Cakes and Tea

After a big tea party, when we are washing up mountains of dishes, repacking box after box which we will have to lug to the car then back to storage, I ask myself why I do these elaborate tea parties. The answer is multifaceted, like most things in life.

I love the attention to detail that an elaborate event requires. I love the special china and silver that is used. I love how excited guests become when a paper invitation arrives via the postal service. I love preparing the time-honored, precisely-garnished tea foods. I love reaching for excellence and beauty in all my afternoon tea preparations. I love spending a calm, elegant afternoon with people I cherish.

Like the rest of humanity, I am not getting younger. I have to pick and choose where to spend my energy. I’ve conceded that I need more help in bringing my vision of a beautiful tea party to life. Luckily, I am blessed with the most talented, cooperative, and willing friends imaginable.
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Collaboration, letting go of strict control of every detail, has brought not only more enjoyment of the process but has made room for the happy accident and has allowed fresh perspectives to breathe new life into the event.

One of the keys to successful collaboration is to let partners’ interests and abilities guide the choice of contribution. People are usually more interested in either sweets or savories. People who don’t cook or bake may be willing to clean-up or bring flowers. Not everyone is good at everything, and it’s helpful to provide only as much guidance as people ask for. As learned from countless potlucks through the years, don’t ask the chronically late friend to bring appetizers!

Recently, we held an afternoon tea party for eight. I partnered with several friends to bring our springtime celebration to fruition. Suzi and I chose pink and green as the color scheme for our tabletop, in part because our china collection is slanted towards those springy colors.
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In reviewing the list of tea things used for this party, I am again reminded of how very fortunate I am to be included in this group of friends who support my tea party activities. So many wonderful women have contributed to the collection of tea service equipment.

​​The basis of my and Suzi’s collection of tea things was handed down from mothers and grandmothers. Suzi has loved vintage china for many years before shabby chic became popular. We haunted a fantastic flea market in Santa Cruz where we scored many beautiful pieces. I did resist collecting tea cups for a long time because I had something specific in mind. After years of hunting, I found the pattern I’d been imagining, “Alice” from Laura Ashley. Though out of my price range at the time, Aunt Rose gifted me with many pieces of “Alice” for my college graduation. Other friends followed her lead, and I’ve been the loving guardian of the set for many years. Each time I take a piece out of the box, I’m still thrilled by this pattern. It has a charming floral motif in pinks, greens, and other springy colors. The “Alice” teapot and sugar and creamer set worked well with our spring theme.
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We served mimosas in the Perrier-Jouet champagne flutes that are decorated like the champagne bottles, with cherry blossoms and gold outlining. I’d had a pair of these glasses for many years, safely tucked away in the original box with the empty champagne bottle. I now have a whopping eleven flutes because my friend Marie knew I loved them and began actively thrifting for them! We added in traditional china salad plates, lavishly accented with gold, a gift from Marleen, one of our super-thrifter girlfriends. Another wonderful girlfriend, Merlina, had gifted me with a set of three covered miniature flower-shaped dishes which were perfect servers for lemon curd. Our collection of thrifted tea cups and saucers has come from the generous thrifting efforts of Kristin, Ellen, Marleen, Marie, Jayne, Suzi, and Peggy. We chose the prettiest tea cups, most having a floral or rose design for this tea party. Silver flatware, linen tea napkins, and a lace tablecloth overlaid with a pink damask square completed the table setting.
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With so much help in building this collection of tea things, “my” tea parties are always really “our” tea parties. Thank you, dear ladies, for making our tea parties such wonderful events.
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• Yorkshire Gold hot tea
• Peach and orange mimosas by Peggy
• French sparkling lemonade
• Plated raspberry pecan salads with asparagus flans by Suzi and Kath

• A trio of tea sandwiches by Peggy
• Egg salad on dark rye with baby romaine, citrus aioli prawns with butter lettuce on light rye, and marinated cucumber with herbed cream cheese
• Lemon peel scones with lemon curd
• Mango-lime gelatin mold
• Embossed sugar cookies by Suzi
• Jam tarts by Merlina
• Drop cookies by Sheila
• Almond petit fours by Suzi and Kath

 

​Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was a mystical place called 1950’s America. Dwelling in this bountiful land were beings called Homemakers. Besides creating comfortable dwellings for their families, these magical women made three meals a day appear on the table. Dinners that came with desserts at the end, for all who cleaned their plates. Desserts that could be pudding, layer cake, apple pie, strawberry shortcake, gelatin mold, or homemade ice cream. Delicious endings, to be sure.

