Also known as Fondant Fancies or French Fancies, these fancy confections would be served at the end of dinner or with coffee and tea. All the women of Downton Abbey would want to offer this rather beautiful treat with their tea service.
We’ve all had a difficult time waiting for The Downton Abbey movie to release and are excited to throw a pre screening tea party the night before the national release and you’re invited! Additional information for the pre screening is included at the bottom of this post.
To keep ourselves occupied, we’ve been thumbing through this delectable cookbook and are looking forward to preparing a couple of these recipes for our guests here at The Secret Garden Tea Room and Gift Shop.
I feel a tea party coming on. More importantly though, I am jazzed that I’m able to share this second recipe with you with the permission of Adams Media and Simon and Schuster, of course.
This gorgeous expanded edition provide features recipes for more than 150 dishes inspired by the award-winning series.
Taking inspiration from both the show and the times — and featuring dozens of photos as well as historical insights — the cookbook will delight any Downton Abbey fan as well as home cooks with a taste for the way people (both upstairs and downstairs) ate in a bygone era. From cucumber sandwiches and berry scones for afternoon tea to dinner party fare of smoked salmon mousse and stuffed leg of lamb with almond fig sauce and hearty staff lunches featuring Yorkshire pudding and bubble and squeak, readers will become real life Mrs. Patmores as they turn out food fit for the Crawleys!
…and as an added bonus, everyone who attends the The Roaring Twenties Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea, receives a copy of this elegant and delicious cookbook! Yes, everyone!
2. For cake: In a large bowl, cream together butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy. Then beat in vanilla extract.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Be sure to beat well after each addition.
4. In a small bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form, then add to batter.
5. Pour mixture into a well-greased and lightly floured 9″ baking pan. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before moving cake to wire rack to cool completely.
6. Cut a thin slice off each side of the cake, then cut cake into 1″ squares. Place squares a half inch apart on a large baking sheet.
7. For glaze: In a large bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar, water, and orange and almond extracts. Beat until well blended, then apply glaze evenly over tops and sides of cake squares. Let dry. Repeat if necessarily to thoroughly coat squares. Make sure glaze dries completely.
8. For fondant: In another large bowl, mix together corn syrup and shortening. Mix in salt and vanilla, then gradually mix in confectioners’ sugar and knead by hand until it forms a stiff dough. If dough is sticky, add more confectioners’ sugar until smooth.
9. Roll out dough on a clean surface that has been dusted with confectioners’ sugar. Roll dough until it is no thicker than ⅛” thick. Cut fondant to fit over cakes, and smooth fondant down over the sides of the cakes.
Etiquette Lessons There is a certain etiquette for eating a petit four depending on its size. Large petits fours that take more than two bites to eat should be eaten with a fork. Small petits fours of one or two bites are eaten with the fingers. Either way, it is polite to serve your petits fours in a paper wrapper to protect your guests’ fingers from the delicate frosting.
We are delighted to share a recipe from The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook, Expanded Edition by Emily Ansara Baines.
The Secret Garden Tea Room & Gift Shop will feature this recipe at The Roaring Twenties Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea, on September 15th and each guest will receive a copy. We hope to see you there!
Who said it? (answer at bottom of page) “It’s the gloomy things that need our help. If everything in the garden is sunny, why meddle?”
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
24 slices white bread
12 sprigs dill, for garnish
Method
Blend cream cheese and mayonnaise in a blender until smooth, scraping down sides and blending thoroughly.
Combine cream cheese mixture with cucumber, garlic salt, white pepper, and chopped dill. Spread mixture on top of twelve white bread slices, and garnish with dill sprigs. Cover with other bread slices to form sandwiches. Cut and discard crusts from bread, then cut sandwiches into quarters.
Times Gone By
Legend has it that one of Queen Victoria’s ladies-in-waiting is the creator of afternoon tea. Knowing the Queen felt hungry around four p.m. and perhaps fretted before dinner, her lady-in-waiting started the trend of serving tea with a few breadstuffs. Soon, teatime had taken hold of England.
Summer is here, lavender is blooming and backyard entertaining is in full swing. This elegant, floral libation is perfect for any occasion. An afternoon backyard gathering, a dinner party under the stars or a simple girls night in.
This simple recipe serves 16 and is perfect for an afternoon or evening of bubbly conversation.
Depending on the variety, lavender blooms are usually at their peak from late June through August. Harvest the flower stems on a dry day, in the late morning hours after any dew has evaporated. Fresh bouquets should be cut when about one-third to one-half of the flowers have opened. Let’sdoLavender.com
4 bottles (750 mL) dry Champagne or sparkling wine, chilled
Fresh lavender sprigs, for garnish
Directions
Bring sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Stir in dried lavender. Remove from heat. Let cool completely. Strain out lavender. Refrigerate syrup until ready to serve.
Pour a small amount if simple syrup into each flute or coupe, about 1 1/2 teaspoons and fill glass with Champagne. Garnish each glass with a lavender sprig.
Make Ahead:Simple syrup can be refrigerated for up to 1 month.
Our Mother’s Day Tea Weekend at The Secret Garden Tea Room and Gift Shop was a spectacular event and we would like to thank all of our guests who chose to spend their very special Saturday or Sunday with us.
Elizabeth’s exquisite menu for this special event began with this delectable Strawberry Basil Parfait. A delightful twist on the Strawberry Jello-O Pretzel Salad, Elizabeth added balsamic to cut the sweetness, basil for a touch of elegance and used glass cups to create individual starters for each guest.
We are delighted to share this recipe with you and invite you to please take a moment and view the entire menu and photographs below the recipe.
Preheat oven to 350˚.
Toss crushed pretzels with melted butter, add sugar and mix well. Spread on baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
Mix together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip.
