High Tea 2010

You may remember the High Tea party I threw last year, complete with letterpress printed tea menus and towers of treats. Well, it was such a success I decided to do it again this year. This time, I even printed invitations (yes, the snail mail kind!):

And what good would invitations be without a coordinating RSVP card?

Along with the tea menu, they made a pretty cute ensemble:

Everything was done as a 2 color print on 100% post-consumer cotton paper (my current favorite). Since I had already acquired most of what I needed for a tea party last year, the place setting came together really easily:

Add towers of home baked goods, flowers, and voila! A beautiful tea party table:

Of course, it also helps when you have your lovely friend iRe taking tea orders.

I didn't letterpress print the food menu because I wasn't sure how much I was going to actually get done before the day of the party, but I did print one big copy from my home printer.

I actually made everything that I intended to this year, which was quite an accomplishment but wouldn't have been possible without the help of Mom, Dad, and iHub (thanks guys!). For your drooling pleasure, here is what was served:

Herbed Goat Cheese & Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
Deviled Ham & Pecan Tea Sandwiches (my favorite!)
Smoked Trout & Watercress Tea Sandwiches
Prosciutto Gruyere Pastry Pinwheels

Kuchen (German Holiday Bread, family recipe)
Cheddar/Dill Scones (delectable)
Crumpets
Lemon Curd
Devonshire Cream
Rhubarb & Red Onion Chutney
Orange Marmalade (purchased)

Grape Pie (family recipe)
Sea Salt Caramels (so easy, so good!)
Mini Vanilla Cupcakes with Creamy Vanilla Frosting
Cinnamon Biscotti

Whew! I'm not providing a link to the mini vanilla cupcakes recipe I used, because it was only OK. I actually made a whole initial batch using another recipe, but those came out brick-like and weird. For some reason, it seems that mini cupcake recipes are different than regular cupcake recipes. I haven't found one yet that I love. The frosting recipe I am in love with however, is here. It's amazing. Trust me. And now for some photos of the food! First, we have a tower with cinnamon biscotti, mini vanilla cupcakes with creamy vanilla frosting, and sea salt caramels:

Here's a savory tower with tea sandwiches, cheddar/dill scones, and crumpets:

A closeup of some tea sandwiches (this is making my mouth water):

The grape pie:

And the pinwheels:

All in all, a great time was had and we all stuffed our faces extremely well.

Until next year!

(thanks to my Mom for the lovely pictures)

How To Throw A Rockin' High Tea Party

Think high tea is reserved for stuffy old ladies and British royalty? Think again. Sure it's fun to throw in some vintage kitsch, but if you play your cards right a tea party can be a classy yet relaxed event that's fun...and delicious.

Why exactly am I bringing this up on a letterpress and paper making blog? Because all parties can use some fine printed material to impress the guests, and I used my tea party as an opportunity to give my 8 x 12 press its first 2-color whirl. I'm quite the tea collector, and when I realized I had over 30 teas to offer my guests I decided it would be a great idea to create a tea menu off of which they ordered:


Of course there are all sorts of other options for party prints: invites, RSVP cards, food menus, place cards, and thank you notes, to name a few. If you're putting together a soiree of any sort, hit me up at Tweedle Press to discuss custom printed products. If you're interested in throwing a high tea party, here are some suggestions from mine:

1. Plan the menu, and make ahead.


Since part of the fun of a tea party is lots of little morsels, it's a good idea to provide a variety of tasty bites for your guests. This doesn't mean that you have to drive yourself insane making things, though, especially if you freeze a few things the week before. Here's what I made for my party:

Savories
Curried Tuna Tea Sandwiches (made day of)
Cucumber Mint Tea Sandwiches (made day of)
Cheddar Chutney Tea Sandwiches (made day of)
Prosciutto Gruyere Pastry Pinwheels (made day of)

Breads and Spreads
Traditional Crumpets (made day of)
Lemon Curd (made night before)
Concord Grape & Walnut Conserve (made previously & canned)
Cilantro Cream (made day of)
Fig Preserves (purchased)
(I intended to also make Cheddar Dill Scones and Blueberry White Chocolate Scones, but didn't quite have enough time)

Sweets
Walnut Fudge (made week before, refrigerated)
Hazelnut Rosemary Jam Cookies (made week before, froze)
Chocolate Dipped Strawberries (made night before)
Butterscotch Rum Poppyseed Bundt Cake (made week before, froze)
Rhubarb Cherry Pie (made week before, froze)

2. Make sure you get an accurate head count, and plan the place settings in advance.


I happen to have inherited several china tea sets from various family members, so that part was easy. Here are the other inexpensive items I collected for setting the table:

Tiered Serving Platters
White Table Linens
Napkin Rings
Paper Doilies
Small Silverware
Seasonal Flowers In Vases
Condiment Servers

I read a few things about tea place settings, and eventually ended up incorporating all of them and also winging a few things. I put doilies under the small plates, tea saucers, flower vases, and tiered servers. Teacups and saucers were to the right of small plates, small knives on the right side facing inwards, and small forks and spoons were placed horizontally above the small plates. Napkins in rings were to the left, and tea menus in the center.

3. Don't sweat the small stuff.


Well, obviously you enjoy sweating SOME of the small stuff or you wouldn't have read this far. Attention to detail is one thing, but just make sure that you're flexible. It really is true that guests take their cues from the mood of the hostess, so just go with the flow. I would have liked to get my scones done in time for the party, but it just didn't happen. I would have liked to have had all the crumpets made by the time everyone arrived, but it turned out that people enjoyed watching me make them for half an hour or so. I also think it's important, and in fact fun, to have a few new things pop out over the course of the party rather than have everything ready and blinking the instant people arrive. I did two batches of the Prosciutto Gruyere Pastry Pinwheels so that I could bring fresh, hot ones out halfway through. A few of my guests helped keep the kettle full and on the stove so the table teapots could be constantly refilled. And speaking of help, a husband and a sous-hostess friend are indispensable for keeping your cool (thanks guys)!