Let's spill the tea
Mar. 27—There's something special about a formal tea — elegant, sophisticated, a pause in our busy lives to enjoy a few savories and sweets, a hot cup of tea and the company of friends.
Jane Schmidt of Rochester hosts formal teas in her home and has raised the "tea bar" pretty high. She's even gone so far as to remodel a room in her house specifically for this purpose.
Teas and the hosting that comes with it are clearly a passion of hers, so the room remodel was a natural step.
"It was pre-pandemic and there was a nice-sized room which wasn't getting much use," Schmidt said. "So I thought why not a room devoted to having teas, a tea room? We tore out old carpet, added wood floors, painted and added a few pieces of antique furniture."
A large table sits in the middle of the room set with a lace tablecloth, antique cups and saucers and colorful tea pots. The table is always set since as she says.
"I love the look of it," Schmidt says. "It makes me happy, plus maybe a friend will stop by and we'll have tea. I'm ready."
In one corner is a rack with elegant hats if a guest has the urge to don one. There is also a glass-fronted cupboard filled with tea cups and saucers, a small part of a collection of around 160.
"I started collecting them about 21 years ago," she says.
Tea related items are also on the walls tucked here and there including a sign that reads "Let's Spill The Tea." That she said doesn't mean to literally spill it but rather to pour a cup. Much of what she has comes from estate sales, flea markets and garage sales. "I've found some treasures."
Not only has she created an inviting ambiance but has also mastered the art of baking sweets and savories, perfect for teas.
"They should be small so you can eat them in two bites," Schmidt advises.
There are usually three courses — scones (always), savories and sweets.
The afternoon I was there she served mini madeleines, mini scones, a cardamom-based cookie, and a small egg salad open-faced sandwich. Little containers on the table are filled with a wide variety of tea bags so you can choose your favorite, including Darjeeling, called the champagne of black teas.
So how did this all start? With a friend from Greece who had children the same age as hers. When they had play dates, she would serve Schmidt tea. It was always an elegant repast and so the seed was planted. At one point she toyed with the idea of opening a tea room, but after taking a class on starting a business she decided it was too much work.
"It might also take the fun out of it," Schmidt says.
She limits her teas to just friends and family. However, she is now busy with an Alice in Wonderland Tea to be held April 20 at Christ United Methodist Church.
"Putting on a tea is a lot of work and takes planning, but I love to do it and everyone seems to enjoy it. It's a gift I can give," she says.
Tea as a beverage goes back thousands of years but as an actual tea party within the past 175 years. An English import, one of the first was held by English royalty in 1840, an elegant, exclusive affair. It remains very much a tradition in that country, though scaled back. Even Queen Elizabeth was served tea every afternoon. In addition to Earl Gray tea, her favorite, she was served little tea sandwiches and mini cakes.
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut in to 1/4-inch pieces
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon cold whipping cream
Preheat oven to 425. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. If using a food processor put in dry ingredients and mix. Scatter butter over and pulse 12 times, each pulse 1 second. Transfer dough to a large bowl. If doing by hand combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and whisk well. Using a pastry blender cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in heavy cream with a spatula or fork until a dough forms, about 30 seconds. Add more cream if dough seems dry, 1 tablespoon at a time. Working gently, bring mixture together with hands until a dough forms. Transfer dough and all dry, floury bits to countertop and knead by hand until dough comes together into a rough, sticky ball, 5-10 seconds. Form scones using one of these methods:
* Press into an 8-inch cake pan, then turn dough out onto a floured surface, cut into 8-10 wedges.
* Pat dough into a square about 1/2-inch thick and cut into 12 squares.
* Pat dough into a 3/4-inch thick circle and cut pieces with a biscuit cutter. Press remaining scraps back into another piece and continue until dough is used up.
Place scones on parchment paper 2-inches apart and bake until light brown, 12 — 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Post Bulletin food writer Holly Ebel knows what's cookin'. Send comments or story tips to
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