Dissolve Jell-O in boiling water and set in refrigerator until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Fold in strawberries and basil.
Using individual glass cups, pipe in a small bit of cream cheese mixture in the bottom. Pour in Jell-O and chill until firm.
Before serving, pipe top with cream cheese mixture, sprinkle toasted pretzel topping and add a sprig of basil.
The Menu
Pot of Tea
Toasting Glass of Sparkling Wine or Cider (First Blush of Summer White Sangria or Fruit Tea Red Sangria)
Strawberry Basil Parfait
Flower Fairy Salad with Rhubarb Vinaigrette
Sorbet
Warm Scones with Devonshire Cream, Jam and Lemon Curd
Tiered Rack with Tea Sandwiches, Savories and Sweets
Follow our posts by pushing the “follow” button above and to the right. Our blog posts will conveniently appear inside your email in-box.
Since we are headed to France for our next Tea Tour, (see note below) we thought we would share a simple French Flavor recipe.
Last year’s award winning Les Misérables, reminded us why we love France. There is magical, mythical Paris–“the city of love”–but our affection for France extends to their countless contributions to art, history, fashion, architecture, iconic monuments (the Eiffel Tower and our own Statue of Liberty–a gift from the French) and of course, food.
Haute cuisine is classical French cuisine, known for meats and stews, heavy sauces, flour, and butter while nouvelle cuisine offers healthier, vibrant and more innovative ingredients. Cities across the globe boast brasseries and restaurants with a take on French cuisine. Also revered are the everpresent pâtisseries. Found throughout France, these shops are beautifully decorated and filled with a stunning array of desserts and sweets.
Chefs come from around the world for lengthy training in the fine art of pastry making.
If you’re looking for a quick taste of France without jetting off to Paree, try this simple
yet superb recipe for Lavender Provencal Popcorn.
2 teaspoons Herbs de Provence with lavender – see below
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Place popcorn in a large bowl and drizzle with melted butter; toss.
Evenly sprinkle Herbs de Provence, garlic and salt over popcorn; toss again and serve.
Notes
Note: For fewer calories, omit butter. Spray popcorn lightly with cooking spray. Evenly sprinkle Herbs de Provence, garlic and salt over popcorn; toss again and serve.
Usually, when developing a new recipe for the tea room, there’s a whole procedure that I follow: research, compile, test, re-test and re-test and then make a large batch to see how it works in quantity.
Usually, I am planning at least several weeks out, however occasionally we come up with a winner on the fly.
A couple of weeks ago we needed a savory for our high teas, and I was out of some ingredient for what I had been planning to make. I knew I’d bought some leeks for potato leek soup that Mark hadn’t used that morning and I spotted a new package of bacon in the fridge. Hmmm, what could I do with bacon and leeks. I decided that a creamy goat cheese mixture plopped into phyllo tart shells might just work. They turned out delicious and so I thought I’d share. Printable, full recipe below.
I began by chopping the bacon into small pieces and then cooking it over medium heat.
While the bacon was cooking I sliced the leeks crosswise about 1/8th inch thick from the white end up to where the dark green tops begin.
After chopping the leeks, I did a quick swish in the salad spinner with lots of cold water to get any of the gritty mud that they’re grown in. A quick shake to remove most of the water and they were ready for the pan just as soon as the bacon had rendered enough fat that the leeks wouldn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
After adding the leeks to the bacon, I stirred occasionally until the leeks were limp and just beginning to turn light golden in a few places. While they were cooking, I cut the cream and goat cheeses into 1 inch cubes so they would melt faster. Once the leeks were melted down, I added the cheeses and turned off the heat.
I stirred this mixture until the cheese was incorporated and then added some regular black pepper. I gave it a taste and decided that it didn’t need any salt, but I suggest you give it a taste and see what you think; some brands of bacon are saltier than others. Do not eat all of it while you’re trying to decide if you need salt.
At this point, you can let the mixture cool and then store in the fridge for a few days until it’s needed, or you can go ahead and make the tarts.
I used a scoop that is a scant tablespoon (#70 for those who are scoop users), and just dropped it into the tart shells. I sprinkled mine with a bit of minced parsley for color, but I think a miniature sprig of thyme would be very nice too.
I baked mine in a convection oven at 350 for about 8 minutes until the cheese was just turning golden brown, but in a regular oven it might be a bit longer. Taste and enjoy!
Servings: 3 cups of filling | 48 tarts (see note below)
Ingredients
1/2 lb smoked bacon, diced
1 lb leeks, chopped and rinsed
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz goat cheese (chevre)
1/2 tsp pepper
salt to taste
minced parsley or tiny sprigs of thyme
pre-made phyllo tart shells
Method
Saute the bacon over medium heat. Add the leeks once the bacon has rendered enough fat to cover the bottom of the pan. Stir occasionally until the leeks are limp and just starting to color. Add the cheeses and turn off the heat. Stir until there are no white cheese chunks left, then add the pepper and salt if needed. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days, or use immediately.
Assemble Tarts
Scoop 1 scant tablespoon into phyllo shells and top with a bit of parsley or sprig of thyme. Bake at 350 for about 8 minutes until cheese just turns golden brown on the peaks. Serve immediately or within an hour at room temperature.
Note This recipe makes about 3 cups of filling, so it will do about 48 tarts. They come 15 to a box, so this works out okay. If you don’t need that many, try the filling in an omelet, or cold on crackers as a spread. It would also be wonderful in puff pastry. I’m sure you’ll find a way to use it all, even if it’s just on a spoon!
We are delighted to share a recipe from The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook, Expanded Edition by Emily Ansara Baines.
Ingredients
Ingredients
The Secret Garden Tea Room and Gift Boutique
Since we are headed to France for our next 
Ingredients
Ingredients
A Beau-Tea-Ful Life 