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      • Leave Gracefully
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        • Lemon Yogurt Wedding Cake
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      • September: An Ozark Farm Harvest Tea
      • October: A Tea to Honor Our Ancestors (Dia de los Muertos)
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        • In Defense of Fruitcake: Fruitcakes and Candied Fruit
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Cakes and Tea

Kathleen's Blog

March 2020 - A Wee St. Patrick's Day Tea

3/1/2020

2 Comments

 
Picture
​ 
Though roughly 10% of the American population is of Irish ancestry, everyone gets to be Irish on Saint Patrick’s Day. And why not? The dreamy idea of the Emerald Isle, with its rolling green sheep-covered hills and dramatic seascapes, is bewitching. For those of us who like winter, there’s plenty to be had. There are many opportunities to buy and wear your Irish hand knitted scarves, hats, and sweaters and every excuse to stay fireside in the local pub, filled with traditional music and fine spirits. And hot tea! Ireland’s population drinks the most tea of all the British Isles. 

Rose and I are of Irish and Scottish stock and love all things British, though sadly, neither of us has a taste for whiskey. This festive time of year, I will make an exception and have an Irish coffee to celebrate. Rose has even been to the home of Irish coffee, the Buena Vista, in San Francisco.
​
Picture
                              Irish Coffee and Margaret’s Soda Bread
​Though it is very difficult to pick a favorite tea menu from our book, Sharing Tea, The Road Back to Civilization, our St. Patrick’s Day menu is very close to my heart. I really want to serve (and eat!) the menu in its entirety. Paring down the menu to serve a smaller group is like picking favorites among your children: argh!
​
Picture
 ​                                                                                                             Barm Brack loaf with Suzi’s Mom’s lucky tea cup and saucer 

​Here is the whole lovely brood:

St. Patrick's Day Tea Menu
​

  •       Lemon-Lime Punch   
  •       Buena Vista Irish Coffee   
  •       Trio of Tea Sandwiches: Smoked Salmon, Cucumber and Watercress, Corned Beef
  •       Miniature Potato Pasties
  •       Margaret Murdock’s Irish Soda Bread with Caraway Seeds or Raisins    
  •       Barm Brack with Marmalade      
  •       Shortbread Shamrock Cookies   
  •       Barbara’s Potato Fudge Cookies   
  •       Parkins (Ginger Oat Cakes)   
  •       Honeycomb Steamed Pudding with Crème Anglaise
Picture
Picture
 
Each item on the menu was chosen not just for its delicious taste but also for its provenance or special attribute. Four items are cherished family recipes or some variation of one. From our friend Margaret Mary Elizabeth Murray Reber’s grandmother Cora comes the divine Honeycomb Pudding recipe. The name refers to the airy texture of the dish, achieved by, as Grandma Cora was heard to say, “Beating the hell out of it!” Another Cora recipe included is for her Cornish pasties. Traditionally made large enough for a hungry miner’s lunch, here we downsize the pasty for tea time service, making each miniature pasty two or three bites.
​
Picture
                                   Cora
​
​In my baking partner Suzi’s family home, her Irish mother Barbara Harris Russo, made the thrifty and crazy sounding though completely addictive Potato Fudge Cookies. Leftover mashed potatoes, frequently found in Irish-American kitchens, got transformed into frosted chocolate mounds with a unique, slightly soft texture and a subtle background of cinnamon along with the chocolatey taste. Even mashed potatoes that were peppery when served for dinner, magically mellowed into these fudgy cookies.
​
Picture
​                           Barbara
​Most dear to me, is my mother Margaret’s Irish Soda Bread. Not being a daily cook, she would at least make two soda breads on St. Patrick’s Day. Sometimes, she even made a layered orange-white-green gelatin dessert, a tribute to the Irish flag. Her soda bread was always perfect: that distinct “shale-y” texture and haunting, slightly sweet taste, golden raisins adding an extra bite of fruity sweetness. Whichever bed and breakfast inn I was cooking in on St. Patrick’s Day, I made her recipe for grateful guests. It really is a great recipe.
​
Picture
​                   Margaret
​
​So, we are left with the dilemma of which items to make and which to cut. We’ll serve Barry’s tea, which is the top seller in Ireland and readily available here in the States. We’ll keep Irish coffee since March weather is unpredictable and we’ll need warming up. For savories, I like all three types of sandwiches and they don’t take much time when only making a few. Let’s keep pasties and soda bread. The shamrock shortbread cookies can be purchased at a reputable bakery and potato fudge cookies are a must for our chocolate-loving guests. That would be a good place to stop but the honeycomb steamed pudding is casting its siren call over me and who doesn’t want something warm and delicious over which to pour crème anglaise? Let’s put a ‘maybe’ by it and as Grandpa Pat used to say, “I’ll watch myself closely and see what I do.”
​