Of course, there’s always a downside, even in fairy tales. Judgment sneaks in everywhere, even homemaking. If the homemaker’s dessert, never mind the dinner, wasn’t adequately time-consuming, she could be labeled “lazy.” Thus, Lazy Daisy was some over-worked gal who was trying to shave a few minutes off her dessert. She did that by mixing all the ingredients for a chunky frosting, spreading it on a warm sheet cake, broiling the whole shebang for a few minutes, then serving it directly from the pan. Never mind that she’d just made a from-scratch cake and homemade icing: that girl must be lazy! Truly an oddly judgmental story for a cake title. If the cake and frosting weren’t so delicious, the recipe would have passed in obscurity long ago. But the combination of finely textured, moist oatmeal cake topped ​​with brown sugary, coconutty goodness has proved to be irresistible for generations of bakers. Thank goodness Daisy was “lazy” and left us with a recipe which should be kept at the front of everyone’s recipe file.
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This particular recipe is one of seven versions (!) of Lazy Daisy cake in a much-loved local cookbook of my parents. Some of the Best Cooks Live in Santa Cruz County was a fund-raising community cookbook sponsored by the YMCA in 1975. Thank you, Sharon Carmichael and the six other gals for contributing this timeless recipe.
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In the topping, cream may be substituted for evaporated milk. And of course, when broiling anything, and especially this frosting, do not walk away from the boiler as it goes from toasty, caramely goodness to burnt bitterness in seconds. I love this broiler photo which shows how beautifully bubbly the topping gets. Unfortunately, I’ve lost the name of the baker who captured it: so sorry I can’t give you a proper shout out!
As Lazy Daisy Cake travels very well, for those of us who enjoy retro kitchen gear, having the proper cake pan in which to bake, transport, and serve from, completes the experience. I suggest ordering  the original covered 13” by 9” baking pan from The Cake Pan Lady. Suzi has one with a green top, with the Bake-a-Cake graphic gracing the top. We also like the Apron Gals graphic. See the big collection of styles at www.thecakepanlady.com
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The spring concert features Eastern European music including music by Efrem Zimbalist, legendary violinist and educator. Co-music director Roy Malan has a special connection with Zimbalist, studying violin with him at the Curtis Institute and writing the definitive biography, Efrem Zimbalist, A Life.
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​Polly suggested a champagne and pastry reception to pay tribute to the glorious baking traditions of Eastern Europe, especially Poland and (the former) Czechoslovakia. This type of gathering is much easier to manage than a tea, which takes double the staff and planning than a basic  pastry and champagne reception. This was welcome news, as my baking partner, Suzi, will be unavailable to help with this event.  This also left me free to concentrate on assembling a menu of cookies and pastries that evoke that part of the world.
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​​Designing the look of the event is one of the first aspects of the planning process. Etsy is indispensable for hunting up appropriate linens. We keep a large stock of vintage linens, but most of our tablecloths are white and we wanted a more colorful look. I found a wonderful vender who had a large selection of linens from Eastern Europe in a variety of price ranges. Jan found just the right tablecloth for us. Check out his store at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ethnicdress
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​Our centerpiece floral arrangement will be in the Estonian samovar that we used at the tea. This time, we will have a larger, more colorful floral scheme, in keeping with an Old-world feeling. We are so lucky, here in Santa Cruz county, to have multiple, wonderful farmers’ markets where we can source truly seasonal flowers. We also love the esthetic of Bay Area Farm Girl Flowers who source their flowers from local farmers they profile on their website: https://farmgirlflowers.com/  We’re imagining a big bouquet of open garden roses, asters, tulips, and lots of interesting foliage in plums, scarlets, and hot pinks. But our ultimate decision will be led by what is most beautiful among the seasonal flowers being offered that day. 
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As a life-long baker, the most creative part of planning any event is choosing what will be on the menu. I like to research many, many recipes before settling on a menu. Since this menu will be all small pastries and cookies, I choose a variety of sweets which will work together and be interesting visually. The Slavic tradition of fine baked goods offered enormous possibilities, but structurally, the components are similar: butter, sugar, flour. Balancing different looks and flavors of desserts is key to making the display appealing to guests. Fruit and jam, with their slightly tarts flavors and brilliant colors, differentiate one pastry from another. In my research, I found a wide array of baked goods featuring walnuts and almonds, stone fruit, poppy seeds, and lots of cinnamon and spice. Following Rose’s dictum, I added chocolate to the menu, lest its omission left anyone saddened. As an homage to Seinfeld, I chose the chocolate babka over the more traditional cinnamon-nut version. My tests of this brioche-like enriched dough were met with enthusiasm from even non-lovers of chocolate. I’ll be baking Smitten Kitchen’s excellent version. Find great photos and the recipe at: https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/10/better-chocolate-babka/

​The Pastry Menu: Walnut Crescents, Apricot Kolaches, Poppy Seed Fingers, Meringue Kisses, Rugelach, Miniature Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes, Hungarian Shortbread, and the above mentioned babka. Besides the requisite champagne, we’ll be serving lots of good coffee to wash it all down with.
 
After the event, we will share photos and review how things went. Wish us luck!
 
Poster Design courtesy of Ellen Zensen 

​As with many collections, ours probably contains some examples that are more useful than others, some that are more versatile than others, or some that will never be useful but are just lovely in themselves. We also have pedestals with family history. A favorite of mine is Suzi's mother’s heavy cut-crystal and gold pedestal that will hold up to a twelve- inch cake and has a raised rim.  Perfectly flat topped pedestals are easiest to get the cake centered and frosted, but a raised edge makes it useful for serving cookies or presenting cut-up fruit. The Sticky Date Pudding with Caramel Sauce in our Tea for Our Elders (http://www.myteaplanner.com/a-tea-for-our-elders.html) definitely needs to be presented on a rimmed pedestal to prevent the delightfully gooey Caramel Sauce from dripping onto your white linen table cloth.

I'm also partial to three cream colored enameled cake pedestals that have a charming scalloped edge. Suzi was drawn to them as well. I bought one size in a cute little shop in Maxwell, California and she bought two sizes in a completely different shop in Pacific Grove, each without the other knowing! We have so many now, that when we’re out shopping, we’ll see a cute stand and remind ourselves that we already own it. (One recent visit to Cost Plus World Market found Suzi and I in the cake pedestal section, pointing, saying, “Own it, own it, have it, yes, got that one.”)  We may have enough cake pedestals by now, but there's always just one more we might need…

If you are thinking of adding a cake pedestal to your collection of Afternoon Tea equipment, take a look at the Tea Utensils and Accessories section of our website where we include a special section on Cake Pedestals: http://www.myteaplanner.com/cake-pedestal.html

It's March and we haven't forgotten St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th. We have a whole tea party menu at http://www.myteaplanner.com/march-a-st-patrickrsquos-day-irish-tea.html.  ​​Our menu contains our family recipe for Margaret Murdock’s Irish Soda Bread which is a must-have for the Irish or Irish-at-heart hostess.

Valentine's Day is currently suffering from an image problem. To singles, it reminds them of their separateness, to daters, it seems a time fraught with the danger of over or under doing, to the long-coupled, perhaps a feeling of repetition. It brings the baggage of “supposed to,” which can dampen the warmest ardor.

I, however, though single for many, many, years, have always loved Valentine's Day. My father set a loving example every year with a potted heather plant or gardenia for my mother and a pound of See's candy, the favorite of the whole family. One year, he bought the family a heart-shaped waffle iron which started a tradition of waffles on many Sundays and every Valentine’s Day. My grandmother, Lady, sent cards to all us grandchildren for Valentine’s Day as well as every other holiday. (My brother and I even received cards for Japanese Boys Day, since three-fifths of the grandchildren were Japanese-American boys!)

In my storage, there is an old cardboard box I take out each year in February. It is filled with 67 years’ worth of Valentine’s Day cards from my great-grandfather to my great-grandmother. She carefully wrote the year on each card. They reflect the era of store-bought cards in which they were purchased. Looking at them in order from 1916 to 1983, you can see how styles changed. They are all lovely in themselves and they are consistent in expressing his love for her. She must have cherished them immensely.
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I’ve heard a variety of reasons why people shun the day, from “love should be celebrated every day” to “it’s a Hallmark holiday” to “it’s too commercial.” Most of these sentiments seems to come from one particular gender, ahem. It is understandable that some people feel pressured and some people may have unrealistic expectations.

One answer is to expand the celebration beyond couples to a larger circle of family, friends, and even the community. Like family waffle breakfast, traditions can evolve organically. Though flowers and candy may be presented as standard, by no means are they mandatory.

Being an artist and a baker, I’ve hosted Valentine’s Day card-making afternoons and cookie decorating classes. These events are attended by singles, couples, girlfriends and mothers and daughters. The being together part is the part that makes it magical.

