Tea and Travels

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Breakfast has always been my favorite meal, even back in my late teens when my preferred breakfast was Rice Krispies with whole milk and loads of sugar on top or perhaps doughnuts with coffee. I’ve learned a lot about the nutritional importance of breakfast since then, and my eating habits have certainly changed. Currently, the breakfast I enjoy most is Almond Granola, which I make myself. (You can find the protein-packed recipe in my June 2020 blog.)  I like my granola with vanilla yogurt or soy milk, and if fresh berries or bananas are available, they are a great addition to this simple starter of the day. My husband Wayne and I also add green juice fortified with flaxseed meal and a hot cappuccino to the first meal of our day.
 

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Now that spring is here and everyone is planning spring breaks, road trips, long weekends and long-distance vacations, many of us will be eating breakfast in far away and unfamiliar places. My May 2018 blog, “Breakfast in San Diego,” introduced you to several innovative restaurants which serve the healthy and hearty breakfasts we enjoyed on our many California road trips to historic San Diego, one of my favorite American cities. For me, one of the true joys of travel is experiencing the flavors, ingredients and preparation of foods that are not available or included in the culture and cuisine where I live. Breakfast away from home is a delightful way to explore life-long learning. And in my world, whether at home or away, skipping breakfast is unthinkable!
 

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Many of my travel blogs have included detailed descriptions of the breakfast menus in the places I have visited. The traditional English Breakfast, for example, described in my August 2022 blog, “The latest from London, Part III,” lists the astounding volume of food that is routinely consumed every morning in England: bacon and eggs, several types of sausage, mushrooms, sliced tomatoes, baked beans, cheeses, buttered toast with jam and a strong pot of tea. In July of 2023, my blog about Osaka details the traditional Japanese breakfast, which invariably includes, rice, grilled fish, miso soup, pickled vegetables, seaweed, a small, rolled egg omelet or perhaps an onsen egg (recipe included,) and a pot of green tea.
 

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In Germany, I was stunned and delighted by the variety of cheeses, soft, hard, cow’s milk, goat’s milk, and more, available for breakfast along with freshly baked hearty brown bread filled with seeds, nuts and other fiber-packed delights along with boiled eggs, yogurt, muesli and piles of butter, cherry preserves and other fruits and jams.
 

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One of the most interesting traditional breakfasts I discovered in my travels, was Ful Medames (also spelled foul or ful mudammas), pronounced and often referred to simply as “Fool,” the ancient and hearty Egyptian breakfast. Ful is a thick fava bean stew, flavored with cumin and olive oil and simmered for many hours to develop the flavors and texture. In rural areas, making Ful is a daily community celebration. Individual families donate their portion of beans to the huge outdoor communal pot, and after the stew cooks overnight, everyone arrives in the morning with their soup bowls to enjoy a delicious breakfast, filled with fiber and protein and to share the news of the day with their neighbors. Ful can also be elevated to a more sophisticated level by including additional flavors and ingredients such as lemon juice, parsley, onions and garlic to the basic mix. Boiled eggs are also frequently added to this homey breakfast menu, along with freshly chopped tomatoes and cucumbers and freshly baked pita bread for a bright and classic Mediterranean morning meal.

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What do these diverse breakfasts available in various locations throughout the world have in common? They are all designed to get humanity out of bed and ready for the day’s work. And each of these basic breakfast menus has stood the test of time by providing protein, carbohydrates, calcium, vitamins and fiber for energy and stamina throughout the day. Additionally, breakfast has an affinity with Afternoon Tea, which provides not just companionship and pleasant conversation, but also a boost in the afternoon when our energy may be flagging but we still have dinner to prepare and our domestic tasks to complete before bedtime. Like breakfast, Afternoon Tea provides both savory and sweet food to enjoy along with a selection of breads and an invigorating hot beverage. And both contain the protein and carbohydrates we all need to thrive.
 

 
While Teatime comes to the rescue in the afternoon, some of us also need a mid-morning pick-me-up. This is where the coffee break comes in, and along with the coffee break, the wonderful invention, Coffee Cake, provides something sweet, but not too sweet, to enjoy along with our second (or third) cup of morning coffee. I was surprised to learn that Coffee Cake has been around since the Seventeenth Century. In the 1600’s, coffee was introduced to Europe, and simultaneously, the northern European countries, especially Germany, Austria, France and Denmark, experienced a boom in gourmet baking and pastry making. We have all admired the exquisite elegance of flaky Danish pastries, German strudel, and French croissants. Austria is also famous for its coffee houses, serving elegant little pastries such as Sacher Torte, to accompany steaming hot and beautifully presented cups of coffee. For a gentle cruise down memory river, feel free to re-read my October 2016 blog, “Dining on the Danube,” which includes a menu of classic coffee and desserts served along the Danube from Austria to Hungary.
 
