Every Little Birdie: Tea Party

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Tea Party

Every Little Birdie

has a Tea Party

The ladies from my Book Club
filling up their tea plates

Decisions, decisions,
scones, cookies, cakes......
I must try a little of everything!!

I'll have a few tea sandwiches

Some of this yummy pasta salad

Shall I put Blackberry Jam or Tangerine Ginger Curd on my scones????

Everyone enjoyed the

Tea party

and our book discussion

We've just finished reading

The Last Jihad

by Joel C. Rosenberg

(It's about Wall Street, Terrorists, Spy's, World politics......

an exciting read)

and now we are moving on to

Amazing Grace

by Eric Metaxas

( the life story of William Wilberforce and his

heroic campaign to end slavery)

I promised you in my last post that I

would give you the recipe for

my Orange Cranberry Scones

so here you go......

3 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons grated orange zest
1/2 pound unsalted cold butter, diced
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Scone Wash:
1/2 cup half and half cream

Cinnamon Sugar:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 or 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Add the orange zest to the dry ingredients.

With a pastry blender or two knives, cut the cold butter into flour mixture until particles are the size of small peas. Fold in the dried cranberries to the flour mixture. Add half and half cream and the vanilla to the mixture and blend until dough forms. Do not over mix the dough.

With floured hands, pat dough to a 1 inch thickness onto a floured board. Note: this dough is very sticky and some what wet, I just kept lots of flour on hand to keep things for sticking.

You can use a biscuit cutter or form dough into a circle and cut it like pizza. Again flour everything to keep it from sticking. Place on greased baking sheet.

Lightly brush the top of the scones with the wash, then sprinkle with sugar mixture.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until lightly golden brown. Baking time will vary according the to size of your scones.

Best served warm with a little jam on the side.