The heart in itself, is a pleasing symbol, recognizable even by children to stand for love. What could be a more fruitful shape to play with? Art groups around the country have hosted Hearts for the Arts shows as a theme for seasonal fundraisers. I have been making paper valentines for many years and edible heart cookies and cakes for even longer. Giving something tasty or beautiful to someone you love is a great pleasure. Perhaps focusing on the giving is the secret to Valentine’s Day contentment.

​Though my baking partner, Suzi, and I indulge in elaborate decorated cookies, (many with edible wafer paper designs from Fancy Flours, in Bozeman, Montana,) simple sugar cookies are always a fun project to share. Nowadays, colored icing and decorating sugars are available in large super markets, making decorating and clean up easy. If you don’t even want to mess with any icing, our marbled heart cookies are striking without any adornment. We are happy to share our recipe with you below.

For those of you who might need just a little more inspiration, take a look at our February Valentine’s Day Tea menu right here on myteaplanner.com. Happy Valentine’s Day!
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​The Blueprint
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In addition to co-producing myteaplanner.com and writing this food blog, I cater tea parties, teach cooking classes and create special occasion pastries, especially wedding cakes. In early December, my team of trusty helpers and I produced a British tea reception for a string orchestra concert featuring a program of all-British composers. Unlike the usual tea service, this reception would be shorter, about an hour, have limited seating, more like a cocktail party, and would be served buffet style, without plates or forks. The biggest challenge for us was in size: we would be serving hot tea, champagne, food for 100 guests, and decorating the event. This was our first tea on such a large scale. Equipment, logistics, and staff would all have to be carefully considered and ramped up accordingly. This was a challenge we looked forward to meeting.
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​Let me say first off, that without reliable, well-trained staff I would not have considered taking on such a large project. This tea required a month of planning and preparation as well as four staffers working eight hours the day of the event. (We also had two volunteers pouring tea during the event.) Lists, and plenty of them, are the way to manage the myriad of details that make up a successful event on this scale.
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We decided the look and feel of our event was to be traditional to harmonize with our British menu. China cups and saucers, vintage silver-plated teaspoons, fine China teapots, silver serving trays, and vintage linens would create a memorable, elegant event. Our servers wore festive, matching aprons to enhance the effect.

​British-themed decorations included one full-size British flag (known as the Union Jack,) strings of triangular Union Jack pennants, crepe paper medallions featuring Queen Elizabeth II, Union Jack cocktail picks, and cocktail-sized napkins printed with the Union Jack. I had a red, white, and blue floral arrangement made in my tall samovar for the buffet table.

The menu consisted of traditional British tea foods. We stuck with small serving sizes that would fit on the tea cup saucer or a cocktail-sized napkin, all finger food, all at room temperature except the miniature scones which would be served hot.  

The beverages, hot black tea and chilled champagne, required servers who poured during the event. The champagne was pre-chilled, and we set up the champagne station with glasses on silver trays, a large punch bowl that served as an ice bath for three bottles, a silver champagne ice bucket for the open bottle, and cocktail-sized napkins. One server was responsible for opening and pouring the champagne.

​The hot tea station was set up with cups and saucers on a silver tray, cream pitcher, sugar bowl, spoons, a basket for used spoons, and cocktail-sized napkins. One server was stationed there with a teapot and a trivet to rest it on. Two additional pourers roamed throughout the event, pouring additional tea. Hot tea in six warmed teapots was rotated. One server was stationed in the kitchen, continually making fresh pots of tea. To expedite the tea making process, I premeasured enough loose tea into empty tea bags to make one pot of tea each. My blend for our very British tea was Assam, Ceylon, and Darjeeling; the Darjeeling tea was a gift brought from Darjeeling, India, by Aunt Rose. ​
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The buffet table was the usual eight-foot plastic folding table. We used vintage white linen tablecloths from our stash of linens. One of our missions is stewardship of traditional linens, especially tablecloths, doilies, and dresser scarves. Though we try to remove stains and mend holes in our linens, we often resort to a shabby chic strategic “layering” of different linens, covering any flaws with more linens. This lends a rich effect and gives beautiful old linens a chance to be seen and enjoyed by more people. We repurpose any pretty vintage fabrics to do duty as table coverings.

We achieved different heights for our platters with a three-tier tea stand and various cake pedestals. To secure plates to cake pedestals, we use small balls of museum putty to temporarily attach the bottom of the plate to the top of cake pedestal. This prevents any tipping accidents.

A note about quantities: we are showing here the quantities used at this particular event. In this case, the usual guidelines were not very accurate. For example, the numbers don’t add up for glasses, cups, and spoons used. In considering quantities, the time of day, season, age of the guests, and the specific occasion all contribute to differences of quantities. Your guests may use more or fewer utensils, glasses, food, and beverages, depending on these factors.
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The Menu and Equipment: Quantities, Serving Pieces, and Linens

Hot Tea (my own British Blend) with Milk, Demerara Sugar Cubes, and Lemon Slices
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​6 China teapots, 3 ounces of loose tea, premeasured in fillable, paper tea bags, 1 quart milk, rotated in 2 cream pitchers, about 4 ounces sugar cubes in large sugar bowl with sugar tongs, about 2 small lemons, sliced, in shallow dish with small serving tongs. Each helper who pours tea needs a pretty, folded-up dish towel in their other hand to catch drips and to act as a hot pad. Trivet for teapot, doily-covered tray for underneath creamer, about 50 tea cups with saucers, about 30 spoons in a basket, small basket for used spoons

Champagne
2 cases chilled champagne, 3 bottles rotated in large punch bowl with 1 ½ bags ice, 1 open bottle in ice bucket with some ice, 5 dozen champagne glasses on trays
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Cucumber Lemon Water
2 gallons drinking water, 2 to 3 lemons and ½ English cucumber, thinly sliced, ½ bag ice, rotated in 2 pitchers on a tray, about a dozen cups (we used additional champagne glasses)

Herbed Cucumber Sandwiches
4 loaves-worth crustless sandwiches in greens-lined basket, covered with pretty damp tea towel until serving time

Curry Chutney Cheese Sandwiches
4 loaves-worth crustless sandwiches in greens-lined basket, covered with pretty damp dish towel until serving time

Glazed Lemon Loaf
2 loaves sliced quick bread on doily-lined plate

​Currant Scones with Lemon Curd and Preserves
14 dozen miniature currant scones in 2 napkin-lined baskets with hot packs under the napkins with 2 serving tongs, rotated, about 12 ounces of lemon curd in 1 bowl with serving spoon, about 12 ounces preserves (1 or 2 kinds) in 2 bowls with 2 serving spoons on a doily-lined tray

