Marking St. Patrick’s Day With Afternoon Tea : Irish Commemorate the Occasion With Cart of Breads, Sweets and Sandwiches

‘One thing special about St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland is afternoon tea. That’s a must,” said Gerri Gilliland, owner of Gilliland’s in Santa Monica, where a typical Irish tea will be served on Sunday to commemorate that day.

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, who is said to have banished all vipers when he was made priest (which creatively explains why there are no snakes in Ireland), is celebrated in Ireland with a warming pot of tea customarily served from a tea cart, not the table.

“The breads and sandwiches are on the top shelf, the sweets below. Somebody plays ‘Mother,’ meaning, of course, that someone is made in charge of the cart,” Gilliland said.

In Ireland, typical tea fare starts out with Buttermilk Scones, baps (buns), soda breads ( bannocks )--either wheat or plain--and sandwiches, such as smoked salmon and eel from the freshwater lake of Lough Neagh. Cucumber and watercress sandwiches are also a favorite in Ireland, as they are in Britain.

Tea Traditions Changed

Gilliland points out that the Industrial Revolution changed the complexion of afternoon tea throughout Britain. The Industrial Revolution made it possible for the elaborate tea custom, practiced by privileged class, to be available to the poor masses, who previously could not afford the time or the products.

“After all, the poor were busy digging potatoes. It was then that commercial bakers began experimenting and developing products and when regional specialties began to flourish,” Gilliland said.

Today’s Irish tea cart may include biscuits (cookies), spongecake, poundcakes and fruitcake, as well as small cakes. “Never chocolate and never marmalade as are found in English teas. Chocolate is not complementary with tea,” Gilliland said.

Shortbread, which is actually a Scottish invention, was popularized in Northern Ireland because of geographic proximity. When shortbreads are cut into triangles they are called “petticoat tails.” In Ireland, shortbread is made with rice flour, which seems to enhance texture and taste.

Another Irish specialty, not likely found on English tea tables, for instance, is Boiled Cake, which always appeared on the tea cart at Gilliland’s home in Belfast. Although the cake is actually a fruitcake, it is served spread with butter to enrich it even further for an afternoon pickup. The word “boiled” refers to the cooking of the fruit with sugar and eggs for a custard base before flour is added.

Another Specialty

Yet another specialty of Northern Ireland is the potato apple cake, which is actually a potato griddle cake stuffed with apples. Bap, the most traditional, and probably the oldest known tea accompaniment, is similar to a bread bun served with butter.

Plain spongecake is split or rolled and filled with jam and seasonal fruit. Creamed cakes, so called because butter and sugar are creamed before flour is added, include such classics as the Madeira cake, named for the beverage with which it is served--not made. “Madeira is the forerunner of the traditional poundcake and it was originally served by the Irish aristocracy, who actually were the English and Scots, not Irish.”

Small cakes may include lemon curd tarts and almond pastry, which is a version of the British jam tart. Macaroons, also considered small cakes, are much like Italian amaretti, but made with rice flour.

Cake and macaroon leftovers accumulated during the week are generally turned into a trifle flavored with Irish mist or Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry and served with tea on the following Sunday. The cakes are sliced to use as the trifle layers, and the macaroons are crumbled to make topping crumbs.

Irish tea also boasts some special touches that differ slightly from English tea, starting with terminology. “One never ‘makes’ a cup of tea. In Ireland one ‘wets,’ ‘soaks,’ ‘draws’ or ‘brews’ a cup of tea.”

Gave These Pointers

Gilliland gave these pointers for making perfect Irish tea, stressing that only fresh water be used:

“Boil water no longer than 30 seconds to keep water as fresh as possible. Also never reuse water that has stood in a pot overnight.

“The pot should be warmed with hot water before using. Irish tea-makers prefer black tea, such as Darjeeling; not Chinese or green tea.

“A rule of thumb is to allow one teaspoon of tea per cup. First, place as much tea as will be needed for the number of persons to be served in the pot. Then, pour boiling water into the warmed tea pot over the tea leaves. Steep for two to five minutes, then stir to blend well. No need to strain the tea leaves, as do the English. “The Irish don’t mind tea leaves in their cup,” Gilliland said. And always use milk, never half and half. “Some Irish folk use lemon for Russian-style tea, but most prefer milk.”

Gilliland attended a culinary college in Belfast before coming to the United States on a holiday 10 years ago. “I never went back to live in Ireland,” Gilliland said. In the United States she taught cooking classes and operated a catering business. Gilliland’s is her first restaurant venture.

Here are some of the recipes that are part of a typical Irish tea for St. Patrick’s Day or otherwise.

BUTTERMILK SCONES

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons sugar

Milk

1/4 cup buttermilk

Sift together flour, salt and baking powder into food processor. Add butter and blend to crumb stage. Add sugar, 1/4 cup milk and buttermilk. Mix until soft, and not longer sticky.

Turn out onto lightly floured board and knead until smooth. Roll out 1/2 inches thick. Cut into rounds with 2-inch cookie cutter. Transfer to buttered cookie sheet. Brush tops with milk and bake near top of oven at 450 degrees 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Serve with butter jam or preserves, if desired. Makes XXX.

ALMOND MACAROONS

3 large egg whites

Dash salt

1 1/2 cups ground almonds, loosely packed

1 cup superfine sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons rice flour

18 to 20 whole blanched almonds

Whip egg whites and salt until stiff. Fold in ground almonds, sugar and rice flour.

Drop by teaspoons onto buttered parchment paper on baking sheet. Insert almond into each macaroon. Bake at 325 degrees 25 to 30 minutes or until crisp and pale golden. Cool, then peel cookies off paper. Store in airtight container. Makes 18 macaroons.

SHORTBREAD

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup rice flour

1 cup flour

Cream together butter and sugar until pale in color and fluffy. Sift together flours. Mix into creamed mixture as quickly as possible to make paste. Press dough into 6 1/2 inch circle on baking sheet or 7-inch tart pan with removable sides. Score wedges with blunt edge of knife. Decorate by piercing with fork. Makes 1 (9-inch round).

ALMOND FINGERS

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 1/4 cups flour

Apricot jam

Filling

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Cream together butter and sugar in food processor. Add egg and process until smooth. Add lemon juice and flour. Process until smooth. Let rest in refrigerator 1 hour.

Roll out to fit 11x7-inch baking pan. Spread thin layer of apricot jam evenly over pastry. Pour Filling evenly over jam layer. Sprinkle top with slivered almonds. Bake at 350 degrees 40 minutes or until light golden and almonds are slightly colored. Let cool in pan. Cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch fingers.

Filling

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar

2 eggs

1 cup ground almonds

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons brandy or rum

In food processor, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and process until smooth. Add almonds, flour and brandy. Process until smooth.

Note: Vanilla sugar is available in the spice section of supermarkets.

BOILED CAKE

(Irish Fruitcake)

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup water

1 cup margarine or butter

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup candied cherries

2 1/2 cups chopped mixed dried fruit

1/2 cup mixed fruit peel

2 to 3 teaspoons mixed spice (ground allspice, cloves, mace, cinnamon)

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs, beaten

Combine brown sugar, water, margarine, corn syrup, baking soda, cherries, mixed dried fruit, fruit peel and mixed spice in saucepan. Heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil and boil 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and pour into mixing bowl. Cool. Sift together flour and baking powder. Stir into cooled fruit mixture. Stir in eggs until well blended. Pour into well greased, paper-lined 8- or 9-inch cake pan. Bake at 375 degrees 2 hours or until wood pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan before turning out. Makes 1 fruitcake.