Tea Time Treats A La Francais
 By Ellen Easton ©2006 - All Rights Reserved

  Home    |   Recipe Indexes   |   Dinner Party Menus   |   Food History   |   Diet - Health - Beauty

Baking Corner |  Regional Foods | Cooking Articles |  Hints & Tips | Culinary Dictionary | Newspaper Columns

Galaxy Desserts-Photo By Ellen Easton©2007 All Rights Reserved

Tea Time Treats

Check out more of Ellen Easton's Tea Travels™ articles and recipes.

Learn about the History of English High Tea, English High Tea Menu, and more delicious Afternoon Tea and High Tea Recipes.



Almond Macaroons

This traditional French cookie may be sandwiched with flavored fillings of pastry cremes, fruit, ganache, or half dipped in chocolate. They're a tasty treat to have on hand when guests drop by for a quick cup of tea

4 ounces granulated sugar
4 ounces almond paste (not Marzipan)
2 large egg whites (no yolks), room temperature

Preheat oven 325 degrees F. Prepare cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and almond paste. Slowly add the egg whites and combine well until stiff. Using either a pastry bag with a half-inch round tip or a teaspoon, drop mixture onto the prepared cookie sheet. Set approximately one-inch apart. If a filling will be used, make certain there is no pointed tip on the cookie. Smooth the top of the cookie batter with the back of the teaspoon, spatula or knife before baking.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until firm. Remove from oven and allow to cool down for a few minutes. Remove and place on a wire rack until completely cool.

Best if served immediately.

Yields: 15 macaroons.
 

 


Quatre-quarts

A traditional French recipe. The French called the pound cake "quatre-quarts" which translates to four-quarters, meaning 1/4 of the recipe is flour, 1/4 sugar, 1/4 butter, and 1/4 eggs.

4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups sweet butter, softened
2 1/3 cups cake flour, sifted
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup finely-chopped almonds (optional)
Sliced pineapple (optional)
Large round cake pan, bundt pan, or loaf pan (buttered and floured)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Separate the egg whites from the yolks into two (2) bowls.

Lightly beat the egg yolks. Add sugar and butter, beating continuously until the mixture is smooth. Add lemon juice and flour, continue mixing until well blended.

Beat egg whites until firm peaks form. Gently, fold stiffed egg whites into the batter. Pour batter half way into a buttered and floured cake pan.

Note: if chopped almonds are desired, sprinkle over the top of the cake before baking. Sliced pineapple may also be added to the bottom of the pan coated with butter and brown sugar, then add the batter and bake.

Bake 1 hour or until toothpick swipes clean.

 

  

Ellen Easton is a lifestyle industry leader, tea and etiquette authority, author of Afternoon Tea~ Tips, Terms and Traditions, A Tea Party Planner and Tea Travels™ For The Holidays (RED WAGON PRESS), as well as a hospitality, design and retail consultant, whose clients have included The Waldorf=Astoria, The Plaza, and Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon.

Easton’s family traces their tea roots to the early 1800s, when ancestors first introduced tea plants from India and China to the Colony of Ceylon, thus building one of the largest and best cultivated teas estates on the island.

REVA PAUL, an internationally acclaimed confectionery artist, hand decorated floral sugars and mints are available by special order for teas, weddings, and special events. Wholesale/Retail - Bulk & Gift boxed. All prices on request via RED WAGON PRESS (212) 722-7981.

AFTERNOON TEA...TIPS,TERMS and TRADITIONS
  By Ellen Easton
 72 pages of how to’s, 27 photos, history, etiquette and FAQ about afternoon tea, serving styles and more. “Tea is the luxury everyone can afford!™”

TEA TRAVELS™FOR THE HOLIDAYS
By Ellen Easton
 64 pages, 21 color photos. A complete holiday menu includes 25 easy to prepare recipes; theme teas, decorating & gift ideas; invitation template and secret sources.

Each 5 x 7 paperback book fits into an A-7 envelope for easy mailing, great gift or party favor item. Each book is $20.00 post paid. Continental US Only. Final sale. (Wholesale and Fundraising accounts are welcome. Call for Special Prices) Please include your name, address and telephone number for shipping. Please make check or M.O. payable to: RED WAGON PRESS and send to: RED WAGON PRESS, 45 East 89th Street, Suite 20A, NYC, NY 10128-1256

TEA TRAVELS™, Wishing You Happy TEA TRAVELS!™, “Tea is the luxury everyone can afford!™” and Good $ense For $uccess™ are the trade marked property of Ellen Easton/RED WAGON PRESS.