Brown Bread with Raisins
2 loaves sliced quick bread on doily-lined plate

Driscoll Strawberries
3 to 4 baskets organic, large, best-quality strawberries, heaped in glass footed bowl

Tea Cookies: Shortbread, Butter Cookies, Red Pinwheel Cookies, Coconut Macaroons
6 dozen cookies on doily-lined plates or 3-tier serving stand

Madeleines
3 dozen madeleines on doily-lined plate, dusted with powdered sugar
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Almond Tea Cakes
3 dozen glazed tea cakes on large doily-lined platter with flat pastry server

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​Staff: 4 full-time helpers plus 2 additional tea pourers

Food and Equipment

• Tablecloths for all tables
• 12 dozen cocktail napkins
• 1 large flower arrangement
• Any decorations and approved attaching method gear: tape, pins, Command-brand adhesive hooks, museum putty
• 2 dozen tea towels for kitchen prep
• Dollies, paper and starched linen
• 1 roll paper towels
• Plastic wrap
• Zip-top plastic bags
• 1 Large trash bag
• 2 serrated knives
• Sharp knife, mandolin, or vegetable peeler for slicing cucumbers
• 3-4 spreaders or offset spatulas for assembling sandwiches
• Large cooling rack for glazing tea cakes
• Small sieve for dusting madeleines with powdered sugar
• Pastry brush
• 2 four or five cup size mixing bowls
• 1 small bowl
• 2 wooden spoons
• 2 silicone spatulas
• 3 cutting boards
• 4-6 baking sheets, lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats
• Lemon reamer or press
• 4-6 aprons
• 1 or 2 55-cup tea urns (we used 1 urn and 1 large tea kettle on the stove top)
• 4-6 lemons
• About ½ cup sugar (for sprinkling on scones prior to baking)
• 4 loaves buttermilk bread
• 4 loaves swirled rye bread
• Tea breads
• All cookies
• Madeleines
• Powdered sugar (for dusting madeleines)
• Strawberries
• Sliced almonds
• Chilled items in Cooler:
• Ice, sandwich spreads, lemon curd, milk, greens, cucumbers, frozen mini scones

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​Day-Of Tea Tasks

• Gather your team
• Load the cars, placing linens and decorations near the top
• Unload linens and decorations first; task a helper to put out tablecloths and begin decorating
• Task a helper with unpacking kitchen equipment and making sure chilled foods stays chilled
• Preheat oven for scones; fill tea urn with water and plug in
• In the kitchen, set up sandwich station: cutting boards, spreaders, serrated knives, bread loaves, cucumbers, fillings. Two or 3 helpers can be making sandwiches. As sandwiches are made, cover with barely damp kitchen towel.
• In the kitchen, set up areas to glaze tea cakes and lemon loaves. Set tea cakes on rack placed on baking sheet. Mix up glaze and pour over cakes. Top with a few sliced almonds. When glaze has dried, transfer to serving platter. Mix up lemon glaze and glaze lemon loaves. When glaze has dried, slice loaves and arrange on plates. Slice brown bread and arrange on plates.
• Place frozen scones on lined baking sheets, brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar; bake just before event begins
• In the dining room, set up champagne station: trays for champagne glasses, glasses, ice bucket, punch bowl, some cocktail napkins, cucumber water pitchers
• In the dining room, set up the food buffet station: flower arrangement, cocktail napkins, cookie plates or 3-tier stand, madeleine platter, tea cake platter with server, lemon curd with spoon, preserves with spoons, bowl of strawberries, brown bread and lemon loaf platters, places for warm scone baskets and sandwich baskets
• In the dining room, set up the tea station: cups and saucers, clean spoons in basket, used spoon basket, cream pitcher, sliced lemon, sugar cubes and tongs, trivet for hot teapot

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Clean Up
We were very lucky to be working in a large, well-equipped kitchen with a commercial dishwasher. However, we shared the kitchen with other events going on at the same time, so it was practical to use our own equipment. Of course, we strove to leave our portion of the kitchen space and the event room as neat and clean as we found them.

Thank You Gifts for Helpers
Since the success of this event depended so heavily on skilled help, we thanked our staff with tea-themed gifts. Gift cards are also appreciated gifts.

Wrap Up
The musicians, guests, and staffers deemed our British tea reception a huge success. Some of the appreciative comments we received reinforced our commitment to our strict attention to detail. The use of real china cups and saucers was commented on by many guests, including an elderly gentleman who likened our event to teas he had attended as a boy in Yorkshire. A Scottish guest reported the aroma of our hot scones enticed her into the reception room directly from the concert. Many, many guests told us the quality of the tea itself was excellent. We encourage everyone who loves tea parties to take on a large scale event, to see your vision made real, and share the experience of an excellent tea!
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​For a little more help with menu selection, recipes and planning, check out A Classic British Afternoon Tea, A June Wedding Reception Tea, Afternoon Tea for a Large Group, and A Checklist for Planning a Tea Party, all available on myteaplanner.com.

At Christmas time, visions of sugarplums do dance in the heads of those of us who love cookies, candies, and all manner of holiday sweets. And while I enjoy making (and eating) the mountain of Christmas cookies I bake each year, I find myself wanting savory treats to balance out all that sweetness. Thinking along these lines, I have found some savory recipes that do double duty as gifts and to have on hand as quick snacks for drop-in guests.

Usually, I spent the summer canning vegetables from my garden as salsas and jalapeño jelly with the intention of setting aside a generous portion to be used as holiday gifts. Too often we have eaten up and shared with friends and family all that yumminess long before the winter even starts! But all is not lost, here are four savory recipes that are still doable, even in December. Following the recipes are tips for making your creations into gifts and ideas to expand them into gift baskets. 
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Here are my general gift basket guidelines: consider the size and especially the depth of the container you will be using. The idea is to show off the contents of the basket so extra padding underneath may be needed to raise some pieces. Use wadded up brown paper underneath the basket stuffing, if the container is too deep to properly showcase the contents. I prefer a natural wood shaving basket stuffing called excelsior which is usually available at large craft stores. Use plenty of stuffing to give an abundant look. Cellophane bags come in various sizes to fit over the entire finished basket. A big beautiful bow is the traditional finish to a gift basket, but go ahead and gild the lily by tucking in fresh or silk greenery or tying on an object related to the contents of your basket, like a wooden spoon with a soup mix or a spreader with a condiment basket. And the “basket” doesn’t have to be a basket at all. Any attractive, shallow container will work. And tucking in a pretty new dish towel is always appreciated; who doesn’t like a fresh, new dish towel?

