Time For Tea!

Ever had the British tradition of afternoon tea?  My girlfriends and I absolutely love taking some time off, putting on nice sundresses to have a tea party!  Even my boyfriend is getting into the tea grove.  And what's not to love?  Terrific teas, scrumptious scones, and savory sandwiches all adorned with one of a kind teapots and matching teacups.  And while the the royal marriage of Will and Kate still grace the covers of magazines and newspapers across, I thought it would be nice to find out a little more on such a tradition that caught on so quickly here in the states.  So whether or not you've had tea time, here's a little history of how afternoon tea came to be!  And maybe it might get you curious enough to go out and venture on this great tradition!

First off, though the tradition of "taking tea" originated from the British Empire, specifically England, it is practiced in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, France, Switzerland, and of course in the United States.

In the U.K., there are two types of tea time -- afternoon tea (a.k.a. low tea) which is eaten between 3-5pm, and high tea (meat tea) which an early evening meal that is eaten between 5-6pm.  Afternoon tea usually consists of finger sandwiches, primarily with cucumber, egg, ham or smoked salmon, scones with jam or clotted cream, and various cakes or pastries, all served in a three-tiered serving dish.  High tea, however, would consist of cold meats, egg or fish, cakes, and sandwiches.

Many Britons today no longer have the time to take a break mid-day to enjoy a formal tea time.  Instead, they take a simpler take on tea time that consists of tea and biscuits. 


In other parts of England, as well as Australia and New Zealand, "tea" often refers to the main evening meal which is "dinner."  In France and other French-speaking Europe, tea time is called "le gouter" which basically means 4pm afternoon snack.  Le gouter is usually for kids coming home from school and consists of a baguette with butter and jam or other spreads, hot chocolate or juice, and never with tea or coffee.  "Gouter" for adults would consist of pastries and alcohol, only served after 7pm.

As for the United States, tea time is regarded as a formal gathering where tea, finger sandwiches and little cakes are served on the best china.  You can find afternoon tea served in high-end hotels and the much popular teahouses.  Though most high tea are very formal, there are teahouses in the states that are much more informal and playful.

Now that you know what afternoon/high tea is, here are some some great tea houses to try out! (In Random Order)

1. Tyme For Tea -- Fremont

They have hats for you to borrow and wear during your tea time experience!  Plus, a vintage shop right beside the dining area.

2. Langham Huntington Hotel, Pasadena -- Chocolate Afternoon Tea

My ultimate favorite!  Probably one of the most expensive afternoon teas out there at $59 per person, but it's soooo worth it!  Let's just say, there's an all-you-can-eat dessert buffet (pictured below).  Oh, and did I mention, everything (from sandwiches to tea) all contain chocolate!! YUM!

The following are on my to-try list:
1. DarTeaLing Lounge -- San Francisco

2. Crown & Crumpet -- San Francisco

3. Lovejoy's Tea Room -- San Francisco

NOW GO GET YOUR TEA ON!! :)

p.s.  don't be afraid to bring your man along...he's gonna enjoy more than he will admit. ;]

A Cake Made for Royalty

It's officially been a week since I stayed up till three in the morning to catch the Royal nuptials wishing I, like every other girl in the world, was the lucky Kate...or should I say Katherine... Middleton. But now that I have come back down to reality, it's time for some cake talk!

Though gorgeous as Will and Kate's actual wedding cake was, with it's 900 sugar-paste flowers, it was just a simple fruit cake.  What caught my attention and curiosity the most was the groom's cake -- a chocolate biscuit cake.

Before the Royal wedding, I have never heard of a chocolate biscuit cake. But it was garnering so much hype I couldn't help but be curious.


So after much digging and skimming through our awesome free internet database, a.k.a. google, I found out what a chocolate biscuit cake really is and how to make one.


So basically, the name of the cake says it all.  It is literally made up of chocolate, tea biscuits, and more chocolate.  And I found the perfect place to learn how to make it.


The following recipe comes from Sense and Simplicity blog.


Ingredients:
4 tbsp (60 ml) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (125 ml) granulated sugar
4 oz (11o g) dark chocolate, chopped
1 large egg, beaten
8 oz (225 g) McVitie's Rich Tea Biscuits, about 28 biscuits broken into almond-sized pieces
8 oz (225 g) dark chocolate, chopped - for the icing

Method:
1. Line bottom of 7-inch (18 cm) springform pan with parchment paper and butter sides of the pan.
2. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy using electric mixer on medium setting.
3. In double boiler melt 4 oz chocolate.
4.  Stir in butter mixture.
5.  Stir in egg.
6.  Remove from heat and add biscuits, stirring until well mixed.
7.  Spoon mixture into springform pan filling all gaps and refrigerate for three hours until set.
8.  Remove pan and turn cake upside-down on cooling rack set over a parchment lined baking sheet.
9.  Melt 8 oz chocolate in double boiler.
10. Pour the melted chocolate over the cake, smoothing it on the top and sides.
11.  Let stand for one hour until set.
12.  Carefully remove cake from the cooling racks and place on serving plate.
Serves 8


I still have yet to try this recipe, but when I do get the chance, I'll let you guys know how it goes!  Till then, if you get the chance to try this before I do, let me know how it turned out!

Sherbet, Sorbet -- to-MAY-to, to-MA-to??

The sun's shining, the wind's breezing by, and there's not a cloud in sight!  So what to do on a gorgeous and almost rare day like this in San Francisco?  I say, "Off to Delores Park and get some ice cream on!"  And I'm sure, if you ask every San Franciscan here what ice cream they prefer, it's gonna be a death match between Bi-Rite's Creamery and Mitchell's Ice Cream.

In my personal opinion, I think I prefer Mitchell's Ice cream.  Not only do they exotic flavors that you won't find anywhere else (not even in Bi-Rite,) but the availability of flavors are consistent.  Which brings me to my next point.  Although Bi-Rite has some unique flavors like Balsamic Strawberry, the famed Salted Caramel, and some other brainy concoctions, the availability of flavors alternate.  

My favorite from Bi-Rite is Earl Grey--which they don't always carry--and I hate nothing more than to wait 45 minutes in line only to find out that it's not there.  So if you like your ice cream like your men...or women... quirky, one of a kind, and consistently available, then go for Mitchell's.  But if you're in the mood for spontaneity, off to Bi-Rite you go!

Anyhoo, moving on the today's subject... Ever wonder what the difference between Sorbet and Sherbet??  Not to mention how to pronounce it?

First off, sorbet is pronounced SORE-BAY.  But sherbet is a whole other story.  Many people will argue it's pronounced sher-bert.  Even I will plea guilty to that.  But in all actuality, it's pronounced SHER-BIT, like hermit.  I think I'll keep calling it sher-bert.

Now on to cracking the code -- what's the difference??  Sorbets and Sherbets are in deed very similar to each other in texture and consistency.  However, the key difference is one contains a little dairy whereas the other doesn't.  Can you guess which one?  Probably not.  Well, both sorbets and sherbets contain pureed fruit, sugar, and water.  Both also has an icy consistency.  However, sherbets are the ones that contain a bit of dairy in it.  According to HowStuffWorks.com, "In fact, most brands of sherbet sold in supermarkets contain from 1 percent to 2 percent milk fat or cream."  Crazy huh!  And because sorbets don't ever contain dairy, it has softer consistency.

So if you're lactose intolerant, definitely go for sorbets!