Tea Times - Forget everything you ever knew about the traditional tea party. Tea has grown up, gained sophistication and gone international

The three martini lunch is passe. The cocktail party is in decline. These days the truly trendy invite their friends in to take tea.

But if tea conjures up old-fashioned images of proper people sitting around with their pinkies raised, think again. Tea has changed.

When artist Merle Miller decided to give her very first tea party, she was faced with two challenges: How to give her contemporary home a romantic teatime atmosphere, and how not to overwhelm her male guests with too many frilly foods.

But Miller was determined. Inspired by a recent trip to London, her tea featured a patio counter covered with splashy batik cloths to highlight champagne glasses and berry baskets, and sofas and chairs draped with rich heavy throws. At the flower mart in downtown Los Angeles, she found some wide French-tapestry-wired ribbons and natural fiber ribbons, which she wove around her teapot, along with some old lace.

And so it was on a beautiful sunlit Sunday afternoon at 4 o’clock, teatime, that Miller’s sprawling Bel-Air home, full of post-modern furniture and tribal art, was transformed into an eclectic tea parlor. Caterer Kay Kramon brought freshly baked currant scones and orange mini-muffins, and a harpist was hired.

To avoid what Miller termed “sensory overload,” she placed the food, tea services and floral centerpieces (pots of exotic orchids and cheerful spring bouquets) at various stations inside the house and around the patio. Arranging the food with a painterly eye for balance and color, she mixed and matched the trays, china, platters and baskets used to serve each item. Wild twig baskets contained Parmesan toast; a green marble slab held parsley-trimmed sandwiches. Miller put plates of sugar-sprinkled brownies and strawberries on a metal kitchen rack decorated with French ribbon. Vegetable sandwiches garnished with orchids and delicate bamboo sprigs were set on a blond wood tray.

As for the beverage itself, Miller feels that “A lot of teas are boring--they have no flavor.” She favors Darjeeling from New Delhi because “It’s very fresh, musty and earthy.” She’s also a fan of designer teas--”I love apricot.”

And how did the men get along? Miller said she was thrilled by their response. There is, however, one thing she discovered: “Men don’t really like little sandwiches,” Miller said. “Next time, I’ll serve bigger, heavier ones.”

Free-lance food writer Judith Pacht’s version of high tea was done in the style of the Southwest.

She served small tostadas filled with tequila-marinated flank steak. Pacht dreamed up another variation on the traditional tea sandwich in the form of quesadilla wedges with sun-dried tomatoes and chiles. (These can be assembled ahead and heated just before serving.) They were accompanied by fragrant lemon and cinnamon teas served in multihued Luna Garcia-designed cups.

Cornmeal- pinon tartlets, a spinoff of a cornmeal pie idea, were filled with toasted pine nuts in buttery caramel. And a spicy hint of chile was the surprise twist in her fudgy Sandia chocolate-chile squares, named for Sandia Peak in New Mexico. To drink, Pacht often pours good quality green tea. “It has an essence that is so fragrant and subtle,” she said.

Pacht served her casual tea in the living room, on top a grand piano lushly draped with a geometric black-and-white weave; a Southwestern-style fireplace warmed the room. “The important thing,” Pacht said, “is to keep the food simple. Also, to make the party easier for the host or hostess, it is better to invite just a few people, at most six to eight. Otherwise go to Trumps and have a terrific time.”

“When I was little, everybody had teas,” said Barbara Cheatley, a Claremont store owner. “I grew up helping my mother make sandwiches for tea. Usually we didn’t sit--we just walked around and balanced our plates. We all thought we had to be ladies.”

From the Georgian through the Victorian era, many little girls in high-button shoes had Nursery Tea in the afternoon. It was served on a miniature tea service; dolls were generally the honored guests.

Our modern Nursery Tea was conceived by caterer Kay Kramon and offered warm cocoa mixed with orange-flavored tea and miniature marshmallows.

For adult appetites, she suggested a menu to go with herbal or fruit teas: traditional Marsala-laden scones with creme fraiche and fresh berry jam; lemon curd tartlets (adapted from Martha Stewart’s book “Entertaining”); orange pate with Grand Marnier, and crisp endive with salmon roe. And just to prove that a tea can be held anywhere, this one was served in interior designer Marcella Bade’s upstairs bedroom, overlooking the Hollywood hills.

The following recipes are from Judith Pacht and Kay Kramon. For assorted mini-sandwiches, Kramon suggests different combinations of thinly sliced cucumber, tomato, white and red radishes, watercress, dill, chives and parsley, and various sprouts with herbed mayonnaise or tarragon butter. Use very thinly sliced crustless white and wheat breads. Flavored breads, such as the anise or fig breads from La Brea Bakery (or your own banana or date nut bread), make wonderful tea party fare when spread with cream cheese.