The first recipe is for a traditional county pâté that can be packed in cute little crocks or ramekins for gifting and storage. And before you say, “Eew, gross,” consider that many people will spread a little smear on a cracker and be delighted by the taste, IF you don’t tell them beforehand that it’s liver! A little crock of pâté for Grandpa Pat for Christmas was something I did just for him each year.
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• 1/4 cup butter
• 4 ounces lean bacon, diced
• 12 ounces chicken livers, cut in quarters
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons brandy or bourbon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Dash hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
• 1 sprig fresh thyme, Italian parsley, or a few celery leaves
• About 1/3 cup melted butter

Special equipment: heavy saucepan or skillet with cover, food processor, silicone spatula, two one-cup crocks or ramekins
Makes 2 crocks

1. In heavy-bottomed pan, melt ¼ cup butter over medium-low heat. Add bacon, chicken livers, garlic, brandy, salt, and hot sauce. Cover, turn heat to low.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until livers lose their pink color.
2. Remove pan from heat. Cool about 10 minutes. Scrape into food processor and process until smooth, scraping down sides a needed.
3. Pack into crocks or ramekins, smoothing tops. Press a small sprig of thyme or a parsley or celery leaf on top of each crock. Pour melted butter over tops to cover. Chill until butter is firm. Pâté keeps, chilled, for up to two weeks.

To give: place crock in small cellophane give bag, tie with raffia or thin tartan ribbon, adding a sprig of thyme or juniper to the bow. Present with artisan crackers. To expand into a gift basket, add a bottle of red wine, a selection of French cheeses, a dry salami, and a jar or two of olives or marinated vegetables.

• 1 cup yellow mustard seed, ground
• 2 tablespoons black mustard
• 2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Special equipment: small saucepan, silicone spatula, small glass jars with lids
Makes about 1 ½ cups

1. In small saucepan, combine all ingredients over medium-low heat. Stir often until mixture thickens, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool until just warm, about 30 minutes.
2. Scrape into glass jars and cover with lids. Mustard keeps well under refrigeration almost indefinitely.

To give: make a cute label saying, “Honey Mustard” and affix to jar lid. Tie on a small decorative spreader with ribbon. To expand into a gift basket, add a loaf of artisan bread, a selection of summer sausages, and a jar or two of pickles.

Dried Bean Mix:

• 1 pound dried navy beans
• 1 pound dried black beans
• 1 pound dried green split peas
• 1 pound dried pinto beans
• 1 pound dried red beans
• 1 pound dried black-eyed peas

Spice Blend:

• 2 tablespoons salt, Hawaiian pink salt preferred
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons dried marjoram
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 6 dried bay leaves

Special equipment: large bowl or pot for mixing beans, dry measuring cups, 6 strong food-safe cellophane bags or jars with lids large enough to hold 2 ½ cups, small mixing bowl, and 6 very small jars with lids or small food-safe cellophane bags, assorted craft supplies for decorating (see body of recipe)
Makes 6 mixes

1. Dried Bean mix: in large bowl, combine all dried beans and peas. Divide bean mixture evenly between 6 containers, about 2 ½ cups each. If using jars, screw on lids. If using cello bags, keep upright until attaching spice blend. Set aside.
2. Spice Blend: in small bowl, combine salt, black pepper, red pepper, marjoram, and thyme. Divide evenly between 6 small cello bags or small jars. Place 1 bay leaf in each container. If using jars, screw on lids. If using cello bags, keep upright until attaching to bean mixture.
3. To attach: if using jars, use about an inch square piece of double-stick foam tape to attach small jar to top of large jar. Tie a piece of wide ribbon vertically around both jars, tying bow on top of small jar. Secure ribbon to bottom of large jar with packing tape, if desired. If using cellophane bags, place small bag on top of large bag, lining up edges at top. Fold the two bags together, folding the larger bag sides in, as you fold. Staple closed with two staples. If using large jar with small cello bag, gather top of bag and secure with twist tie. If using large bag and small jar, place small jar inside bag and fold closed and staple shut with two staples.
4. Make instruction card for each mix, about the size of a file card.

• 1 bean mix
• 8 cups water
• 1 smoked ham hock, optional
• 1 spice blend
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 can (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes, with juice

Begin about 12 hours before serving.

1. Wash beans and place in large Dutch oven or soup pot. Cover with water and let soak 8 hours. Drain.
2. In same pot, combine beans, 8 cups water, and ham hock, if using. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Add spice blend, onion, garlic, and tomatoes with their juice. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer two hours. Uncover and cook one hour. Discard bay leaf. If using ham hock, remove to a plate and let cool enough to handle. Shred ham meat and return to soup pot. Serve hot.

To give: tie instruction card onto jars with baker's twine. Staple card onto tops of cellophane bags, adding a twine bow, if desired. To expand into a gift basket, along with beans and spice blend, add an onion, a head of garlic, a smoked ham hock in cello bag, a can of organic diced tomatoes (with pretty label, if possible,) and a box of premium corn bread mix. To make extra special, make gift basket in a colorful soup pot.
​

• 2-1/4 pounds mangos, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup raisins
• ½ cup peeled, finely chopped fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons chile powder
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 late yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 stick cinnamon

Special equipment: four quart or larger saucepan or Dutch oven, wooden spoon, glass jars and lids
Makes about 5 cups

1. Combine all ingredients in pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until thickened, about two hours.
2. Transfer to glass jars, let cool, screw on lids, and store in refrigerator up to two weeks. To properly preserve by water bath canning, follow directions for soft spreads in Ball Canning Book.

To give: cover top of jar with a circle of pretty Indian-print cotton fabric, using pinking shears for a nice edge. Tie with coordinating thin ribbon and tie on an interesting teaspoon or spreader. To expand into a gift basket, use an unusual small cutting/cheese serving board as a base, made of burl wood, slate, or marble. Add an artisan cream cheese (ask a good deli to order it for you or check the farmer’s market,) a cheese knife set, and a interesting cracker. Slip board with items on top into a cello basket bag, gathering on side or on top, whichever fits best, and tie with colorful bow to match Indian fabric.
​

• 2 ounces softened cream cheese
• 1 to 2 teaspoons curry powder, to taste
• Dash of salt
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• ½ cup chutney

Special equipment: food processor, silicone spatula
Makes 1 loaf's worth of filling.  In food processor, combine cream cheese, 1 teaspoon curry powder, salt, and shredded cheese. Pulse until combined, scraping down sides as needed. Add chutney and pulse 3 or 4 times. Taste for curry and salt and adjust seasonings. Do not over process. Store in glass container, covered and chilled, up to 4 days.

