-Nut:
Slice a loaf of canned date-nut bread into thin pieces and spread half with a mixture of cream cheese that has been sweetened with a little bit of powdered sugar. Top with the remaining slices and cut each round into four points.

Chicken Salad:
Cut the crusts off slices of whole wheat bread and spread half with chicken salad. Add a dash of poultry seasoning and a sprinkling of finely chopped parsley and top with another piece of bread. Cut into small triangles.

Tea sandwiches can be made up to an hour or two ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator covered with damp paper towels so that they won’t dry out.

~Look for crumpets in the frozen case at your grocery and serve them toasted with butter and raspberry jam.

Next week: More recipes and some tea time etiquette tips!