Tea Parties...or rather, cake parties that feature tea

Over the summer I fell in love...... with tea sets. I got a bit obsessed reading articles on the proper presentation for tea parties, the kinds of delicacies served, the proper way to serve tea, the ranges of tea sets etc. So during one fateful Laura Ashley sale, I bought the Josette Tea Set: 1 teapot, 1 cream jug, 1 sugar bowl, 5 cups and saucers and 1 3-tier cake stand.

So, this month, I put it all to use and threw a tea party for a few of my fellow Chemists. And along with some Earl Grey, Lady Grey and Jasmine tea, I served New York Cheesecake with Strawberry Coulis, Lemon Sponge Cake and home-made Chocolate Truffles.

So it seems like the key to this party being a success was the preparation. On Wednesday afternoon I made the coulis, as it can keep for a few days in the fridge and although it isn't hard it is one less thing to do; on Thursday I made the cheesecake, so it would have time to firm up and let the flavours blend in; on Friday I made the chocolate truffles on a last minute urge; and on Saturday, we ate and drank tea.

Cheesecake - I made this last July and the recipe is up here on my blog. Bear in mind that I added around 10ml of single cream to the recipe this time to cater to my guests tastes. Also, I added a couple of teaspoons of vanilla extract and a bit of lemon zest. Delicious!

Strawberry Coulis - 160g washed, dried & chopped Strawberry, 60ml water, 60g granulated sugar, lemon juice & a half capful of vanilla extract.

I simply put the sugar and water in a pan, heated til it just started boiling then added the strawberries and left on a medium high heat for 10 minutes. Then I used a handblender to liquify everything and ran the liquid through a strainer twice. to remove the froth and seeds. Leave to cool for a while, and mine was left in the fridge for 3 days.

Frosted Lemon Sponge Cake - Another joyofbaking.com recipe. I halved everything as usual, mainly because I only just had to buy one block of butter for everything I was making that way. My only recommendation would be to add more lemon juice to the frosting as, otherwise, it becomes too thick and not as "drizzly." Also, I replaced some of the lemon juice with bottled lemon juice, as it stops the tang and sour being too overwhelming. The resulting cake is the perfect mix of tangy and sweet, moist and firm.

Chocolate Truffles - These are so easy to make it makes you wonder how some shops can have the nerve to sell these so expensively (though a Blegian chocolate truffle from Belgium is definitely worth the cost). To be honest with you, it is very similar to how I make hot chocolate, except using whipping cream instead of milk and with the addition of butter.

I basically melted 15g unsalted butter in 90ml whipping cream over a medium heat on the cooker, until the cream was boiling, then poured over roughly 115g chopped, plain dark chocolate. I left that to stand for 5 minutes then whisked the mixture thoroughly. For kicks, I added a couple tablespoons of the strawberry coulis I made for my cheesecake, then left the whole thing in my fridge overnight. The next morning I scooped out the now solid chocolate with a teaspoon, rolled it into a vaguely truffle-like shape and then rolled it into a bowl of cocoa powder. I did that until most of the chocolate was finished and put my truffles into the fridge to stop them melting before my guests arrived. The leftover chocolate, I poured boiling milk over, whisked and made possibly the most unhealthy hot chocolate in existence. Which also means that it was very delicious.

The Finished Product

All these separate components came together, along with some pretty china and table laying, to make a lovle tea party. The tea flowed and the cake was liberally served, the conversation was lively and varied, and I'm definitely doing it again. Here is the visual proof of the pudding.

New York Cheesecake

Yesterday, I decided to make a cheesecake. So I bought my ingredients then realised my flatmate was the one with the cake tins. And she'd already left for the summer. So today, I popped to the hardware store and picked up a loose bottomed 7" tin.


Now cheesecake is possibly my favourite dessert. When I was little, if I went to a restaurant for the first time, I would forever judge that restaurant by the quality of the cheesecake. I blame my mother, who made awesome cheesecakes, then just stopped.


So surprisingly, this is only the 2nd cheesecake I've ever made. The first being for Food Technology at school. And it's turning out well, though it needs an overnight stay in the fridge to set. Here it is straight from the oven:






Now here is how I made it using very rough measurements as I only have a basic set of scales:

for the base:

100g biscuits (rich tea for 60p, beaten to a fine dust with the back end of a heavy knife)
60g unsalted butter (melted)
30g sugar (bog standard granulated)
a couple pinches of cinnamon


for the cheesy bit:

400g cream cheese (i.e. 2 packets of philadelphia original)
100g sugar (see above)
2 tablespoons ~40g plain flour
2 eggs
couple squirts of lemon juice
{lots of people say 40ml of cream is good here, but i don't like buying or using cream for some reason, unless its for carbonara. so I didn't bother.}


My method [no madness today]:

• Basically for the base I popped the butter in a plastic bowl in a bigger bowl of boiled water.


• While the butter was melting I bashed away at my biscuits with the handle of my breadknife; some people who live at home and not in a student flat might like to use a blender.


• I mixed the biscuit crumbs and sugar into the butter with a plastic spatula then spooned it into my cake tin which I'd greased to death with a knob of butter.


• Popped my cake tin in the fridge and prepared myself for the cheese.



• For the cheese filling I mixed the cream cheese, the flour and the sugar into a bowl.


• Then I cracked my two eggs into the mix: one at a time, mixing each one in gently before adding the next. Now this bit was weird 'cause eggs don't make the mix look pretty. I was scared it was congealing or something. Just keep mixing til it looks smooth and creamy.



• Then I took my cake tin full of biscuit and spooned in all the cheese.


• I plonked my cake tin into an oven at 175°C (~347°F for the Americans reading) and left it there for 15 minutes. After which point I turned the temperature down to 120°C (~250°F).


• I left my cheesecake in there for 1 hour and 15 minutes, and put it on the side to cool. It is still at this moment cooling, and I look forward to tasting it tomorrow.

Now for some pictures taken during the process.




On the left, my base of rich tea biscuits. On the right the cheese filling with my not very modern scales in the background

I'll post the end result tomorrow.

ta ta for now,

student_gourmand



PS Tasted gorgeous. Was a bit dense, so if you like your cheesecake fluffy and not so rich, then add the cream. Was perfect for me though. My flatmates liked it too :)
So the final result was a sweet, creamy, luxuriously rich yet simple cheesecake with a crunchy biscuit base to contrast. It went perfectly with Bon Maman strawberry preserve slathered on top.