​“Stir up thy power, oh Lord, and come…”
​
So say the opening words of the Book of Common Prayer, usually read the first Sunday before Advent. 
​

For many British, this is Stir-Up Sunday, the day for preparing the Christmas pudding. Though mixtures of preserved meats and candied fruits had been made into pies and puddings since medieval times, the family ritual of having everyone in the household stir the dried fruit and nut mixture while making a wish, was first popularized in the Victorian era. Queen Victoria's beloved consort, Albert, is said to have adored the Christmas pudding, thus making it a fashionable Christmas dessert, ensuring its place at the heart of the British Christmas feast. Christmas pudding, aka figgy or plum pudding, is what Mrs. Cratchit nervously carried, flaming, in from the kitchen, to the delight of the entire family, in Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol.

In Great Britain, all desserts are known as puddings, as in, “What are we having for pudding tonight?” These steamed Christmas puddings are made with a similar ingredient list and spice profile to our American fruitcake or mincemeat. And like those traditional desserts, the Christmas pudding is best made well in advance of the holiday to have a chance to mature. A perfect reason to have a part of the holiday baking done, five weeks in advance!

This year, Stir Up Sunday falls on November 20, which is the Sunday before Thanksgiving. I usually fill my holiday baking cupboard in mid-October so all the fruits and nuts will be on hand. By blocking out time in the kitchen that Sunday, you can have your pudding all stirred up and steaming while you do early Thanksgiving feast preparation. By now, you’ve probably noticed I am a person who likes to plan ahead. Having worked jobs my entire life that ramp up at Christmas time, I have worked out ways to schedule in the pleasures of holiday baking amid the other holiday responsibilities. 
​

I begin planning in October, using a three-month calendar with big empty squares. I block in work schedule and dates of family gatherings. I pay special attention to days off leading up to Christmas or when baked goods and desserts will be presented. I note dates I will meet friends so I can deliver their homemade gifts baked as close to giving as possible. I also break up baking tasks into steps. Gingerbread and sugar cookies are a good example. The dough can made, rolled out, wrapped in plastic wrap, and frozen, up to a month in advance. Time can be scheduled to cut out and bake the cookies when convenient. The baked cookies can be cooled and decorated then or stored in an airtight container in the freezer to be decorated later. Many cookies or cookie doughs and rolled out pie crusts are good candidates for freezing. 

Having maturing Christmas puddings and/or fruitcakes and/or mincemeat in your pantry will give you a wonderful feeling of preparedness and sense of accomplishment, even before Thanksgiving! We must here insert our response to the popular maligning of fruitcake. Admittedly, fruitcake is an acquired taste and is usually eaten by adults who grew up with it. Commercial varieties with their dayglow green and red candied cherries are to be suspected with good reason. But a homemade cake made with love and aged with a good brandy or rum is an entirely different creature, made to be enjoyed in small servings. If you really don’t like store-bought candied fruit, you can make your own or substitute dried fruit. Our packet of fruitcake-related recipes can be found on our website, http://www.myteaplanner.com/in-defense-of-fruitcake-fruitcakes-and-candied-fruit.html. 

This ultra-useful recipe collection features recipes for fruitcakes with and without candied fruit, royal icing, ambrosia, easy orange pound cake with candied cranberries, and recipes for making your own home candied cherries, ginger, citrus peel, and cranberries. To help get your holiday baking started, here are:

Kathleen’s Tips for Successful Holiday Baking
 
Always read the entire recipe before you start to bake. This one thing will help you become a much better baker.

For the holiday season, stock your pantry with:

• Sugar:  brown, white, and powdered
• All-purpose flour
• Fresh packages of baking powder, baking soda, and salt
• Dried fruits and coconut
• Nuts (store in the freezer in a zip-top bag)
• Cocoa and chocolate
• Spices and real vanilla extract
• Canned pumpkin and cranberry sauce
• Decorative sprinkles and holiday-themed candies
• Condensed and evaporated milks (these are not interchangeable)
• Extra butter can be purchased on sale and stored in the freezer.

Cost Plus World Market and Trader Joe’s are good places to shop for inexpensive and interesting ingredients, containers for home-baked gifts, and holiday trimmings.

Sugar cookie and gingerbread cookie dough may be rolled out between pieces of waxed paper or parchment to fit in a spare cookie sheet pan. Several layers of rolled out dough can be stacked then wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen right in the cookie sheet for later use. The frozen dough is easy to work with and in most cases can be used directly from the freezer.

Have all ingredients gathered before starting. Butter, eggs, and cream cheese should be at room temperature unless otherwise specified in the recipe. Pastry crust recipes usually call for chilled butter.

Measure wet and dry ingredients carefully in the appropriate type of measuring cup: level metal or plastic cups for dry and glass for liquids.

Make notes on your recipes and in your cookbooks for future reference. Note all changes, additions, and omissions you make and how you liked the outcome. Besides being very helpful for the baker, it’s fun for others in the family to read that mom or grandma liked to use brown sugar instead of white sugar for her peanut butter cookies. It’s a good idea to date the recipe and note if you brought it to a holiday function.

Since ovens vary, stay near the oven when baking, especially delicate cookies. To keep cookie bottoms from becoming too brown, use heavy, high-quality baking sheets, rotate pans from front to back half way through recommended baking time, and use double cookie sheets if your oven tends to overheat from the bottom element. Most cookies should be barely golden. Use parchment or silicone baking mats (Silpat is my favorite brand) to line baking sheets for easy clean up and easier cookie release. Always cool cookies thoroughly in a wire rack before decorating or packaging for gifts.
  
Mincemeat without Meat
 
Adapted from Marion Cunningham’s recipe in the Fannie Farmer Cookbook, this mincemeat recipe is traditional except for the absence of meat. We think you won’t miss it. Marion says the mincemeat keeps indefinitely and mellows with age, so you may plan to make your mincemeat when it fits into your schedule.
 

• 1 pound suet, ground or vegan shortening, chilled and chopped
• 1 ½ pounds tart apples, peeled, cored, and chopped, we like Granny Smith
• 1 ½ cups brown sugar, packed
• 1 pound raisins
• 1 pound golden raisins
• 1 pound dried currants
• 4 ounces candied lemon peel, diced
• 4 ounces candied orange peel, diced
• Grated rind of 1 orange
• Juice of 3 lemons
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground mace
• 1 cup brandy

 
Special equipment: very large mixing bowl, 4 pint canning jars, lids, and rings, sterilized according to manufacturers’ instructions, canning funnel, and canning ladle, pressure canner, optional
 
Makes 4 pints or enough to fill four 8” or 9” pies

1. Place all ingredients into mixing bowl and mix with clean hands until well blended.
2. Place canning funnel over jar. Ladle mixture into prepared jar, leaving 1” of headspace and securing rings and lids. Repeat with remaining jars.
3. Process jars at 10 pounds of pressure for 20 minutes in pressure canner or store jars under refrigeration. 