Some people mistakenly assume that Coffee Cake is a coffee-flavored cake. No. Coffee Cake is a cake specifically developed to be eaten to enhance the enjoyment of drinking coffee. Coffee Cakes are usually a single layer, and they are not iced with butter cream or any other kind of frosting. Coffee Cakes are deliberately less sweet and more bread-like than the sweets served as after-dinner desserts or to accompany the savories at Afternoon Tea. Coffee Cakes often contain local seasonal fruits, such as cherries, apples, or cinnamon and nuts, all of which harmonize well with coffee. Streusel, which is not overly sweet, is often the topping for Coffee Cake. I like Coffee Cake, and I believe that whatever its original purpose may have been, it should always be welcome at breakfast, brunch, coffee break or Afternoon Tea. And why not serve Coffee Cake after a hearty dinner?
 

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As spring flourishes all around us and fresh fruits and berries begin to appear in the markets, I am happy to share with you a delightful recipe for Blueberry-Cream Cheese Coffee Cake. I found this recipe in the January 2005 issue of Sunset Magazine and have baked it numerous times over the years. It is easy to make and has never failed. It also brings a bright and festive air to any special occasion. It will make breakfast more blissful than ever, and it can sit on your tea table, along with the scones and feel right at home.
 

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This recipe calls for either fresh or frozen blueberries, but you should feel free to substitute raspberries, cherries or any other fruit that fits the season, the occasion or your family and friends’ preferences. The fruits or berries will be cooked and made into a filling for this luscious, cheesy Coffee Cake, so you will need to cut larger fruits or berries into small pieces if you are not using blueberries. This attractive cake can be served still warm from the oven or at room temperature. If you are serving it for breakfast or brunch, you can make it the day before and keep it covered at room temperature overnight. You might want to re-warm it slightly in the oven before serving it. Be sure to place it on an attractive cake pedestal and offer good quality butter nearby for those who love their Coffee Cake slathered with butter.

 

• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• ¼ cup apple juice, 
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 cups flour 
• 1 cup sugar (divided)
• ½ cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small chunks
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 lemon (1 teaspoon grated lemon peel, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ¾ cup unflavored yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature (divided)
• 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• ½ cup sliced almonds
• Cooking spray for the pan 
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• ½ cup butter at room temperature for serving, optional

​​Special Equipment: 9-inch springform pan, parchment, medium saucepan, rubber spatula, small bowl, food processor, medium sized mixing bowl, citrus zester or grater, citrus juicer,  wire cooling rack, decorative serving platter or pedestal
 
Serves: 10-12
 
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F. at Step 2

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1. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round springform pan with baking spray. Cut 2 rounds of parchment to fit the bottom of the pan and place them into the pan. Spray the parchment rounds and place the prepared pan aside. Place the blueberries and apple juice in a medium sized saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat; then lower the temperature and simmer, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula, until the blueberries have released their juices, about three minutes. In a small bowl, blend 1 teaspoon of cornstarch with 2 teaspoons water and stir into the blueberry mixture, continuing to stir until it simmers and thickens, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Prepare the grated lemon peel and juice. Set aside.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the flour and ¾ cup sugar into a food processor and whirl until blended. Add the cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve ½ cup of the flour and butter mixture and set aside. Add salt, baking powder, baking soda and grated lemon peel to the butter and flour mixture remaining in the food processor.  Pulse briefly to blend. Add 1egg, yogurt and vanilla to the mixture in the food processor and pulse briefly until well incorporated. Spread the batter evenly into the bottom of the prepared springform pan.
3. Place the cream cheese, remaining ¼ cup sugar, remaining egg and lemon juice into the food processor. (No need to clean after previous use.) Whirl the mixture until it is smooth. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the batter in the pan, leaving a ½-inch border bare. Gently spread the cooled blueberry mixture over the cream cheese mixture. Stir the sliced almonds into the reserved flour mixture and sprinkle this streusel over the cake, placing more of it around the edges which have not been filled and leaving some of the blueberry filling in the center visible.
4. Bake in the center of the pre-heated oven until the center of the Coffee Cake barely jiggles when it is gently shaken and the top is golden brown, about 30-40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes; then remove from the springform pan and place on a decorative serving platter or cake pedestal. Serve warm or at room temperature. Place leftovers in a covered container and keep at room temperature for 2-3 days.