A SOUTHWEST TEA

Tequila Flank Steak Tostaditas Quesadilla Wedges With Sun-Dried Tomatoes and ChilesMexican Wedding Cakes Sandia Chocolate Chile Squares Lemon, Green and Mango Teas

TEQUILA FLANK STEAK TOSTADITAS

1 (1-pound) flank steak

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup tequila

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut in quarters

2 avocados

1/3 cup grated onion

1 cup finely diced tomato, drained

2 teaspoons (or to taste) jalapeno sauce

Salt

Few drops lemon juice

1 1/2 cups finely shredded arugula or romaine lettuce leaves

Place flank steak in non-metal flat dish and add soy sauce, tequila, garlic and oregano. Turn several times, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat broiler. Drain steak and pat dry. Broil 3 to 4 minutes about 5 inches from heat source on one side, then turn and broil 2 minutes more for medium rare. Cool and slice across grain. Shred enough meat to make 2 1/2 to 3 cups.

Lightly brush olive oil on each tortilla quarter. Arrange on baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees 7 to 9 minutes or until tortillas begin to brown and become crisp. Cool.

Remove peel and pits from avocados. Mash with fork leaving some chunks. Blend in onion and 1/2 cup diced tomato. Season to taste with jalapeno sauce, salt and lemon juice.

To assemble tostadas: Lightly spread each tortilla quarter with some of avocado mixture. Arrange shredded arugula or romaine leaves with shredded meat over avocado. Spoon dollop of remaining avocado mixture over meat. Garnish with remaining diced tomato. Makes 24 tostaditas.

QUESADILLA WEDGES WITH SUNDRIED TOMATOES AND CHILES

4 Anaheim or Pasilla chiles or 1 (4-ounce) can roasted chiles

2 (10-inch) flour tortillas, cut into 6 wedges

3 cups shredded Ranchero or Muenster cheese

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, cut in slivers

Salt

Jalapeno sauce, optional

Creme fraiche or sour cream

12 leafy sprigs cilantro

Place chiles 5 inches from broiler heat source and turn frequently until skins blister. Seal in plastic bag until cool enough to handle. Remove skins and seeds. Cut into 1/4-inch strips. If using canned roasted chiles, cut chiles into 1/4-inch strips.

Arrange tortillas on large shallow non-stick baking sheet. Divide cheese, tomatoes and chile strips over tortilla slices. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Place in upper third of 400-degree oven and bake 7 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Season with jalapeno sauce. Fold pointed end of tortilla slice over. Garnish each quesadilla with dollop of creme fraiche and sprig of cilantro. Serve immediately. Makes 12 small quesadillas.

MEXICAN WEDDING CAKES

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

2 cups flour

Dash salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 scant cup ground walnuts

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Cream butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar until well blended. Mix in flour, salt, vanilla and walnuts. Mix well.

Pinch off dough into 1 tablespoon pieces and form into balls. Arrange on baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees 20 to 22 minutes or until slightly firm but not brown. (Cookies will harden as they cool.)

Remove from baking sheet and lift onto wax paper to cool. Sift 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar into small bowl. Roll each cake in powdered sugar. Makes about 4 dozen.

SANDIA CHOCOLATE CHILE SQUARES

8 ounces semisweet chocolate

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3/4 cup flour

Dash salt

2 1/2 to 3 teaspoons New Mexico chile powder

1/2 cup sugar

4 eggs, beaten

Powdered sugar, sifted

Melt chocolate and butter in top of double boiler over gently simmering water, stirring occasionally to blend. Cool.

Sift flour, salt and chile powder into small bowl. Whisk sugar, small amount at time, into beaten eggs until sugar is dissolved and mixture is ribbony. Add cooled chocolate mixture and stir until blended. Stir in flour mixture just until blended. Batter will be thick.

Spoon batter into buttered and lightly floured 13x9-inch baking pan, spreading top evenly with spatula. (Batter should be about 1/4-inch deep in pan.) Bake at 325 degrees 15 minutes.

Sift powdered sugar over 2-foot length wax paper. Cut brownie-like cake into 32 squares and lift onto sugared paper. Sprinkle tops lightly with powdered sugar. Makes 32 squares.