Fanny Farmer’s Mince Pie
 
Use this easy recipe to show off your homemade mincemeat.
 
Rolled out pastry dough for a double crust 8” or 9” pie
1 pint aged mincemeat
 
Preheat oven to 425° F
 
Special equipment: 8” or 9” pie pan, small paring knife
 
Males 1 pie
 

1. Line pie pan with half the pastry dough.
2. Fill the lined pan with mincemeat
3. Place remaining pastry over top. Crimp edges, trimming off excess pastry with paring knife, if needed. Cut a few vents in top crust with paring knife.
4. Bake for 10 minutes then lower the oven to 350° F and bake for 40 minutes more or until top is slightly browned.

 

Christmas Pudding
 
This recipe is adapted from an advertising booklet for Gold Medal flour, from the 1950’s. It’s described as, “The best of all the real English recipes for plum pudding we ever tested.” And I agree with them.
 
Special equipment: large mixing bowl, sieve, sturdy wooden spoon or large metal mixing spoon, medium mixing bowl, silicone scraper, heavily buttered 2-quart mold or 2 1-quart molds*, parchment, aluminum foil, kitchen string or heavy-duty rubber bands, rack to fit inside pot, lidded pot large enough to hold pudding mold(s,) cheesecloth, metal tin, optional
 
Makes 1 or 2 puddings
 
*A word about pudding molds: the earliest container for steamed puddings was a cheesecloth bag tied with string. Frankly, that too amorphous for me. The next most traditional container is a “pudding basin,” which looks very similar to a stoneware, one quart mixing bowl. Mason Cash is the most popular British brand, recognizable by the tan-colored outsides and cream-colored interiors and thick top rims. If you look carefully at the kitchen scenes in Downton Abby, you’ll see Mrs. Patmore and Daisy using Mason Cash bowls. Luckily for us here in America, the vintage Pyrex set of colored mixing bowls are good stand-ins for pudding basins and hold up to steaming. Vintage and modern metal pudding molds are available in various shapes from simple to elaborate. Whichever vessel is used for steaming, the top rim must have a “lip” so string or rubber bands will keep the foil tightly sealed.

• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground mace
• ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 ½ cups raisins
• 1 ½ cups currants, plumped in brandy if very dry
• ½ cup golden raisins
• ½ cup chopped candied orange peel
• ½ cup chopped candied lemon peel
• ½ cup chopped walnuts or almonds
• 1 ½ soft, fresh bread crumbs
• 2 cups (1 pound) butter, softened (or ground suet, for the traditionalists)
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 6 tablespoons jam or jelly or honey or molasses
• ¼ cup brandy plus more for sprinkling

1. Into a large mixing bowl, sieve flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
2. Add to bowl fruit, nuts, and bread crumbs. Stir to combine. Set aside.
3. In medium mixing bowl, beat together softened butter, eggs, jam, and brandy. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Scrape mixture into fruit mixture and fold together until well mixed
4. Pour into prepared mold(s.) Layer a piece of parchment on top of a piece of foil, making a pleat down the center. Cover mold, parchment side down, and secure with kitchen string or rubber bands.
5. Set mold on rack in pot. Pour boiling water halfway up sides of mold, being careful to not get water under foil. Steam for 6 hours for large mold, 5 hours for smaller molds. Check water level every hour or two, adding more boiling water, if necessary.
6. Cool completely then unmold. Sprinkle with brandy and wrap in cheesecloth. Wrap in foil or place in tin. Store in cool place.
7. Every week or two, unwrap pudding and sprinkle with additional brandy.
8. To serve: unwrap pudding and place in mold. Steam for one hour or until heated through. Turn out onto heat-proof serving platter (silver is a good choice.) When ready to serve, have guests assembled and someone ready to dim the lights. Heat about two tablespoons of brandy, pour over pudding and ignite. Dim the lights and carry in the pudding to oohs and aahs. Cut in small slices accompanied with hard sauce, if desired.

​
​Hard Sauce
 
Hard sauce has the consistency of a thick, spreadable frosting. It is called hard sauce because it traditionally contains hard alcohol, usually brandy. Fresh orange juice can be substituted, if desired, and would still be delicious. It keeps for several weeks under refrigeration, tightly covered.
Beat ½ cup softened butter with 1 cup powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in 2 to 3 teaspoons of brandy, to taste.

The first fig tree that caught my imagination was in my grandparent's back garden. It grew sprawled against a southern wall, with gnarled limbs growing every direction, branches lifting skyward before dipping down, parallel to the ground. It fit perfectly into Pat’s garden which was more of an art project than typical garden. This tree delighted both of them. Grandpa Pat drew and painted its complexities while Grandma Lady made the sparse fig harvest into fig muffins. In retirement, Pat sketched and painted daily whether in the back garden, front room, side of the road or anywhere he found himself. In photographs, you see various grandchildren and great-grandchildren leaning in, smiling at the camera, while Pat is looking up from a sketch book. Lady was not a natural cook or baker, and made these muffins to please Pat, with a sense of play acting about it. 
​

Both my grandparents possessed PhDs, defying stereotypes throughout their long lives together. Aunt Rose sees the fig tree as a metaphor for their chaotically charming, artistic, eclectically intellectual and unorthodox lifestyle. I agree wholeheartedly. Their house was stuffed with books and art and the souvenirs of their travels. Lady would sometimes write her grocery lists in Greek or Latin and Pat never stopped studying history and languages.  A vocabulary list in Japanese characters could often be found in his pajama breast pocket. These were the grandparents who took the grandchildren to plays and museums and out to Japanese, Mexican, Indian food. 
​

No grandchildren ever had more interesting grandparents. On a wheeled tea cart resided Lady's silver tea service, endlessly fascinating for at first pretend, and later real, afternoon teas. I felt very honored with the responsibility of keeping the set polished. My own impulse to collect silver I lay squarely at Lady's door. Her tea service has now passed to me and resides in a place of honor in my living room. We are so lucky to have Pat's paintings and Lady's silver to keep them close by us, though they, and their beautiful fig tree, are gone.
​

The second fig tree in my life is my parents' Flanders fig tree, a proper looking fig tree, according to Rose, perhaps representing their more settled, orderly and cozy lifestyle. As with most of my father's plants, this little fig tree is the very model of robust perfection. His garden produces an abundance of edible vegetables to be cooked into meals, daily.  During the year, I serve cheese using the big glossy leaves to line the platter and at harvest, we pick heavy, dusky purple figs every day. The neighborhood cats use the lush foliage as their secret hiding spot. 
​

