The Novel Bakers Present: The Vintage Tea Party Book!

Teatime delights, recipes and inspiration for hosting a vintage tea party!

I’m joining The Novel Bakers for Tea Party Week, with The Vintage Tea Party Book, A Complete Guide to Hosting your Perfect Party

by Angel Adoree, British Author, Expert of all things Vintage, Stylist and Baker

Angel Adoree cordially invites you to accompany her on a journey to create your perfect vintage tea party.

Expect glamour, roses, rabbits, headscarves, foxes, teapots, crows, parlour games, cake stands, hair and make-up tips and, not forgetting, humongous amounts of magical tea party food that is fit for the Queen of England, and easy enough for you to make.

This book is full of whimsy and inspiration for hosting your tea party! From coddled eggs to cocktails, Angel Adoree serves up recipes for Brunch/High Breakfast to Evening Tea, with British flair in vintage fashion.

I went with more traditional fare for afternoon tea:

“Is your pinkie finger raised at the ready? There’s nothing more British than Afternoon Tea. This chapter is a treasure trove of tea-time delights, from classics to decadent treats. . .”

I’m having tea with the bunnies along with a little floral inspiration by my Potting Shed.

“Whether it’s tea for two or two hundred, finding the right location is essential for creating your perfect tea party.”

“Let’s raise our teacups and pay homage to Anna Maria, the seventh Duchess of Beford, for introducing us to the ‘Afternoon Tea’.  In the mid-19th century, Anna Maria simply could not bear the hiatus between lunch and dinner and insisted she was brought tea and cakes between 2 and 5 pm to stop her hunger pains. Oh, how we are kindred spirits!”

Mini Flower Tarts filled with Deliciousness are easy and fun to make! You can make the floral tart shells in advance, store in an airtight container and serve with an assortment of sweet or savory fillings.

These are quick and easy to make with refrigerated pie crust, a cookie cutter and a mini muffin pan.

Unroll your pie crust. I used a 3 1/2 inch flower cookie cutter to “grow” 12 flowers per pie crust, re-rolling the pastry scraps.

Press pie crust flowers in mini muffin tins. Prick the bottoms of the unbaked shells with a fork.

Bake at 425 degrees for about 5-7 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool in pan 5 – 10 minutes, then carefully remove tartlet shells and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container until ready to fill and serve.

You can dust your flower shells with powdered sugar if you like and then add your assorted fillings.

My flower tartlets are blooming with lemon curd and blueberries, Nutella with strawberries and a favorite combination of goat cheese and fig preserves with chopped pecans or walnuts.

“We Brits are incredibly proud of our tea tradition, and since 1868, when Queen Victoria held her first Royal Tea Party at Buckingham Palace, we have been unstoppable.”

I found a Tea with the Queen cookie cutter at World Market. Instead of cookies, I used it to make some open face cucumber sandwiches.

You can make these tea sandwiches in any shape. To start, spread your softened cream cheese on very thin sandwich bread. Using a vegetable peeler or mandoline, make thin slices or strips of an English or hot house cucumber and drain on a paper towels. Layer cucumber strips, slightly overlapping, on top of your cream cheese. Use a cookie cutter to punch through the cucumber layer and cut your sandwiches into shapes. Garnish with parsley or sweet basil leaves or edible flowers if you desire.

You can find a step by step tutorial, here.

Radish Tea Sandwiches

Mince radishes fine and mix with softened cream cheese, 1 teaspoon poppy seeds and a pinch of salt. Mix radishes with cream cheese to the ratio you prefer, depending on the size of your radishes. I used 3 radishes to 4 ounces of cream cheese. Spread your mixture on your sandwich bread, cutting to desired shape, removing crust. Top with additional radish slices and edible flowers if desired. Serve immediately.

Vintage Tea Party Details:

Assorted tea cups / HomeGoods, several years ago

Tea pots / Royal Doulton, Royal Albert and Portmeirion Botanic Blue

Tea pot with bird, Gracie Tea Ware Victorian Bird / HomeGoods, several years ago

Leaf Demitasse Spoons / Two’s Company, Tuesday Morning, years ago

Bordallo Pinheiro cabbage leaf cake plate / HomeGoods, years ago

Serving platter for tea sandwiches and plates / Mikasa Endearment

Tea with the Queen cookie cutter / World Market

Quilt / Bed, Bath and Beyond, used here

Join us this week with more tea time fun and inspiration on Wednesday and Friday.

Print Recipe

Mini Flower Tartlets

Quick and easy to make with refrigerated pie crust, a cookie cutter and a mini muffin pan. You can make tart shells in advance, store in an airtight container and serve with an assortment of sweet or savory fillings.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time7 minutes mins

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: flower tartlets, pie crust, tartlet, tea time

Servings: 24 tartlets

Equipment

• 3 1/2 inch flower cookie cutter
• mini muffin pan
• Rolling Pin

Ingredients

• 1 box refrigerated pie crust (2 pie crusts)
• flour for dusting board and rolling pin
• powdered sugar for dusting finished tartlets if desired

Instructions

• Dust surface with flour. Follow package directions for allowing pie crust to come to temperature. Unroll pie crust, roll lightly with rolling pin. Use a 3 1/2 inch flower cookie cutter to “grow” 12 flowers per pie crust, re-rolling the pastry scraps as needed.
• Press pie crust flowers in mini muffin tins, alternating wells in muffin tin for flower petals. Prick the bottoms of the unbaked shells with a fork.
• Bake at 425 degrees for about 5-7 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool in pan 5 – 10 minutes, then carefully remove tartlet shells and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
• Store in an airtight container until ready to fill and serve.

Notes

• Makes 12 flower tartlets per refrigerated pie crust
• Dust your flower shells with powdered sugar if desired and then add your assorted fillings when ready to serve such as Nutella with strawberries; goat cheese and fig preserves with chopped pecans; lemon curd and blueberries.

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Visit my fellow Novel Bakers for Vintage Tea Party Week:

Jain, a quiet life

Linda, More Fun Less Laundry

Thank you for your visit, sharing with:

 Between Naps on the Porch