 

 
March is the magical month when the first signs of spring appear. Crocuses peek through the snow, and bright yellow daffodils sprout up from the damp, cold ground. Vibrant green asparagus and spring onions appear in our kitchen gardens, and the earth wakes up to a thousand different shades of green. This year, Easter, the universal symbol of new life, will be celebrated on the final day of March. St. Patrick’s Day will also take place on a Sunday in March, and numerous other birthday parties, baby showers and Afternoon Tea celebrations will take place this month. And let’s not forget the farmers who will make all these celebrations possible. March is the month when the first spring wheat is planted.

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All of these joyful occasions will require baked goods, especially bread, as bread has long reminded the human race of civilization’s development. Thousands of years ago, humans survived primarily as hunters and gatherers. Then they discovered grain, and farming began. Flat bread, made primarily from wheat flour, salt and water, resembling today’s pita and tortillas, came first. The oldest archeological evidence of bread making was found in a 14,500-year-old site in Jordan. In about 6,000 BC, the Sumerian civilization in Mesopotamia, often referred to today as the cradle of civilization, produced early forms of leavened bread and passed this skill on to the Egyptians, who refined bread baking by adding yeast. With each improvement, bread became more flavorful, the texture was more pleasing, and the proper amount of yeast allowed the loaves to rise into beautiful, rounded shapes.
 
In fact, the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans looked to the degree of refinement in bread baking as signs of cultural growth and development. While yeast bread is an ancient art form, the invention of baking soda and baking powder are much more recent and allow bakers to create “quick breads” that do not require the long periods of time for yeast to rise prior to baking the bread. The French chemist, Nicolas Leblanc invented baking soda in 1791, and an English chemist, Alfred Bird, developed Baking Powder in 1843. These advancements fortuitously coincided with the British Victorian passion for Afternoon Tea, allowing professional and home bakers to create a limitless supply of cakes, cookies, muffins, quick breads and scones for every imaginable kind of social celebration. Even today, all sorts of special breads, quick or made with yeast, are still being created by innovative bakers. I certainly do not remember eating rosemary and truffle focaccia or yuzu and matcha muffins when I was a child.

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Kathleen and I have shared many recipes for various types of bread in our website and our blogs over the years, and we hope our readers’ lives and family celebrations have been enriched as a result. Kathleen is especially adept at yeast baking and has a gift for making this ancient procedure easy to follow. I encourage you to review her May 2020 blog, which provides an easy overview of the bread baking process. Here you will learn to make Oatmeal Bread, Lemon Yogurt Poppyseed Loaf, and California’s gift to the world, Sourdough. She also shares her own recipe for Savory Black Pepper and Morels Babka, which contains asiago cheese. I think the ancient Romans would have been impressed!
 
My April 2020 blog shares my favorite yeast bread, Danish Pastry Easter Wreath, which I hope some of you will make for your family’s Easter Celebration this year. All this glorious buttery almond-filled pastry will require of you is time and love, and your family will thank you forever. I also love making quick breads, leavened with baking powder and or baking soda. Among my favorites are Pumpkin Bread, featured in my October 2028 blog, Hawaiian Banana Bread, perfect for beginning bakers, in my May 2017 blog, and Irish Brown Bread, a hearty and flavorful dark bread that would be the star of your St. Patrick’s Day revelries. The recipe appears in my March 2021 blog.
 

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In addition to its sacred significance in Christian tradition, bread is also responsible for improving the health, vitality, stamina and longevity of the human race. Bread can be eaten at every meal, and combined with fruits, vegetables and additional sources of protein, bread can add the healing properties of vitamins, minerals, needed carbohydrates, protein and fiber to the human diet. 
 

​Bread is also astonishingly versatile. It can be sweet, sour, savory or a combination of all three. Bread is the star of every holiday and the hidden helper at every meal. Bread appears as croutons in the Caesar Salad, dressing for the Thanksgiving turkey, the binder for the ground meat in everyday Meat Loaf, and what would the world be without sandwiches?
 

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Bread comes in an amazing variety of shapes and forms and serves as the foundation for gourmet delights throughout the world. The humble tortilla makes tacos, enchiladas and even huevos rancheros possible. Middle Eastern pita forms a pocket that can be stuffed with falafel, meats, cheeses and every kind of fresh vegetable. Indian nan, warm and chewy from the tandoori oven, can be filled with garlic, jalapenos, cheese and spices to complement the elegant and healthy curries of Indian cuisine. A French baguette is a work of art and has found its way to Vietnam as the receptacle of the world-famous Banh Mi sandwich. Bread is also child-friendly, and kids can easily make their own snacks when the parents are busy.
 

