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Here you will find information about afternoon tea service, useful baking tips, and answers to questions about proper etiquette.
Q&A
Page One
Q. I love to bake sweet and savory breads for the holidays. But no matter how well I wrap them, once I cut a slice off, the loaf dries out. How can I keep my homemade breads fresh without using preservatives?
A. It is really quite simple. Start cutting the loaf from the center. Then, simply push the remaining ends together and wrap tightly with saran wrap. For added protection, you can then wrap aluminum foil over it as well. The cut ends pressed together will keep your loaves fresh much longer.
Q. I try to keep cheese in stock because I like to prepare savory treats to serve guests who drop by for a cup of tea. But I keep wasting a lot of cheese because it goes moldy in the refrigerator. Is there any way to prevent this?
A. To keep cheese fresh longer in the refrigerator, soak a length of cheesecloth or a fabric napkin in a bowl filled with one cup of water mixed with 1 teaspoon of salt. Wring out the saltwater so the cloth is just barely damp. Wrap the cheese in the dampened cloth, put it in a sealed plastic container and store in the refrigerator. The salt will inhibit the growth of microorganisms that spoil cheese.
Q. Please help! I always like to bake a special cake to put out on my Afternoon Tea table along with the usual sweet and savory goodies. But, I can never make my cake look as appetizing as the ones you can buy in a bakery. How can I get the icing to look as smooth as the professionals do?
A. It's really quite simple. Slather on the icing as you usually do. Then, either hold your spatula knife over a hot burner on your stove or run it under boiling hot water. Then, use the heated blade to smooth the frosting on your cake. It will be like a sheet of glass when you ar finished.
Q. I am very health conscious and always try to cut as much fat from my baking as possible. Can you suggest some ways to make baked goods healthier and lighter in calories?
A. There are several ways to reduce the fat content in your baked goods. Here are a few:
1) Replace one whole egg with two egg whites or 1/4 cup of egg substitute.
2) When a recipe calls for butter, margarine or oil, replace half the amount with applesauce, pureed pears, peaches, prunes or apricots, or mashed bananas.
3) Replace unsweetened chocolate with cocoa powder.
4) To have the same creamy consistency as heavy cream produces in your recipe, substitute low fat evaporated or condensed milk.
5) Instead of adding oil when called for in a cake mix, use non-fat sour cream or evaporated skim milk.
Q. My girlfriends are coming over for afternoon tea, and I plan to serve all of the typical sweet and savory treats. But, I'm not sure in what order to serve them. Should they be served in courses or all at one time?
A. Traditionally, there are three courses served for afternoon tea. Scones are offered first. Then the savory tea sandwiches. And, finally the sweet dessert course that can include petit fours, fruit tarts, truffles and even chocolate covered strawberries. If you want to put all of the food out at the same time, you can use a 3-tier curate stand, a metal server that holds three plates stacked vertically. Simply put the scones on the top plate, the tea sandwiches in the center, and the sweets on the bottom. If you don't have a tiered server, you can improvise by stacking three cake stands.
Q. I have a great recipe for chocolate chip cheesecake, but every time I make it, the chocolate chips sink to the bottom. Is it possible to keep them suspended and mixed throughout the cake?
A. Put the chocolate chips in a bowl. Spray them with as little nonstick cooking spray as is necessary to coat them lightly, tossing them as you spray. Then, sprinkle with a very little bit of flour and toss, again using as little as possible to coat lightly. Then, carefully stir the chocolate chips into your cheesecake batter. The cooking spray will make the flour stick to the chips, and the flour should help keep them suspended in the batter. You can also try using miniature chips, which are lighter in weight to begin with.
Q. I enjoy baking cookies, but whenever I make them from cookie dough, they seem to turn out sloppy looking. Do you have any tips for baking with cookie dough?
A. There are several things you can do to make perfect cookies from dough every time. First, use your cookie sheets as the surface to roll them out on. Put a small amount of dough in the center, and place two long thin pieces of wood about a 1/4" thick (thin dowels will work) on either side of the dough. You will use these pieces of wood as a "rolling pin guide" to roll out your dough with even thickness. Then, cut out your cookies using whatever cookie cutters you wish. When you are finished cutting, carefully pull up the excess dough from around the cookies. Your cookies will then already be in place right on the cookie sheet for baking. You will not have to disturb and possibly distort them by lifting and moving them. And, finally, if you want to decorate your cookies before baking, place the cookie cutter back down over the cookie and sprinkle on your decoration. Gently press the sprinkles into the cookie dough and lift the cookie cutter. No muss, no fuss. Your cookies are ready to bake and should look perfect when done!
Click HERE for more answers to questions about afternoon tea,
its preparation, service and enjoyment.
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