Spring feels like the perfect time of year to host afternoon tea. The temperatures have risen, the sun shines brighter, gardens and flowers are in bloom, and homes have undergone their yearly spring cleaning.  People are out and about, ready to converse and connect again.

A few of us at TeaSource had the pleasure of spending a day together planning an afternoon tea of our own! We enjoyed preparing food, drinking tea, taking photos, and of course, eating!  We wanted to share our recipes and ideas with you so that you could host a party of your own, be it for Mother’s Day, a birthday party, or just because!

Jess Jellings, a former TeaSource employee and cook extraordinaire, is the mastermind behind all of the recipes you see here. THEY ARE DELICIOUS. There isn’t enough space here to gush about her creativity and skills in the kitchen. Gretchen Pruett, our fabulous photographer, captured the beauty and simplicity of the finished products before they disappeared into our mouths. Bon appétit!

Menu

Finger Sandwiches… cucumber, radish, and sriracha butter smoked turkey, pesto, and goat cheese

Salad… grilled shrimp in endive with ham and cheddar scones

Desserts… bread pudding bites with matcha glaze

Petit Fours… spiced chocolate PB & J roasted chestnut with cinnamon

Beverages... Scottish breakfast, organic Minnesota N’Ice iced tea Jasmine & Champagne cocktails

Cucumber, Radish and Sriracha Butter Finger Sandwiches
Makes 1 dozen

6 slices bread
1 english cucumber, sliced
3 radishes, thinly sliced
Sriracha butter (see below)

Spread a thin layer of butter on each slice of bread. Layer cucumbers and radishes on three slices of bread, top with remaining three slices. Cut the crusts off each sandwich and cut into four finger sandwiches.

For the Sriracha Butter:
1 stick butter, softened
2-3 tablespoons sriracha (depends on your taste)

Using a fork or beater, mix the butter and sriracha until well combined. If you have any left over, try it on popcorn, it’s fabulous.

Mini Bread Puddings with Matcha Glaze
Makes 2 dozen minis (or one 9x9 baking dish)

1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
4 cups bread, cubed

Glaze:
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon powdered matcha
1-2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare a 24-mini muffin tin (or 9x9 baking dish) by greasing with butter or non-stick spray. Combine milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, butter, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Pour the egg mixture into the mini muffin pan, until each well is about half full (no need to be crazy here, just make sure the egg mixture is evenly distributed). If using a baking dish, add egg mixture to prepared dish. Divide the bread cubes between each well and push down slightly to soak up the egg mixture. Let sit about 30 minutes, pressing occasionally.

If using a baking dish, add the bread and let sit about 30 minutes.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until set and golden. Combine the powdered sugar, matcha and 1 tablespoon of milk in a small bowl and stir to combine. You want the glaze to fall in a thick ribbon, add the additional milk, if needed. Drizzle over the bread puddings and serve warm.

Roasted Chestnut Petit Fours
Makes 4 dozen (or one 9x13 cake, depending on how you wish to serve)
1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
¾ cup malted milk powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons Roasted Chestnut Tea, ground fine
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup hot Roasted Chestnut  Tea, brewed double strength
½ cup roasted walnuts, for garnish
Frosting (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and whisk well to combine. Stir in the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Whisk for two minutes until all ingredients are well incorporated. Using a spoon, slowly stir in the hot tea. DO NOT OVERMIX, batter should appear very thin. Pour into an ungreased 9x13 baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

If you wanted to make a cake, let cool completely before adding frosting and walnuts. If you want to make petit fours, let the cake cool completely and freeze for 1-2 hours to make it easier to cut into 1x1 squares.  Pipe a small floret onto each petit four and top with a walnut half. Chill until ready to serve.

Frosting:
1 stick softened butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup powdered sugar

Mix in a large bowl using an electric mixer, about 2 minutes until fluffy.

Jasmine & Champagne cocktails

1 part cold brewed Jasmine, chilled
1 part Champagne, chilled

Fill a champagne flute halfway with Jasmine, then top off the glass with champagne.  Adjust to your personal taste. Cheers! Cold brew iced tea instructions here.        

We paired Scottish Breakfast, Organic and Minnesota N’Ice with our afternoon tea.  However, a floral green like Cherry Blossom Green, a straight green like Huang Shan Mao Feng, or an herbal such as Scarlet O'Peara would also compliment this spread nicely.

More recipes can also be found here. Enjoy!