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As Afternoon Tea lovers well know, bread appears in various forms in every tea party menu. Savory foods include the charming little sandwiches we have all grown to love, but mini pizzas, and savory muffins also often appear in the first course at Afternoon Tea. The Scones Course, served between the savories and the sweets, forms a bridge between the two that can include both. Savory scones can be flavored with cheese and herbs, and sweet scones often include berries, citrus fruits, maple or chocolate. And butter and jam, always served with scones, is a perfect pairing of savory and sweet. The sweets course at afternoon tea is a veritable tribute to yeast, baking powder and baking soda, with an abundant array of cakes, quick breads, cookies and pastries. As the quintessential example, Lemon Tea Bread is a favorite at tea parties world-wide. Our recipe for this classic appears in the Tea Menu Basics chapter of The Tea Book on this website.
 
Sweetened breads such as Fruitcake, Raisin Babka, Stollen, Brioche and the Easter Breads unique to each country throughout Europe and the Middle East, are served as dessert on special occasions. As my spring and Easter gift to you this March, I am happy to share with you the recipe for one of my favorite bread-inspired desserts, Warm Bread Pudding with Lemon Sauce.

 
Warm Bread Pudding with Lemon Sauce
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I first discovered this satisfying old fashioned bread pudding under the title “Creole Bread Pudding” in my favorite dessert cookbook, Gourmet’s Best Desserts, published in 1987 by Conde Nast Books. I made a few adjustments to the original recipe, as it called for two-thirds cup of whiskey in the pudding and a cup pf whiskey in the sauce that is poured over the pudding when it is served warm. Somehow, that amount of whiskey seemed a bit too much for me.
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Bread Pudding, which has a relatively mild flavor, can be served with any flavor of ice cream, whipped cream, custard sauce or other appealing sauces such as chocolate, caramel, lemon or cherry. I prefer this Bread Pudding with Lemon Sauce, and we included a similar recipe in our Tea Book on this website in the “Afternoon Tea for Special Occasions” chapter in the “Afternoon Tea for a Large Group” menu. I hope you and your family will enjoy it. Please note that the Bread Pudding mixture is intended to chill in the refrigerator overnight before it is baked, so start the day before your special occasion when you plan to serve this charming dessert. And please read the recipe carefully before you begin. Making Bread Pudding is a simple process, but a few of the steps, such as squeezing the orange and lemon juice, grating the lemon peel, and melting the butter, need to be done before the other ingredients can be combined before baking.
 
For the Bread Pudding:
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• 1 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 2/3 cup fresh orange juice (from 2-3 oranges)
• 8 cups of day-old French Bread, cut into ½ inch cubes (about 1 ¼ loaves)
• 6 cups whole milk
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• ¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Baking spray
  
  

For the Lemon Sauce:

• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 -3 tablespoons lemon juice, (from 1 large lemon)
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

 
Special Equipment:
 

​2-cup glass measuring cup, large mixing bowl, medium sized mixing bowl, serrated knife, cutting board, whisk, 2-3 quart glass or ceramic baking dish, plastic wrap, small, heavy saucepan, citrus juicer, citrus peel grater, 2-cup glass storage jar with lid, large serving spoon
 
Makes: 8-10 servings
 
Preheat the Oven to 375 Degrees F. Before Step 4
 
Make the Bread Pudding:
 

 

1. Place the golden raisins in a glass measuring cup and pour the orange juice over the raisins to macerate. Cut the bread in ½-inch cubes on a cutting board with a serrated knife. It is not necessary to remove the crusts. Measure the bread cubes until you have 8 cups.
2. Place the bread cubes in a large mixing bowl, pour the milk over the bread, letting the mixture stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally until the crusts are very soft, about 2 hours. 
3. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, melted butter, vanilla and salt until the mixture is well incorporated. Add the egg mixture to the bread mixture along with the raisins and orange juice and stir until well combined. Spray the baking dish with cooking spray and transfer the bread pudding mixture into the baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.
4. Remove the prepared mixture from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Gently stir the mixture and bake it in the middle of the oven for 1 ½ hours, or until the edges are puffed and golden brown. (The center will not rise and puff as much as the edges.) Serve the Bread Pudding warm by scooping out portions with a large serving spoon and pour Lemon Sauce over each portion. Refrigerate any leftovers, covered.
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​Make the Lemon Sauce:
 
​In a small, heavy saucepan, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the boiling water, whisking briskly. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, and boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. 

1. Remove the sugar mixture from the heat and add the butter, salt, lemon juice and lemon peel, stirring until the butter is melted. Serve warm over the warm bread pudding, or cool and serve at room temperature. 
2. This sauce may be prepared in advance and refrigerated in a glass container, covered, for several weeks. To rewarm, microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring until the sauce is warm.