The Tea Journey Continues with More Stories from Christmas Teas Past

Stories that we never forget

There are so many stories behind 10 years of our teas.  One favorite story is from our 2013 tea. I have included the menu from that tea below. This tea was huge as we had our normal crowd of 60-65 guests on Saturday and then we had a special Sunday tea with a group of 25 Red Hatters.  So this was not the year to have a menu preparation problem, which we did.

Poinsettia Cocktail, Orange Currant Scone With Devonshire Cream & Jam, Butternut Squash Soup

Pear Brie Bite, Cucumber Sandwich, Country Ham Pate Sandwich, Turkey & Cranberry-Cream Sandwich, and Marinated Feta & Tomato Skewer

Butter Pecan Shortbread Cookie, Chocolate Drizzled Macaroon, Eggnog Cheesecake, Peppermint Bark, and Chocolate Torte

Accompanied by Harney & Sons Holiday Tea

Turkey & Cranberry Cream Cheese Sandwich Disaster

On the 2013 menu we had a turkey & cranberry-cream cheese sandwich.  This was Elizabeth’s choice to put it on the menu and one of our new items.  We try to get new seasonal menu items and this one fit the bill.  However, the recipe seemed simple enough, so we didn’t do a trial run.  The flavor combination was wonderful and the presentation was good (it’s the triangle cut sandwich in the menu photo).  However, the prep was a nightmare!  Our prep on the day of the event has taken on a pattern.  Elizabeth does the scones and the other “hard” prep stuff like the pear brie bite (which was another fabulous menu choice).  I do most of the sandwich prep.  So, I had to make the turkey & cranberry-cream cheese sandwich.  It had already been frustrating as I didn’t know how much sliced turkey to buy.  Good sliced turkey is expensive and so I didn’t want to over-buy.  Plus, the turkey proved to be difficult to separate and was falling apart.  But the cranberry cream was the nightmare!  The cream cheese amount was wrong and I should have realized this when I read the recipe.  This made it very, very difficult to spread and the sandwich preparation turned into a very time-consuming ordeal.  Plus, I bought “good” whole wheat bread which didn’t stand up to spreading too well.  Elizabeth finally took over the sandwich prep because I was massacring the sandwiches!  That night and before our Sunday event, we reviewed the recipe and figured we needed more cream cheese in the mixture.  Sunday’s prep went much more smoothly.  This lesson of recipe review is one that I’m still learning.  Even though a recipe is published does not mean it is correct.  And my dear daughter Elizabeth learned something about her mother—she does not have too much patience!

Butternut Squash Soup Splatter

In 2015, we once again had a two-day event with over 100 guests!  Our planning skills were certainly challenged with this tea.  Although Elizabeth and I have our planning, operating systems, and day-of procedures down quite well, there is always a challenge or “disaster.”  This year we had several small disasters.  Elizabeth makes the squash soup ahead of time (minus the cream) and freezes it in Ziploc bags.  This year as she was pouring the soup into a Ziploc, it broke open (or mom moved the bag—we are still debating this) and the soup went everywhere in the kitchen.  I was finding splatters of soup for days around the kitchen!  Another disaster was the blue cheese tart on the menu.  Making this the day before our event proved to be a god-send as the tart made according to the recipe was a disaster. Not wanting to chance a complete failure, we altered the recipe using filo cups. This was a costly detour but one we are so thankful we did.  Lessons learned:  things will always go wrong, and recipes need to be tested (I think we already learned this lesson).

As promised, here is Elizabeth’s Butternut Squash Soup recipe.

Butternut Squash Soup

Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown
Yield: 4 servings

6 cups (about 2 large squash) seeded 2-inch wide chunks butternut squash
Melted butter, for brushing
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus 1 teaspoon
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, plus 1/2 teaspoon
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
4 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon minced ginger
4 ounces heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Brush the flesh of the squash with a little butter and season with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper. On a sheet pan lay the squash flesh side up. Roast for about 30 to 35 minutes or until the flesh is nice and soft.

Scoop the flesh from the skin into a pot and add the stock, honey, and ginger. Bring to a simmer and puree using a stick blender. Stir in the heavy cream and return to a low simmer. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.