"Where there's tea, there's hope." - Arthur Wing Pinero
Romancing the Home is back for another installment on how four ladies from different walks of life living in different areas (and Provinces or "states") of South Africa take an idea and put their own mark on it. Our mark.
This is my mark.
When people ask me how I got into baking cakes for a living, my first response is that I like eating cake, so I learnt how to bake cakes at the earliest convenience of my mom who wasn't keen on people encroaching on her kitchen space, unless it was to help prepare meals or wash up.
Being a mom myself, now I can totally understand. We want our children to learn, we want them to show interest and goodness knows, we'd love them to help; but the mess and uncoordinated synchronization of someone in your work space can be frustrating when things have to get done on time.
Getting up early on a Saturday morning and spending time making scones and setting up a cheerful tea can be a nice family event. I had one sticking macarons together, one washing berries and one, well, just nagging about when he would get to eat the stuff we were prepping! Dad of course had to wipe down the table and chairs.
Already you may have picked up on a lot more than two people involved in this tea for two, yes, we are a big family and most of them are boys. Although they love eating the finer things, the drinking out of grandma's passed down tea set off of a white tablecloth set with flowers simply does not interest them. And that's when I thank my oh-so-very-lucky! stars for my Belle!
She is a lady born!
Please excuse the bed head, she had just woken up from her nap when she joined me on the back stoep (porch). She loved the fresh blueberries and strawberries on cream in the little meringue cups so much she licked both clean and gave me the empty shells!
She also loves drinking tea with her mommy and seems to have inherited my love of shoes, even though she's most often found barefoot.
I only wish my mom could have met her. *sigh*
The Star of the Show:
These little cakes were inspired by my favorite tea set. Pretty little blue pansies and some gold detail with the frame on a pale green marbled effect. the other was a technique I've been wanting to try, abstract watercolor with beautiful gold ornate fondant decor.
The cake itself, a combination of flavors present at a high tea! Rich buttery sugary goodness smothering black tea sponge cake layered with rose syrup (my sister brought me from Turkey) buttercream and Turkish delight, finely chopped. So Yummy!
The other eats I put out were, as previously mentioned, macarons, self made; and let me tell you, unless it's something you do often, they will likely not be as pretty as what you would find in Laduree, but still taste great!
I picked this book up at my favorite event of the year, the Exclusive Books Warehouse Sale which happens once a year and for a bibliophile like me, it's heaven!
This book has some fascinating flavor combinations and ideas for both sweet and savory taste bud adventures!
I did a few varieties of sandwiches including strawberry with creamcheese, ham with mustard on seedbread and cucumber with smooth cottage cheese. The point of tea snacks is to have them small, to be eaten with two fingers...
"Tea is a chance to slow down, sit back and appreciate our surroundings." - Letitia Baldrige
PS. In case anyone was wondering why the sugar bowl is so big, I believe it is because back in the day, the folks would have sugar cubes instead of loose sugar. I may be wrong, but I like the idea anyway. And just thinking about it makes me wonder when last I actually saw sugar cubes in the shop!?
Don't forget to go see what the other ladies have put together for tea time!
Ramona @rufflesandrust
Stacy @sawdustandhighheels
Liz @keepitfrench
Hope you have a beautiful Sunday, if you are Romancing your Home, #romancingthehomesundays we'd love to see what brings you joy!
See you next week for Romancing the Home with Table Settings...