A Bridal Shower Tea: Cucumber Cups Filled with Crab

These little cucumber cups combine two traditional tea party flavors, cucumber and crab, into one simple treat. To make the cucumber cups, start with an English or Hothouse Cucumber. They are longer and more uniform than the regular cucumbers that I used. Peel the cucumbers if they are waxed. Slice the cucumber into pieces about 1 1/2 inches long. Use a melon baller to scoop out the inside, leaving a 1/4 inch rim around the side and a 1/2 inch base. The cucumber cups can be held in the fridge for up to 4 hours before filling.

For the crab salad filling, combine 8 ounces crab meat with just enough mayonnaise to moisten. Add a bit of very finely chopped sweet onion and celery. Don't overpower the crab with extras.

I used King Crab instead of our local Chesapeake Bay crab because of the cost. The Chesapeake Bay crab was about $27.00 a pound and the King Crab was about half that. It is indeed a splurge. To go even less expensive, use imitation crab meat. Or fill the cucumber cups with another salad altogether.

Tea Party Finances

I had an email yesterday asking how much it costs to host an afternoon tea party. My first thought was “How much do you want to spend?” That isn’t the smarty pants answer it might seem. Finances are a concern for all of us and no one wants to overextend by throwing a tea party and then having to eat Spam for the rest of the month. The best way to keep out of trouble is to sit down and plan out a budget.

Consider the following categories and write down every expense you might have:

Invitations: cards, envelopes, postage, special pens, follow-up phone calls

Food: keep in mind the dishes you’d like to serve and set a food budget based on them, list everything you’ll need to buy from the grocery store or market

Tea: tea, sugars, lemon, milk

Décor: flowers, candles, tablecloths, napkins, place cards, fabric

Dishes and special cook/bakeware: anything you’ll need to purchase specifically for this party

Cleaning: all the extra cleaning supplies you might buy or the cost of cleaning help

Other expenses: table or chair rental fees, a fee for the neighbor teen asked to be a server, gift bags

Keep in mind that while the list looks long, most hostesses will have zeros in some of those categories. Add about 10% to the total for items that may have been under budgeted. There is the budget for a tea party. Always keeping it in mind will help prevent over spending.

Lowering the cost:

Invitations: Call your friends instead of sending invitations. You’ll get an immediate head count and can easily invite others if original guests can’t make it.

Food: See my post on a Budget Tea Party for ideas. Host a Dessert Tea or Brunch Tea to cut back on food expenses. Invite fewer guests; instead of a blow-out tea for 24, invite 6 close friends.

Décor and Dishes: Borrow, mix and match, use what you have.

Cleaning: I’d like to say don’t bother cleaning but you know you’re going to have to clean. It is the sad fact of tea party hosting. :)

Other expenses: don’t rent, borrow, offer to baby sit for your neighbor if she’ll help serve for your party, simply don’t give gift bags or favors.

My final budgeting tip is to host the tea party with a friend or two. Not only is the budget split among the hostesses but so is the work. And it is lots more fun!

A Bridal Shower Tea: Mini Quiche

Mini Quiche are always a big hit at tea parties. I especially like the crust on these. There is no trying to fit pie dough squares into the muffin tins which can be troublesome. The possible fillings for Quiche is almost limitless. I’ve listed four options but use whatever you like.

2 cups flour
½ cup butter, melted
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¾ teaspoon red pepper
4 cups (16 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 eggs
¾ cup milk
Extras, use one or two:
½ cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
8 ounces bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup finely chopped mushrooms
1 red bell pepper, chopped

Process flour, melted butter, salt and pepper in food processor until combined. Add cheese; process until well blended. Shape dough into 1 ½” balls. Press dough into greased 2 ½” tart pans. Preheat oven to 350º. In a bowl, whisk eggs and milk. Stir in 1 or 2 of the extras, above. Spoon 1 tablespoon filling into each pastry shell. Bake 20-25 minutes or until center is set. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove from pans, garnish, and serve warm. Yield: about 3 dozen mini quiche

A Bridal Shower Tea: Dried Cherry Lemon Scones

2 cups flour
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup firm butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/3 to ½ cup buttermilk
½ cup dried cherries
Milk

Preheat oven to 425º. Mix flour, sugar, lemon peel, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Process in butter until mixture looks like fine crumbs. Add enough buttermilk so dough leaves the sides of the bowl and forms a ball. Stir in cherries.

