Wednesday

Menu for a Casual, Budget-Conscious Tea


The key idea to make this tea inexpensive is to create several dishes from one ingredient. For example, one chicken is used for the basis of the soup and for the grape chicken salad, carrots are used in cooking the chicken and for the carrot salad, and celery leaves decorate the plates, go into the chicken salad and simmer with the chicken broth. Nothing is left over and nothing is wasted. Another feature of this menu is that it stars seasonal fruit and vegetables from your own garden or from a farmers’ market. Abundant ingredients equal inexpensive ingredients.

For the First Course:
Mixed Vegetable Puree with Garlicky Croutons

For the Second Course:
Sweet Raisin Scones with Strawberry Preserves and Clotted Cream

For the Third Course:
Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
Grape Chicken Salad
Dilly Egg Salad in Tomato Cups
Crunchy Carrot and Raisin Salad

For the Fourth Course:
Summer Cheesecake Bars
Vanilla Tea Cakes with Chocolate Butter cream
Watermelon Ice
Stuffed Grapes