CORNMEAL PINON TARTLETS

3 eggs

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 cup light corn syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 tablespoons cornmeal

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 cups pine nuts, toasted

1/2 cup butter, melted

Cornmeal Tartlet Shells or 24 partially baked store-bought 3-inch tartlet shells

Beat eggs lightly in bowl. Stir in dark brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, cornmeal and lemon juice. Add pine nuts and melted butter, stirring to blend.

Spoon about 2 tablespoons mixture into each tartlet shell. (There will be about 1 cup mixture left. Reserve for future use, if desired.) Place in upper third of 350-degree oven 15 to 17 minutes or until tops of tartlets begin to brown.

Cool on wire racks. Tap gently to remove from tartlet tins (crust is crumbly, handle with care.) Makes 24 tartlets.

Note: Make 12 tart shells using larger tart pans and bake at 350 degrees 20 to 25 minutes.

Cornmeal Tartlet Shells

Butter

Yellow cornmeal

1 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

4 extra-large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Butter 3-inch tartlet pans and dust with cornmeal. Combine 1 cup cornmeal, flour, salt and sugar in work bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade. (Dough may be processed in 2 batches if processor is small.)

With motor running, add yolks, one at time, until blended. Add vanilla. Mix in unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons at time, pulsing after each addition. (Use 1 second pulses until dough appears coarse and feels sticky but not oily.)

Gather dough into ball. Divide into 24 pieces. Roll each piece dough on floured surface using flour-dusted rolling pin. Carefully fit into tartlet pans, folding over edges to thicken sides. (If dough is difficult to handle, chill before rolling for ease in handling. Thin spots may easily be patched.)

Place in upper third of 350-degree oven and bake 8 minutes. Cool on racks. Makes 24 shells.

TE DE CANELA

(Cinnamon Tea)

8 cups water

4 (2-inch) cinnamon sticks

Honey, optional

Bring water to boil in non-corrosive pot. Add cinnamon sticks, cover and boil 7 to 8 minutes or just until water becomes pink. Remove cinnamon sticks, and pour into heated tea pot. Serve immediately with honey. Makes 8 (1-cup) servings.

TE DE LIMON

(Lemon Tea)

8 cups water

50 dried te de limon (lemon tea leaves), about 1/2 cup leaves, loosely packed

Honey

Lemon wedges

Bring water to boil. Pour into non-corrosive heated tea pot. Add dried lemon tea leaves, cover tea pot and steep 5 minutes or until water becomes pale yellow-green.

Strain into tea cups and serve immediately with honey and lemon wedges. Makes 8 (1-cup) servings.

Note: Dried te de limon is available in Mexican markets, or use lemon grass from Thai markets.

ORANGE MINI-MUFFINS WITH CHICKEN SALAD

2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast

Chopped segments of 1 small peeled orange

1/2 cup dry roasted almonds, chopped

1/4 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

1/4 cup mayonnaise

Orange Mini-Muffins

Combine chopped chicken, orange, almonds, five-spice powder and mayonnaise, mixing well. Sandwich filling between split muffins. Makes 16 to 20.

Note: If desired, tuck small piece lettuce in each muffin sandwich.

Orange Mini-Muffins

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup sifted flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup sour cream

Zest of 1 orange

1/4 cup chopped roasted almonds

1/2 cup orange juice

Spray mini-muffin pans with non-stick vegetable coating. Cream butter and sugar in electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until smooth.

Sift together flour and salt. Add baking soda to sour cream. Alternately add flour mixture and sour cream mixture to butter mixture, mixing just to blend. Do not overmix. Add orange zest and almonds.

Spoon batter into mini-muffin tins and bake at 400 degrees 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush tops with orange juice. Cool. Slice muffins in halves. Makes about 16 to 20 muffins.

HARROD’S HEDGEHOG ROLLS

(“Harrod’s Cookery Book”

by Marilyn Aslani)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup lukewarm water

1 cup lukewarm milk

2 (1/4-ounce) packages dry yeast

5 cups unbleached flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons butter

48 currants

1 egg, lightly beaten

Dissolve sugar in lukewarm water and milk, then stir in yeast. Let stand in warm place 10 to 15 minutes until frothy.

Sift flour with salt and cut in butter. Make well in center, pour in yeast mixture and mix to smooth dough. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead 10 minutes. Return dough to bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place 45 to 60 minutes or until doubled.

Knead dough 5 minutes. Lightly butter and flour 2 baking sheeets. Divide dough into 16 uniform-size pieces. Shape each into oval. Press 1 end slightly flat, then press in sides to make hedgehog’s face.

