Vol. 5 No. 2, February 2008
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The Pause that Refreshes
Afternoon tea is back in vogue at these elegant tea rooms
The traditional afternoon tea typically consists of light sandwiches, assorted scones and tiny cakes or pastries served with lots of hearty tea. But the ritual of “taking tea” is less about the meal, and more about the mood.
Done right, afternoon tea recalls a bygone era of graciousness, good manners, and simple, old-fashioned elegance. Diners craving a change (not just from fast food but from the fast pace of modern life) will love the refined experience of a tea room luncheon, says Gail Chiovari, owner of the Vintage Rose Tea Room in the Millville arts district.
“People come through the door, and it’s like they just walked into their grandmother’s parlor,” Chiovari says. “It’s comfortable, relaxed, and for those of an older generation, very reminiscent of their youth. They walk in and say, ‘Ahhh.’”
Chiovari’s tea starts with “savories” (tiny sandwiches like chicken salad on a mini-croissant, egg salad on a pumpernickel round with fresh spinach, or smoked salmon mousse on heart-shaped wheat bread).
Accompanying these are fresh-baked scones with lemon curd and clotted cream and individual pots of tea (one for each person). Her loose-leaf teas are from Harney & Sons of New York; guests can choose among dozens of brews, from chocolate strawberry to Chinese Flower, from pomegranate oolong to a coveted variety known as Lapsang Souchong.
Desserts change with the seasons but usually include Chiovari’s signature rose-shaped chocolate cake, orange cheesecake topped with apricot glaze, teapot cookies and fresh-baked muffins.
Chiovari’s ultimate tea is an upscale version of the norm, with salad and tropical green tea spritzer in a champagne flute.
Of course, a tea room isn’t a tea room without crisp linen tablecloths and napkins, china place settings (often antique, often mismatched) and bright ranks of silver. But for all their style, these services are not referred to “high tea,” as many believe.
“That’s a discrepancy—some people think ‘high tea’ means a fancier tea,” says Chiovari. “In fact, high tea is a heartier meal served later in the day, much more substantial than an afternoon tea.”
To add to the confusion, a genuine afternoon tea can also rightly be called “low tea,” because it was once served in a sitting room around a low table.
For a genuine high tea, visit the new Butterfly Tea Room, on the way to the Cape May Lighthouse.
As classical music plays, your host Peg Wolfe serves a complete tea of warm scones and pastries with lemon curd, Devonshire cream and jam, plus fresh fruit, finger sandwiches, soups and quiches.
“Nothing is processed; everything is homemade,” says Wolfe, who recommends the quiche Lorraine, the seafood quiche, and an array of hearty soups including butternut squash and chicken corn noodle.
Twenty varieties of fresh leaf tea include peppermint and plum; each tea is brewed on order. “It takes eight to 10 minutes, but it’s well worth the wait,” says Wolfe. “I have a collection of almost 60 teapots, and our guests are invited to select their own. They love that.”
A classic tea room luncheon is also available at the Carriage House Tea Room and Café in Cape May.
Located on the regal grounds of the 1879 Physick Estate, the Carriage House under Chef Denis Bellanger offers fresh tea breads (pistachio, carrot raisin, cranberry nut), assorted scones, soup or salad, and sandwiches: roasted vegetables with hummus, smoked turkey with roasted asparagus and truffle mayonnaise, egg salad (with chives picked from the Physick Estate garden), and a tea-time favorite: cucumber sandwiches with herbal mint tea cream cheese.
Sound too frou-frou and feminine? Last year Bellanger beefed up his menu—literally—to appeal to the guys.
“Sometimes we have three generations of women in the tea room, and men just come along as a courtesy,” says Bellanger. “So we broadened our menu for the heartier eater, with big wraps, bigger salads with steak and cheddar or seared ahi tuna. It’s now more than your typical tea room fare.”
For a savory sandwich that will fill you, try Bellanger’s jerk chicken wrap, “a taste of the islands” with spicy jerk-seasoned chicken, Jamaican slaw and pepper Jack cheese.
The Carriage House, which also offers a complete luncheon menu, serves Harney & Sons teas.
Lemon Curd
This traditional British spread is great on scones or toast. Takes some patience to make, but it’s worth it!
INGREDIENTS
5 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
4 lemons, zested and juiced
1 stick butter, cut into pats and chilled
Add an inch of water to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Combine egg yolks and sugar in a metal bowl and whisk until smooth.
Measure citrus juice and if needed, add enough cold water to make 1/3 cup. Add juice and zest to egg mixture and mix until smooth.
Once water reaches a simmer, reduce to low heat and place bowl on top of saucepan. (Bowl should be large enough to fit on top of saucepan without touching the water.)
Whisk until thickened, approximately eight minutes, or until mixture is light yellow and coats the back of a spoon. Remove promptly from heat and stir in butter a piece at a time, allowing each addition to melt before adding the next.
Remove to a clean container and cover by laying a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd. Refrigerate for up to two weeks.
