Tea and Cookies (16 page)

5.
Using teapot or teacup cookie cutters, cut out the cookies and transfer to the baking sheets, placing the cookies 1 inch apart. Gently knead the scraps together and form into another disk. Wrap and freeze for 5 minutes before rolling out to cut out more cookies. In the meantime, work with the other disk of dough.

6.
Bake, switching the position of the cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking, just until the edges of the cookies are turning brown, about 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let cool on the cookie sheets for 10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely. (The plain cookies without icing can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost before using.)

7.
Transfer about 1½ cups of royal icing to a mixing bowl. Tightly cover the remaining icing. Whisk in enough water to give the icing the consistency of thick heavy cream. Tint the icing to your desired color. Using a small metal offset spatula, ice the top of each cookie, smoothing the edges of the cookie with the spatula to let any excess icing drip back into the bowl. While the icing is still wet, place a dragée in the top of the teapot to simulate the lid handle. Place the cookies on wire cake racks and let the icing dry completely, at least 1 hour.

8.
If you wish to make a pattern on the cookies, divide the remaining icing into the desired number of colors in small bowls. Tint each bowl of icing to the desired color. Thin each bowl of icing to the consistency of paint. Using a thin paintbrush, decorate the dried icing surfaces of the cookies as desired. Let dry completely. (The iced cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 5 days.)

Royal Icing

MAKES ABOUT
2
CUPS

Royal icing will give your cookies a glossy professional-looking sheen. It was originally made with raw egg whites, but these days the chance of salmonella in uncooked eggs makes an icing that will be standing for long periods at room temperature risky. Luckily, there are many egg white products where processing has killed any trace of salmonella. This recipe uses dried egg white powder, but see the note for alternatives.

1 pound (3¾ cups) confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 tablespoons dried egg white powder (see Note)

Combine the confectioners’ sugar, egg white powder, and 6 tablespoons water in the bowl of a heavy-duty standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to high and beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl often, until very stiff and shiny, about 4 minutes. Use immediately.

NOTE:
Dried egg white powder is available in the bakery supply section at many grocery stores. You can substitute meringue powder, available at baking supply stores and hobby shops. Or use pasteurized egg whites, found in the refrigerated section of the supermarket, which do not have to be reconstituted. Substitute ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons pasteurized egg whites for the dried egg whites and water.

Tearoom Treats

A
s tea is served in every corner of the world, the venue and menu will change according to the culture. Each of these cookies is a reminder of a specific place where tea is served, from the elegant salons of Europe to the quiet Japanese teahouses and the more boisterous tearooms of China. I have been sure to include a version of one of the most famous pairings of food and tea—Proust’s madeleines dipped in lime blossom tea.

Orange and Pine Nut Biscotti

MAKES ABOUT
40
BISCOTTI

There are basically two kinds of biscotti in the world, those made with butter or oil, and those made without. Frankly, the latter are more authentically Italian, and especially crunchy. These orange and pine nut biscotti are Americanized, but they do not suffer from the addition of butter. Try them dipped in any citrus-flavored or Earl Grey tea.

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

Grated zest of 1 orange

2 large eggs, beaten, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup pine nuts

1.
Position racks in the center and top third of the oven and preheat to 325°F.

2.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Beat the butter, sugar, and orange zest together in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until light in color and texture, about 3 minutes. Do not overmix. Gradually beat in the eggs, then the vanilla. Gradually stir in the flour mixture to make a stiff dough. Stir in the pine nuts.

3.
Divide the dough in half. Using lightly floured hands on a floured work surface, form the dough into two 10 × 2-inch rectangular logs—make the ends flat, not pointed. Transfer the logs to a baking sheet, placing them at least 2 inches apart. Bake on the center rack of the oven until the logs are set and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

4.
Using a serrated knife and a sawing motion, carefully cut the logs into diagonal slices about ½ inch wide. Place the slices on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until the under-sides of the biscotti are lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Turn the biscotti over. Switch the position of the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back. Continue baking until lightly browned on the other side, about 8 minutes longer. Let cool completely on the baking sheets. (The biscotti can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.)

Green Tea Custard Tartlets

MAKES
2 DOZEN
TARTLETS

Custard tartlets are almost always offered as part of the Chinese and Japanese tea ser vice. Flavored and colored with green matcha tea, these tartlets mix old and new as well as a combination of Asian and Western cuisines. I served these as the sweet component of a dim sum menu (the dumplings courtesy of my local Chinese restaurant), and they were a huge hit. Serve them with your favorite green tea— gunpowder would be my personal choice.

CREAM CHEESE CRUST

1 cup all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, at room temperature

3 ounces cream cheese, cut into tablespoons, at room temperature

Nonstick vegetable oil spray (optional)

FILLING

3 large egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon matcha (powdered green tea)

1 cup whole milk, heated

1.
To make the crust, combine the flour and salt in a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade and pulse to combine. Add the butter and cream cheese and pulse about 15 times, until the mixture begins to clump together. Gather up the dough and shape into a thick disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and easy to handle, 1 to 2 hours.

2.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Have ready two 12-cup miniature muffin pans (each cup measuring 1 7/8 inches across the top and 7/8 inch deep), preferably nonstick. If the pans are not nonstick, spray them with vegetable oil.

3.
Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces. One at a time, place a piece of dough in a muffin cup, and use your fingers to press it firmly and evenly up the sides to make a pastry shell. (A wooden tart tamper can help the job go quickly.) Freeze for 5 minutes.

4.
To make the filling, whisk the yolks, sugar, and matcha together in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the milk—the mixture will be very foamy. Pour into a glass measuring cup. Let stand for a few minutes, then skim off the foam from the top of the milk mixture. Place the miniature muffin pans on a large baking sheet. Divide the milk mixture evenly among the pastry shells.

5.
Bake until the edges of the tartlets are golden brown and the filling is set (a knife inserted in the center will come out almost clean), 30 to 35 minutes. Let the tartlets cool in the pans on wire cake racks for 10 minutes. Carefully remove them from the muffin pans (you may need to use the tip of a knife to help coax them from the pans). Transfer to a wire cake rack to cool completely. (The cookies can be stored in an airtight container, with the layers separated by wax or parchment paper, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.)

Lemon Tea “Cakes”

MAKES
3 DOZEN
COOKIES

The British tea tradition includes tea “cakes,” which are actually cookies. Like shortbread, another British teatime essential, these have just a few ingredients, allowing the flavor of the tea to take center stage. This recipe comes from my cousin, Judy Knecht, who makes it often for just about any kind of a social gathering from church meetings to ladies’ luncheons.

2 lemons

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, divided

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

1.
Using a rasp-style zester, grate the zest from the lemons. Juice the lemons and reserve the 3 tablespoons.

2.
Mix the butter and ½ cup of the confectioners’ sugar together in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on low speed just until combined. Increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture is light in color and texture, about 3 minutes. Beat in the lemon juice and half of the zest. Stir in the flour and mix just until the dough is combined. Cover and refrigerate until chilled and firm enough to handle, at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.

3.
Position a rack in the top third and center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

4.
Using a scant tablespoon for each cookie, roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake, switching the position of the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking, until the cookies are light golden brown on the bottom, about 16 minutes. Let cool on the sheets for 5 minutes.

5.
Combine the remaining ¾ cup sugar and the zest in a small bowl, working them together with your fingertips. One at a time, roll the warm cookies in the lemon sugar to coat, and transfer to another baking sheet to cool completely. Reserve the remaining lemon sugar. (The cookies and lemon sugar can be made up to 1 day ahead, stored at room temperature in separate airtight containers.) Just before serving, roll the cookies again in the remaining lemon sugar.