Wonderful Book
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Special Teas by M. Dalton King
ISBN 1-56138-166-7 published by Kenan Books Inc 15 West 26th St New York, NY 10010.
List price $19.95US.
This book is a wonderful source for information on teas and themes/recipies for cookies, preserves, jams, fruit butters, cakes and many other things. The chapter headings are Tea-The Drink, House SpecialTeas, A British Cream Tea, An American Cream Tea, A Southern Tea, High Tea, Thanksgiving Tea, Christmas Tea, Easter Tea, Russian
Tea, Chinese Tea, Children’s Tea, Chocolate Lover’s Tea, Feel Better Tea, Late-Night Tea and Bare Bones Tea. Each is a theme including tea and food and a short 4 or 5 paragraph description of what the tea is about. It also includes sources for obtaining the various teas used as well as sources for accessories/furnishings, etc used in each photo layout (I love this because how many of us have seen something in a photo shoot that we fell in love with and had no idea where to find)
CLOTTED CREAM (makes 1 1/3 cups serves 4 to 6)
The cream served in England is not available here, although there are a
number of substitutes and facimiles available. We use the following:
1 cup heavy cream, at room temeperature
1/3 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar
One hour before serving, pour the heavy cream into a bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Whisk in the sour cream and sugar, continuing to beat until the mixture is very thick.
Place in the refrigerator and chill until it is time to serve.
If you want to make this ahead of time, it should last 4 to 6 hours in the
refrigerator.
Just wanted to talk about clotted cream. The recipe that was given sounded rather more like what I know as whipped cream. What I understood to be clotted cream is, I think, cream that is put into a flattish earthenware dish and left on the back of the stove at the very lowest heat possible (try an asbestos or other mat, if possible) for about 24 hours, by which time it will not have boiled, but thickened, at least the top layer, and have a crusting that looks rather like cradle cap. You then put it on some stone to cool down and eat with just about anything, since it’s not sweet.
One of the Elizabeth David recipes for saffron cake uses clotted cream instead of butter. I’m not altogether sure of this recipe, never having made it. Doubtless someone else will know better.
Also, I _think_ (not certain, have lent out my copy), that the Gloucester cheese and ale recipe in Elisabeth Ayrton’s The Cookery of England is period? I think it involves melting cheese and ale (and butter?) and pouring it over bread.