Tea with the Brits

Well, it's been almost a month since I last posted...things have been a little crazy here. However, I'm ignoring all that, and am just going to write about a lovely tea I had with some friends just about a month ago.

My friend Mollie invited me to come over for tea one Sunday, with her (British) husband David and two other (also British) couples. Mollie was trying her hand at making pies, so she asked if I would bring something savory to complete the menu...along with a selection of teas for the group.

I wanted to use ingredients that I already had on hand, so I looked through my fridge, freezer, and cabinets to see what inventory I had. The combination I came up with was mushrooms, goat cheese, and puff pastry...but I didn't have a recipe for those items together. I did have a recipe for a mushroom & goat cheese bruschetta, though, and found a recipe on line for some goat-cheese-stuffed puff pastries, so I decided to combine them. Nothing like experimental cuisine!

So I sauted the mushrooms with garlic, shallots, and wine, then mixed them into the goat cheese. Then I rolled out the puff pastry & cut it into squares, filled them with a dollop of the mushroom mixture, and closed them up like little purses. I still wasn't too sure how they would come out, but when I tasted one of the first batch, I knew I'd hit the jackpot. They just melted in your mouth!

Next challenge: tea selection. I didn't want to get too exotic, and since the group was mostly Brits, didn't think that flavored teas would be the best option. So I chose a Lapsang Souchong, a Chinese green tea, a white tea flavored with champagne and berries, and a plain black tea.

When I got to Mollie's, we polled the group on which teas they would prefer. To my surprise, almost everyone voted for the Lapsang Souchong! I think the smoky flavor was appealing as a counterpoint to the sweets we were having--but it also went very well with the savory dishes. I started making the tea, and everyone else started nibbling on the goodies.

The mushroom & goat cheese puffs went over very well, so I will definitely add that recipe to my tea shop menu when I open it! I also served them at a party last week, and everyone liked them so much they requested the recipe, so I guess they're pretty good! Dot had made some lovely little tea sandwiches, too, so we had a nice selection of treats.

The Lapsang Souchong also got good reviews...I think we made two or three pots. I love the way the smokiness has a sort of palate-cleansing effect. It makes it an excellent accompaniment to all kinds of foods.

And Mollie's pies were wonderful--she made a mixed-berry pie with a fabulous home-made crust. The filling was just tart enough, and the crust was flaky and buttery, and a great contrast to the berries. We had some other goodies, too, but at this point I can't remember what they all were!

All in all, it was a nice, relaxing afternoon, with lots of good food, tea, and conversation. It was just the type of gathering I'd like to have at my tea shop, and gave me some great ideas for menus and tea/food pairings. Now I just need to figure out how to get such a great group of people to hang out there all the time, and bring in more customers!