Sunday, April 20, 2008

Teatime Recipes

Sweet Date Butter

10 Medjool or other dates, pitted and chopped
6 T. Earth Balance (vegan margarine)
1/4 C. firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 - 1 tsp. ground allspice, nutmeg or cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, mixing until creamy and well blended. Use as a filling to dainty tea sandwiches.

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Yorkshire Teacakes

1 1/2 lbs. unbleached flour
1 tsp. salt
2 ounces vegan margarine
4 ounces currants
1 ounce candied peel (orange, lemon, or lime)
1 ounce yeast
1 ounce sugar
1 1/2 cups soymilk

Sift flour and salt into bowl. Add margarine and rub until crumbly. Add currants and candied peel. In another bowl, blend the yeast with the sugar and add to warmed soymilk. Pour into flour mixture and mix to form a stiff dough. Knead lightly until dough is smooth and gluten well-formed. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Then, turn onto a floured surface and divide dough into 12 equal parts. Shape each into a round, flat cake. Allow to sit on greased baking sheet for 20 minutes. Then brush with warm soymilk and bake in a 425 degree F. oven until golden and crusty. Allow to cool to desired temperature, then slice or split. Serve with margarine, jam, nut or date butter, or jelly.

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Lavender Sugar

2/3 cup fresh lavender flowers, organic
2 cups white granulated sugar

Alternate layers of sugar and lavender bud in a pint-sized glass jar. Lid the jar and place in a dark cabinet for 2 - 3 weeks. Once the lavender flavor has infused into the sugar, use sugar to sweeten tea or baked goods. Sugar may be strained, although I prefer to leave the lavender bud in the sugar and incorporate it into the beverages or foods prepared to enhance flavor and add garnish.

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Elegant Pear Bars

Filling:

1 quart pear sauce (or canned, blended pears)
3/4 cup pitted dates
1 tsp. orange extract
1/8 tsp. salt
1 pinch cardamom or cinnamon

Bottom Crust:

1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup pitted dates
1 1/2 cups regular rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or alternative; for gluten-free try brown rice flour)

Crumble Topping:

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup chopped roasted almonds (or other nuts)
1/8 tsp. salt

Filling Instructions: Simmer pear sauce and dates together in covered saucepan for 20 minutes. Add orange extract and set aside.

Bottom Crust Instructions: Blenderize dates in water. (Reserve 1/2 cup date-water for later.) Combine date-water, oats, flour, salt and cardamom. Press into prepared 9" x 13" pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Crumble Topping Instructions: Toss all ingredients together. Spoon filling over crust. Sprinkle topping over filling. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool and cut into 2-inch squares.

Makes: 24 bars.

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Blackberry-Almond Scones

Source: VegNews
Makes 8 scones

2 cups spelt or whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
2 tablespoons orange zest
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup non-hydrogenated margarine
6 ounces plain soy yogurt
1/4 cup soy milk or orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup blackberries, fresh or frozen
3 tablespoons sliced almonds

Topping
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
2 teaspoons turbinado sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside, In a large bowl, place the flour, sugar, orange zest, baking powder, baking soda, spices and sea salt, and stir well to combine.

2. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut the margarine into the dry ingredients until it resembles the size of small peas. Add the soy yogurt, soy milk and vanilla, and stir until the mixture just forms a soft dough. Add the blackberries and sliced almonds, and lightly fold into the dough.

3. Transfer the dough to the parchment-lined cookie sheet. Lightly dust your hands with flour and then gently pat the dough to form a 9-inch circle. Using a sharp knife, score the circle into wedges, but leave as a whole circle to bake.

4. Bake for 15 minutes, rotate the tray, and reduce the heat to 350 degrees for another 5 minutes. Remove the scones from th oven and allow to cool 10 minutes. Cut through the score lines to separate into 8 wedges. Serve warm with jam, margarine or mock Devonshire Cream.

*The soymilk, soy yogurt, and vegan margarine in these recipes can be substituted with dairy products if desired.

5 comments:

  1. Oh yes! This is what we've all been waiting for...wonderful selection of recipes, La Tea Dah!

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  2. you sure are right about this weeks posts making us hungry for a yummy tea. I'm going to have to connect my printer up to my computer for sure. I'll be posting the first of mine later today. Have a wonderful day...

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  3. What a lovely, elegant spread! The pear bars, blackberry scones, tea cakes, sound divine...everything looks wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing your special recipes. I'm going to make some of them at my next gathering! This is my favorite week! Kathy@ Mimi's Garden

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  4. Oooo! What tasty teatime treats you've prepared! This week will be so helpful as I prepare to hostess a Mother Daughter Garden Tea for the ladies of our church in my garden next month. This blog-a-thon has been SO
    tea-lightful! Have a lovely week! I'll post my entry Tuesday.

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  5. Anonymous4:39 PM

    LaTeaDah ~ Thank you for including these delightful recipes. I'm especially intrigued by the Sweet Date Butter and the Elegant Pear Bars. I have a feeling I'll be trying both very soon!

    Thank you for including your lovely photographs, too.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for commenting on my blog post. I am always happy to hear from blog readers. Your words encourage and inspire me. I am glad you stopped by to share conversation, recipes, ideas, and thoughts on creating a welcoming home.