This years’ fig crop is enormous. We are eating them for breakfast and sharing baskets of figs with all visitors. We will freeze peeled, mashed fig puree for sammartini cookies at Christmas time. You’ll find the recipe at our website, www.myteaplanner.com. My Italian grandfather Joe brought the recipe over from his native Calabria (The name sammartini seems to be specific to the Pedulla family—we have not encountered it elsewhere.  Sicilians use the term cuccidati or “cucci.”) 
​

The ripest figs will go into fig jam; if you take the time to peel the figs, the jam will remain a beautiful pinky color instead of the usual brown hue one sees in commercially made jam. Not everyone had tried fresh figs, their having such a brief season. I recommend seeking them out at the farmer’s market or keeping an eye out in your neighborhood for a graceful fig tree tucked into someone’s yard. A fig tree makes a beautiful and giving friend.
​

Unfortunately, I can’t give our fig jam recipe because we never remember to write down the amounts of fig pulp or sugar we use. We usually begin by looking up the recipe for fig preserves in the Ball Blue Book of Preserving, which everyone should own. Next, we see how much peeled fig pulp we have then cut the recommended ratio of sugar down. Toward the end of cooking, we add fresh lemon juice. Jam making is very rewarding but is one of those things which is variable; some years the jams will be better than others but homemade jams will always be better than store bought!
​

2 cups flour
1\2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1\2 teaspoon baking soda
1\2 teaspoon salt
1\2 teaspoon ground nutmeg or mace
1 cup peeled and mashed fresh fig
1\4 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
Cinnamon sugar for dusting, if desired
Preheat oven to 400˚ F
Special equipment: muffin pan, sprayed with baking spray or lined with muffin papers, large mixing bowl, 2 cup glass measuring cup, silicone spatula
​

If you like eclairs, Napoleons, or Boston Cream Pie, you are most likely enamored of pastry cream. Golden from egg yolks, creamy, and usually vanilla-scented, pastry cream (also known by its French name, Crème Patisserie or as you get familiar with this culinary friend, “Crème Pat”) is a delicious building block in the dessert recipe stash. It adds a creamy, rich element to desserts involving fruit and pastry. For example: a thick layer of pastry cream is covered with a mosaic of fruit in the best fresh fruit tarts, delicate cream cakes layer pastry cream, fruit, and clouds of whipped cream, creating a rich and creamy confection. 
​
While making pastry cream is not difficult, it is a rather exacting formula. Using different recipes, I’ve gotten wildly different results. Some recipes used flour and cornstarch to thicken, some recipes used one or the other, some cooking up thin as a sauce, while others cooked up gummy or gloppy. Searching the internet for a good, all-purpose pastry cream, I found pastry chef Stella Parks’ recipe.  She wittily likens its versatility to that of a basic but classic cable knit sweater: it goes with everything. She also suggests some interesting flavoring ideas and creative uses. Carefully follow her recipe and you will be rewarded with an abundance of silky, rich pastry cream. Find her well-written recipe here:  http://bravetart.com/recipes/CremePat
 

​In our family, the favorite fruit/pastry cream/cake dessert is the Trifle. Trifle is actually more of an assemblage piece than an actual recipe. A layered dessert made in a deep glass bowl or straight-sided glass trifle bowl showcasing the contrasting colors and textures of all elements.  You gather up the best fruits of the season, some jam, some liqueur, some cake, and pastry cream. All parts can be made in advance. The entire trifle can be made up to two days before serving, making a big trifle a perfect center piece dessert for a party. Traditionally, the  British serve it at a festive Christmas dinner. That version uses sponge cake or pound cake, “crème pat,” frozen strawberries, sherry, all finished off with a deep drift of whipped cream and possibly silver dragées or slivered almonds on top.
 
Though the American version most often feature spring and summer fruit, thrifles are infinitely variable to fit any season. One can find four trifle recipes on our website, www.myteaplanner.com :  Christmas Trifle, Chocolate Trifle, Peach Raspberry Trifle, and Gingerbread Trifle with Leftover Pie. All are delicious.
 
Here is the blueprint for our go-to trifle.
 
Murdock Family Trifle
 
Since trifle bowls come in various sizes, quantity and thickness of layers will differ. Embrace this, knowing each trifle will be perfectly unique!
 
1 loaf or round pound cake or two layers white or yellow cake
Approximately 1/4 cup liqueur
Approximately ½ cup jam
3 to 4 cups prepared seasonal fruit plus additional for garnishing top
3 to 5 cups cooled pastry cream
Garnish: 1 cup heavy cream, whipped
 
Special equipment: Trifle bowl or other deep, clear glass bowl, serrated knife, cutting board
 
Makes one trifle, serving about 10 to 12 portions

1. Gather all ingredients on work surface. With serrated knife, trim a layer of cake about ½ inch thick to fit into bottom of bowl.
2. Sprinkle with liqueur.
3. Spread with a layer of jam.
4. Spread about 1 cup of pastry cream.
5. Arrange a layer of fruit over pastry cream, making sure fruit looks attractive, as seen through side of bowl.
6. Repeat Steps 1 through 5, until you run out of ingredients or reach top of bowl.
7. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until serving time, at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.
8. To serve: Top with whipped cream and serve immediately. Chill covered leftovers promptly up to two days.

 
To assist you in making your own, unique trifle, here is a chart of complementary flavors. Feel free to mix and match according to your tastes.
 
 Spring Fruit:
         Cake: Pound, Yellow Cake, White Cake
         Liqueur: Orange-flavored
         Jam: Berry or Lemon Curd
         Fruit: Strawberries, Kiwi, Cooked Rhubarb
 
Summer Fruit:
         Cake: Pound Cake
         Liqueur: Cherry-flavored
         Jam: Apricot
         Fruit: Peaches, Apricots, Cherries, Berries
 
Fall Flavors:
         Cake: Spice Cake, Gingerbread, Applesauce Cake
         Liqueur: Brandy, Sherry, Rum
         Jam: Apple Butter
         Fruit: Poached Apples or Pears
 
Holiday:
         Cake: Pound Cake
         Liqueur: Amaretto, Frangelico, Sherry, Brandy
         Jam: Raspberry, Apricot
         Fruit: Frozen Raspberries, Bottled Cherries
 
Chocolate:
         Cake: Chocolate Cake, Mocha Cake
         Liqueur: Kahlua, Brandy, Crème de Cacao
         Jam: Cherry or omit
         Fruit: Bottled Cherries or omit

​