Throwing a French Tea Party

Sigh...Is there anything more wonderful than lounging in a ankle length dress, lips bright red and hair pinned up in curls, sipping tea and eating french pastries? NOPE!

How to throw a French Tea Party:

Having mastered the art of making scones, whipping up fresh Devonshire cream, and hosting a proper engligh tea party, I'm excited to add throwing French Tea Parties to my repertoire of lofty pursuits. Though I'm fairly certain the french don't do tea parties and if they do it's just a funny euphemism for drinking more wine. But what a french tea party may lack in authenticity it makes up for with butter. Oh so much butter. And what's more french that that?

Some things you'll need:

1. French pastries: The french bake, right? A french tea party must have french pastries. I chose a raspberry tart with pate brisee crust (or shortbread) and financiers with raspberries. And again this weekend, I made the same with cherries. Financiers are an interesting pastry made with butter cooked on a stove and ground almond flour then topped with fruit. Both cherries and raspberries worked perfectly with them. The raspberry tart was a bit hit or miss. It's made with pate brisee (a fancy way of saying a shortbread cookie crust). I wasn't a fan of the tartness of the raspberries on the first try so I customized it with dark cherries and clarified butter (Mmm memories)--a huge improvement. Anything that's fruity and delicate will give your tea party a french flair. (Recipe links below)  

2. Decor: When you're setting your table for low tea, ask yourself, "Would Marie Antoinette approve?". Think pastels and creams, and for God's sake put a tablecloth on your table! Think palace of Versailles: baroque, decadent, and daintier than a french confection. A little pastel goes a long way. 

3. Stereotypes! When in doubt, bring out the wheel of brie and baguette. brie and baguettes are not only telegraphically french, they also make wonderful side savories that balance out all the sweetness of the tea and pastries. 

 4. French Music: Another must. Simply go pandora and type "La Vie En Rose" and let the digital DJ do the rest. :) 

See my previous post on How to throw a Proper English Tea Party.

1.) Quiche:
7 large eggs
bacon
1 cup of cheddar
1 cup of baby spinach
1 sauteed onion
1/3 cup of heavy cream
puff pastry crust (thawed)
-Cook the bacon.
-Dice and saute the onion(Set both aside in the refrigerator to cool for about 10 minutes)
-In a large bowl whisk 7 eggs, heavy cream (add shredded cheese, spinach, and the cooled bacon and onion)
-add freshly ground black pepper
-Use a roller to flatted the thawed puff pastry and use it to line the bottom of a round pan, fill the pan will the eggs (leave room for the eggs and pastry to expand)
-Bake 400 F for 15-20 minutes.

2.) Cherry Tart: Recipe for raspberry tart (JoyofBaking)
Cherry Tart: Add 4 teaspoons of confectioners sugar to this pate brisee dough
2 cups of fresh cherries (pitted)
1/3 cup of clarified ("browned") butter (place unsalted butter in a small pan on medium heat. Allow it the bubble and froth for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally) (This is the same butter used in the financiers)
-Follow the raspberry directions from Joy of baking, using the cherries instead. drizzle the cooked butter over the top of the cherries.

3.) Financiers (See Joy Of Baking Recipe)