When It’s Tea Time in Brentwood : Entertaining: A party menu fit for a mum.

Sheila Ricci has style--a way of presenting food that makes you want to call W or Vogue or Architectural Digest to photograph it on the spot. She turns the most mundane event into a work of art.

Take, for instance, her recent menu for afternoon tea. A hand-written invitation on a museum post card said: “Come to a tea party at 3 o’clock.”

Tea comes naturally to the English-born Ricci, who learned to bake from her English-Irish mother. She once operated a tea room, and is so adept at certain specialties that she now supplies Marmalade, a gourmet deli in Brentwood, with pate and petticoat tails, gingerbread and trifle.

But she does more than simply serve wonderful food; Ricci sets a great table. For her tea, the round table off the kitchen was set with an oversized bento box (acquired during a trip to Japan) lined with an antique Irish lace towel, and filled with an assortment of tea sandwiches kept moist under a sheet of dampened bread (a trick used in her English home). Jams, Devon cream, her own homemade scones and homemade Champagne mustard for the sandwiches were set amid antique candlesticks and a fat bunch of narcissus tied and placed in a Baccarat vase.

At another table, accented with a vase of tall, white French tulips, an antique tiered Woburn Abbey tea table contained homemade mince and pecan tarts, shortbread and miniature chocolate chip cookies. Flanked by vases of white azaleas were a grappa tube cake (made from a recipe in Gourmet) and a silver tray upon which Harvey’s Bristol Cream and dry Sherries stood in sparkling crystal flasks. Lacking costly grappa, however, Ricci used reasonably priced Chivas Regal, with excellent results.

“I’m too Irish to pay $160 for a bottle of grappa, “ she says.

RICCI’S AFTERNOON TEA

TEA SANDWICHES

Black Forest ham and Wensleydale cheese with Champagne Mustard

Cucumber sandwiches

Egg salad

Salmon Mousse with capers

BAKED GOODS

Scones with St. Ival Devon cream

Gooseberry preserve with cowslip wine

Crab apple jelly with damson wine

Rhubarb and ginger preserve

Blackberry and apple jam

Quince jelly

TEAS

Michael Harney & Sons Tea

Darjeeling

CAKES AND TARTS

Pecan Tarts

Mincemeat

Chocolate Grappa Cake

TEA SANDWICHES

Bread is thinly sliced and sides removed. Keep bread slices moist with dampened cap of one large round or rectangular loaf to keep bread from drying out. Use finely sliced Black Forest ham and Wensleydale cheese. Spread bread with Champagne Mustard.

For cucumber sandwiches use olive bread and hot-house cucumbers, leaving rind intact. Chill cucumbers, then cut paper-thin. Season to taste with salt.

For egg salad, finely chop 12 hard-cooked eggs. Add sour cream, mayonnaise or creme fraiche with chopped watercress (two bunches, leaves only). Spread bread with thin layer of Champagne Mustard.

For Salmon Mousse with capers sandwiches, remove sides of rosemary bread, cut into thin slices and store in dampened tea towels until two hours before party time. Cut into one-inch fingers.

SALMON MOUSSE

1/2 pound fresh poached salmon

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

Dash white pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

Mixed dried herbs, preferably Herbs of Provence

Salt

1 tablespoon capers, preferably South African, finely chopped

Break up salmon in food processor. Add butter in bits, white pepper, lemon juice, herbs and season to taste with salt. Add capers. Makes 12 appetizer servings.

Each serving contains about:

171 calories; 38 mg sodium; 50 mg cholesterol; 17 grams fat; 0 carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0 fiber.

CHAMPAGNE MUSTARD

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup dry mustard

3/4 cup mixed white wine vinegar and Champagne

3 eggs

Combine sugar, mustard and vinegar in top of double boiler over simmering water. Beat in eggs, 1 at time, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until mustard is of spreading consistency. Makes 12 servings.

Each serving contains about:

85 calories; 206 mg sodium; 53 mg cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0 fiber.

PECAN TARTS

12 eggs

3 cups dark brown sugar, packed

2 1/4 cups corn syrup

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3/4 cup butter, melted

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 cups chopped pecans

3/4 cup coffee liqueur

Pate Brisee Nut Tart Crusts

Pecan halves

Beat eggs in large bowl. Beat in brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, melted butter and vanilla until smooth. Stir in pecans and liqueur. Turn into Pate Brisee Nut Tart Crusts. Decorate with pecan halves. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until filling is set. Makes 12 servings.

Each serving (without pecan halves) contains about:

1,035 calories; 650 mg sodium; 330 mg cholesterol; 54 grams fat; 125 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams protein; 0.7 gram fiber.

Pate Brisee Nut Tart Crusts

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup pastry flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup butter, cut up

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Combine flours and sugar in bowl. Work in butter, egg yolks and nuts until dough is formed. Pinch off 12 portions. Press each portion into 3 1/2-inch tart shell. Makes 12 tart crusts.

CHOCOLATE GRAPPA CAKE

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour

9 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup unsalted butter

6 large eggs, separated

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup grappa, Chivas Regal or other whiskey or liqueur

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

Dash salt

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Whipped cream

Soak raisins in warm water in small bowl 20 minutes or until plumped. Drain and pat dry. Toss with 1 tablespoon flour to coat well.

Combine chocolate and butter in top of double boiler. Melt over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove bowl from heat and cool 5 minutes.

Whisk together egg yolks, granulated sugar, grappa and vanilla. Stir into chocolate mixture, little at time, stirring after each addition. Add remaining 1/4 cup flour, stirring until well incorporated into batter. Fold in floured raisins and pine nuts.

In another bowl beat egg whites with dash salt in electric mixture until soft peaks form. Stir 1/4 of egg whites into batter. Fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.

Turn into buttered and floured 9-inch springform pan. Smooth top and bake at 350 degrees 35 to 40 minutes or until puffed and small cracks appear on surface. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes before removing sides and bottom of pan. Discard wax paper. Cool completely on wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve with whipped cream. Makes 12 servings.

Each serving without whipped cream contains about:

323 calories; 34 mg sodium; 127 mg cholesterol; 22 grams fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 0.5 gram fiber.