Afternoon Tea Avocado & Bacon Sandwiches
It’s still Afternoon English Tea Time here at Tiny New York Kitchen. Here are some delicious Avocado & Bacon Sandwiches to snack on with your 4 o’clock tea.
INGREDIENTS
1/4 Pound Bacon Slices
1 Ripe Avocado
1/2 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
3 Tablespoons Softened Butter
4 Large Slices of Either White Bread or Whole Wheat Bread
Coarsely chop the bacon and put into a skillet over a medium heat. Cook until the bacon is crisp. Remove from the heat and drain on paper towels. Peel the avocado but make sure not to remove the nice bright green flesh just inside the skin. Cut in half and remove the seed. Mash the avocado in a small size bowl and stir in the lemon juice. Add the kosher salt and pepper. Butter the bread and then spread the avocado mixture onto the buttered sides of two of the pieces of bread. Sprinkle the bacon over the avocado. Cover with the other two pieces of the buttered bread (buttered side down). Press the sandwiches together and with a knife cut off the crusts. Cut each sandwich into 4 triangles or into horizontal fingers and arrange them on a serving plate. Makes 8 tea sandwiches.
It’s still tea time here at Tiny New York Kitchen. On Monday a wonderful old friend came to visit me and brought me the most delicious black and rose tea. It was absolutely delicious and I think Honey Madeleines make the perfect tasty tea time treat. If you don’t have a madeleine pan you can use tartlet pans.
INGREDIENTS
1/4 Cup Softened Butter
2 Eggs
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Honey
1/2 Cup Unbleached Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
Preheat your oven to 375º F. Lightly grease a madeleine pan that holds 12 madeleines. In a large size bowl beat the butter and sugar together. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the honey. Sift the flour and baking powder onto the egg mixture and fold in. Spoon the batter into the prepared molds. Bake for 10 minutes. You will want them to be a light golden brown color. Remove from the oven and leave them sit in the molds for 2 minutes. Turn the madeleines out and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve dusted with powdered sugar or serve them plain. Makes 1 dozen.
Most brownies have roughly the same ingredients: chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs and flour. By adding the ancho chile I added a unique flavor that you get at the end of eating the brownie. It really is good. Give it a try and see what you think.
INGREDIENTS
1/4 Cup Butter
1 Cup Sugar
3 Squares Unsweetened Chocolate
1 Beaten Egg
1/2 Cup Flour
3 Teaspoons Ancho Chile Powder
Preheat your oven to 350º F. Grease and flour an 8 inch square baking pan. Place the butter and chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Over simmering water melt the butter and the chocolate. Stir in the sugar until incorporated and then remove from the heat and cool. When the chocolate mixture is cool whisk in the egg until it is just incorporated. Mix in the flour and the ancho chile powder. Make sure not to overmix. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. The middle should look a bit soft. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan. Cut into squares and serve. Makes approximately 2 dozen.
This cake is easy to make and the bonus is that you don’t even need to own cake pans! First, just as with pineapple upside-down cake, cook the butter and brown sugar into a caramel in a cast iron skillet. Then top with mango slices. Instead of pouring the typical yellow cake batter over the top I used carrot cake batter. To remove excess liquid,, drain the mango slices on layers of paper towels.
INGREDIENTS
Topping
8 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
3/4 Cups Brown Sugar
3 Cups Mango Slices (Packed in a Jar)
Cake
2 Cups Unbleached Flour
2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Ground Allspice
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 1/2 Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
5 Eggs
1 Cup Olive Oil
3 Cups Shredded Carrots
Preheat your oven to 350º F. Melt the butter in a large cast iron skillet over a medium heat. Stir in the 3/4 cup brown sugar and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the heat off. Place the mango slices all around the center and edges of the skillet. In a medium size bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, allspice, baking soda, baking powder and kosher salt. In a large size bowl beat the sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar and eggs with a mixer until thick and creamy. With the mixer running, slowly add the oil. Beat until combined. Stir in the carrots until thoroughly combined. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and beat for 30 seconds. Pour the batter into the skillet (over the mango). Place in the oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool in the skillet for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a serving platter and serve either warm or at room temperature. Serves 8
The custom of afternoon teas is thought to have been introduced in England in 1840 by Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford. Lunch was eaten earlier then and dinner was not served until later in the evening. The Duchess became hungry during the afternoon and requested tea, bread, butter and cake to be brought to her room. This quickly became a habit and she began asking friends to join her.
INGREDIENTS
1/4 Pound Boneless Cooked Chicken
2 Teaspoons Mango Chutney
2 1/2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
1/2 Teaspoon Curry Powder
1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
3 Tablespoons Softened Butter
4 Slices Either Whole Wheat or White Bread
Chop the chicken into small pieces and place into a small size bowl. If the chutney has any large pieces of fruit make sure to chop them into smaller pieces. In a medium size bowl combine the chutney, mayonnaise, curry powder, lime juice and kosher salt. Mix well and then add the chopped chicken. Butter the bread slices. Place the chicken mixture on the buttered side of two pieces of bread. Put the tops on and press together. Cut off the crusts from the bread and cut each sandwich into four horizontal pieces. Arrange on a serving plate and serve with tea. Makes 8
It’s about that time of year when I start posting “Tea Time” recipes. My mother-in-law was from England and always liked to have her cup of tea around 4pm accompanied by some sweets. My children grew up having their grandmother’s tea time and the black tea they drank was always served with milk and loads of sugar. You can imagine what I thought of that!
INGREDIENTS
1/2 Cup Canned Peach Slices
3/4 Cup Unsalted Butter
1 1/4 Cups Sugar
Grated Zest of 1 Orange
4 Room Temperature Eggs
2/3 Cup Sour Cream
2 Cups Unbleached Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
Powdered Sugar for Garnish
Preheat your oven to 350º F. Grease and flour a bundt pan. Drain the peach slices and chop them into coarse pieces. In a large size bowl beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the orange zest and beat in the eggs one at a time. Fold in the sour cream and the peaches. Combine the flour, baking soda and kosher salt in a medium size bowl. Gradually add the flour mixture into the batter. Pour into your prepared bundt pan and place into the oven. Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown. You may need to add 5 more minutes depending on your oven. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn the cake out and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Sift the powdered sugar over the cake and serve. Serves 8