Drop about 1/3 cupfuls of dough about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Brush with milk. Sprinkle with additional sugar.

Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until light brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Makes about 10 scones.

Cream of Tartar

This scone recipe calls for Cream of Tartar. Fortunately I had some in my cupboard this morning when I was mixing up the scones. I realized though that I had no idea what Cream of Tartar is. I turned to the King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion for the answer. Here’s what they say: “Cream of Tartar is a natural ingredient, a fruit acid that accumulates on the inside of wine casks as the wine matures. It’s one of the ingredients that, along with baking soda, goes into baking powder. Cream of Tartar is often used to stabilize meringue, as its acid helps strengthen the proteins in the egg white, allowing them to trap more air as they’re beaten.”

Memorial Day

I won't be around on Memorial Day so I'm posting early. I wanted to remind everyone of the National Moment of Remembrance. The handsome soldier illustrating my post today is my late father-in-law who served in the South Pacific during World War II.

White House Program for the National Moment of Remembrance:

"As Memorial Day approaches, it is time to pause and consider the true meaning of this holiday. Memorial Day represents one day of national awareness and reverence, honoring those Americans who died while defending our Nation and its values. While we should honor these heroes every day for the profound contribution they have made to securing our Nation's freedom, we should honor them especially on Memorial Day.

In this time of unprecedented success and prosperity throughout our land, I ask that all Americans come together to recognize how fortunate we are to live in freedom and to observe a universal "National Moment of Remembrance" on each Memorial Day. This memorial observance represents a simple and unifying way to commemorate our history and honor the struggle to protect our freedoms.

The White House Program for the National Moment of Remembrance (Program), to promote a "National Moment of Remembrance'' will occur at 3 p.m. (local time) on each Memorial Day."

A Bridal Shower Tea: Watercress, Pear and Walnut Salad

This salad requires the best pears you can find. Buy them a few days early so they have time to fully ripen.

1 ½ pounds watercress
1 cup walnut halves, toasted in a dry pan
1 cup arugula
6 pears
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup olive oil
freshly grated parmesan

This recipe makes enough salad for six servings. Increase according to the number of guests. For each salad plate, use a handful of watercress and arugula, one sliced pear, a sprinkling of walnuts and a dusting of parmesan.

For the salad dressing, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, egg yolk, salt and pepper. While whisking, slowly add the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Serve dressing in small glass pitchers on the tables so each guest can add as much or as little to her salad as she prefers.

A Bridal Shower Tea Party: The Menu

It is always so nice to welcome your guests with a drink. Champagne is traditional perhaps but a fruity punch with or without alcohol works well too. If the weather is hot and humid, a glass of iced tea or lemonade would be especially refreshing.

The first course for this bridal shower tea is a Pear, Walnut and Watercress Salad. The watercress has a nice peppery flavor that contrasts so well with the sweet pears. Serve the salad dressing in a pretty little pitcher so each guest can use as little or as much as she likes.

The scone course is next. Dried Cherry Lemon Scones are as pretty as they are tasty. Offer clotted cream and cherry preserves. These can be placed on the tables before guests are seated.

For the savory course, Chicken Salad Finger Sandwiches are traditional and elegant. Crab Salad in Cucumber Cups is an upgrade to the usual cucumber sandwich. Bacon Mini Quiches are always welcomed by guests. Depending on the number of guests, 3-tiered trays could be used for this course but plan to have one for every 4 guests. I prefer to plate this course in the kitchen and then pass among the guests with a large tray offering seconds.

If there is room, a separate table should be set up for the sweets course. Unless you’re a great cake decorator, order a pretty cake from a bakery. A carved Watermelon Basket will look nice on the table with the cake. Lavender Shortbread Cookies are good for guests who only want a small sweet bite.

If there are more than a dozen guests, prepare a Tea Concentrate as I’ve described in a previous post. This will greatly simplify the tea part of this party.

It does take more hands to serve a sit-down tea than a buffet tea but it really does work better for a bridal shower where guests will be watching the bride open gifts. Ask a couple friends who don’t know the bride and wouldn’t be expected to be invited to the shower to help serve. If everyone you know is attending the shower, ask a couple of the younger girls to help. They will enjoy having a little role in the party.