A Wee St. Patrick's Day Tea Menu
  • ​      Barry’s Irish Breakfast Tea
  •       Buena Vista Irish Coffee   
  •       Trio of Tea Sandwiches: Smoked Salmon, Cucumber, and Corned Beef
  •       Miniature Potato Pasties
  •       Margaret Murdock’s Irish Soda Bread   
  •       Shortbread Shamrock Cookies   
  •       Barbara’s Potato Fudge Cookies   
  •       And perhaps Honeycomb Steamed Pudding with Crème Anglaise
Picture
​              Shortbread Shamrock Cookies
Picture
The Birthday Cake Corner - March Edition
​

Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake
Picture
​
Three layers of chocolate cake, raspberry mousse filling with fresh raspberries, a dark chocolate ganache drizzle over the top. It’s probably safest to build the cake in a springform pan, lined with plastic wrap. Layer cake layers and mousse filling, placing fresh raspberries along the edges of each layer. After chilling, unmold, remove plastic wrap and place on cake pedestal. Drizzle warm chocolate ganache over top, then place raspberries on top of cake. Chill briefly to set the chocolate, serve with hot coffee.

Happy Birthday Kristin, Louise, and Carol!
2 Comments
Merlina Phillips
3/10/2020 07:49:15 pm

As always the pictures of food, the photos of the lovely lasses and your Irish thoughts were grand.

Reply
Rudy Pedulla
4/21/2020 03:29:31 pm

Another fine essay, with yummy-sounding vittles. Nice tribute to your mom. I like your writing style.

Reply



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  • Home
  • About/Blog
    • Who We Are
    • Our Credentials
    • Tea Travels - Rose's Blog
    • Cakes and Tea - Kathleen's Blog
    • Contact Us
  • The Tea Book
    • The Road Back to Civilization
    • A Brief History of Tea
    • Philosophy of Tea >
      • Harmony
      • Humility
      • Respect
      • Creativity
    • Guidelines for the Host/Hostess >
      • Gathering and Greeting
      • Sharing Stories
      • Sharing Food
      • Sending the Guests Home
    • Guidelines for the Guest >
      • Respect Your Hostess/Host
      • Bring a Gift if You Wish
      • Practice Humility
      • Monitor Your Conversation
      • Arrive with a Grateful Attitude
      • Help if Help is Needed
      • Do Not Criticize
      • Leave Gracefully
      • Send a Thank You Note
    • A Checklist for Planning a Tea Party
    • Teas of the World and How to Make Tea >
      • A Sampling of Teas
      • Herbal Teas and Tisanes
      • How to Make Tea
      • Making Iced Tea
      • Tea Concentrate
      • Brewing Tea for a Crowd
    • Tea Utensils and Accessories >
      • Tea Kettle
      • Tea Pot
      • Tea Cozy
      • Teacups
      • Plates
      • Silverware
      • Teacart
      • Tea Strainer
      • Tea Infuser
      • Three-Tiered Server
      • Cream Pitcher and Sugar Bowl
      • Cake Pedestal
      • Trifle Bowl
      • Jam Pots
      • Serving Dishes, Platters, and Trays
      • Silver Tea Set or Silver Tray
      • Linens
      • Kitchen Equipment for Food Preparation
    • Tea Menu Basics >
      • Sandwiches and Savories
      • Savory Spreads and Dips
      • Scones and Tea Breads >
        • About Lemons
    • Afternoon Tea and the Four Seasons >
      • A Spring Tea
      • An Outdoor Summer Tea
      • An Autumn Afternoon Tea
      • A Winter Afternoon Tea
    • A Calendar of Tea Parties >
      • January: A Japanese New Year’s Tea
      • February: A Valentine’s Day Tea
      • March: A St. Patrick’s Day Irish Tea
      • April: An Easter Tea
      • May: A Mother’s Day Tea
      • June: A Wedding Reception Tea >
        • Lemon Yogurt Wedding Cake
      • July: A Picnic Tea
      • August: A Family Reunion Tea >
        • A North American Family Reunion Tea
        • An Eastern Mediterranean Family Reunion Tea
        • A Kosher Family Reunion Tea
        • A Scandinavian Family Reunion Tea
      • September: An Ozark Farm Harvest Tea
      • October: A Tea to Honor Our Ancestors (Dia de los Muertos)
      • November: A Post Thanksgiving Tea
      • December: A Christmas Tea >
        • In Defense of Fruitcake: Fruitcakes and Candied Fruit
    • A World of Tea Parties >
      • A Chinese Dim Sum Tea
      • A Portuguese Tea
      • A Classic British Afternoon Tea
      • An Indian Chai Party
      • A California Tea
      • A Hawaiian Tea
      • An Italian Tea
      • An American Southern Tea
      • A Russian Tea
      • A French Afternoon Tea
      • A Kosher Tea with Tradional Jewish Foods
    • Afternoon Tea for Special Occasions >
      • An Afternoon Tea for Children
      • A Tea for Our Elders
      • A Honey Bee Tea in the Garden
      • An Urban Tea on the Go
      • Tea for One
      • Afternoon Tea for a Large Group
      • A Vegan Tea
      • A Rose Tea
  • Purchase Recipes
  • Resources
    • Bibliography and Resources
    • Menu and Recipe Index
    • Commercial Food Products
    • Glossary