Place piece of dough on baking sheet facing away. Using small pair scissors and starting behind head, snip small points all over body to make hedgehog “spines.” Press in 2 currants on face for eyes and 1 for nose. Brush with beaten egg to glaze. Cover and leave in warm place 15 minutes.

Bake at 450 degrees 15 to 18 minutes or until shiny golden brown and bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on wire rack. Makes 16 rolls.

GRAND MARNIER ORANGE SPICE PATE

1 pound chicken livers

1/2 cup sliced onion

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

1 1/2 cups butter, cut up

2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder

1/2 cup Grand Marnier

Place chicken livers, onion, garlic, bay leaf, salt and water in saucepan. Bring to boil, cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Drain solids and place in food processor bowl. Process into smooth puree, slowly adding butter pieces. Add five-spice powder, pulse to blend, then add Grand Marnier. Process until smooth and creamy.

Turn mixture into mold, smoothing top with spatula. Refrigerate at least 1 day before serving. Makes about 3 2/3 cups.

Note: Garnish with criss-crossed slivers of orange zest, orange blossoms and leaves. Serve with fresh, sliced French bread, if desired.

CURRANT SCONES

4 1/2 cups sifted flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces

1/2 cup Marsala wine

1 1/4 to 1 3/4 cups whipping cream

1 cup currants

1 egg

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and sugar into large mixing bowl. Combine 1/2 flour mixture with butter and process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Remove from processor and add to remaining flour in bowl.

Mixing lightly with fingers, gradually add Marsala wine and enough whipping cream (1 to 1 1/2 cups, larger amount makes for softer richer scones) until dough holds together. Mix in currants. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill about 30 minutes.

Roll dough into 3/4-inch thick circle. Using 2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out scones. Beat egg lightly with 1/4 cup cream. Brush scones with egg glaze and arrange on buttered baking sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees, or until golden brown and puffed, about 13 to 15 minutes. Makes about 10 (i-inch) scones.

Note: Serve with creme fraiche and fresh berry jam, if desired.

LEMON CURD TARTLETS (“Martha Stewart’s Entertaining Cookbook”)

2 cups sugar

12 egg yolks, lightly beaten and strained

1 cup lemon juice

1 cup unsalted butter

2 tablespoons grated lemon zest

Tartlet Shells

Raspberries, optional

Combine sugar and egg yolks in medium saucepan. Gradually stir in lemon juice. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture coats back of spoon and registers 168 degrees on candy thermometer. Do not boil.

Remove from heat, whisk until slightly cooled. Stir in butter and lemon zest. Cool completely. Fill Tartlet Shells with lemon curd and decorate with raspberries. Makes 30 to 40 tartlets.

Tartlet Shells

2 cups sifted flour

Dash salt

3/4 cup cold unsalted butter

1/3 cup ice water

Combine flour and salt in bowl of food processor. Cut butter into small pieces and add to flour. Process quickly until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add water by droplets, mixing just until dough holds together when pressed with fingers (dough should not be wet or sticky).

Remove dough from bowl of processor and press into flat round. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill 20 to 30 minutes.

To form tartlets, use twice as many tartlet pans as projected number of tartlets. Lightly spray insides of 1/2 pans with non-stick vegetable coating. Roll out 1/2 pastry on floured board into round about 1/8-inch thick. Place tartlet pans on pastry and with sharp knife, cut pastry into pieces slightly larger than pans.

Place pastry in prepared pans, pressing firmly. Cut off excess pastry with thumb. Press unbuttered pan into each pastry-lined pan to act as weight. Place shells on baking sheet and chill 30 minutes.

(If necessary, place baking sheet on top of shells to hold down while baking.) Bake shells at 375 degrees 10 minutes. Remove top sheet and bake additional 5 to 7 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from pans and cool. Makes 30 to 40 shells.

Resources:

Ladies afternoon tea photographed at the home of Marcella Bade, an interior designer and owner of Design Connection Showroom, Los Angeles. The teapot assemblage is the Luneville pattern from Barbara Cheatley’s in Claremont.

Children’s fantasy tea: prop coordination by Michelle Proctor. Wicker Furnishings from Design Connection. Menu by Katherine Kramon Catering, Sherman Oaks. Teal moire fabric from Linen Lenders in Sherman Oaks. Battenberg lace, the Brambley Hedge children’s tea service from Royal Doulton, little tea novelties, antique glass pedestals, all from Barbara Cheatley’s. Victorian menu cards, place cards and napkin rings from Winslow Papers, Lawrenceville, N. J. Calligraphy by Rosa Chandler of Roseberry’s in Pasadena.

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Food styling by Minnie Bernardino and Donna Deane