indigo pears

These are two scanned images of a watercolor I did of my favorite Laura Ashley teapot (given to me by friends on my 40th birthday!)I am posting them for the virtual tea party which is being given today by Risa in Quito,Equador !
I will be brewing Earl Grey and drinking it with a small amount of milk, please!
If I can find my Yorkshire teacake recipe, I will post it too!

Yorkshire Tea Cakes

Makes 10-12

Although we would regard these as breads, the sweet fruity buns are a reminder that in the Middle Ages very little distinction was made between the two.
M
2 oz currants 2 oz sultanas
1 lb white flour (all-purpose) 1 level tsp. salt
1 1/2 oz lard or shortening 2 oz sugar
1/2 pint warm milk 1 oz fresh yeast
M
Rinse the currants and sultanas with warm water, pat dry and set aside in a warm place.

Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and rub in the lard or shortening (lard is better but I know how squeamish people can be!). Make a well in the center.

Dissolve the sugar in the milk. Take 3 tablespoons of this liquid and mix the yeast to a smooth paste, then add the rest of the milk and pour into the well in the flour. Mix vigorously to blend well, then knead until it forms a smooth, elastic dough. Work in the warm, slightly moist currants and sultanas and shape into a ball. Put it into a warm, greased bowl, cover with greased plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes.

Tip the dough onto a lightly floured working surface and knead for a few minutes, to a smooth even texture. Reshape it into a ball, cover again and put to rise for 15 minutes.

Divide the dough into 10 or 12 pieces and shape each into a smooth ball. Leave them to rest under a sheet of greased plastic wrap and warm two lightly buttered baking sheets.

With a rolling pin, roll out the dough balls into 3 1/2" disks. Place them on the baking sheets about 1" apart. Cover with plastic wrap again and leave to rise for 35-45 minutes.

Heat the oven to 435°. Bake the tea cakes for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown. If you like, when you take them out brush them with a mixture of sugar and milk - it'll give them a sweet glaze.

Split, toast and serve with slatherings of butter! Yum!


I have never actually made these...but have wanted to for a long time! These buns
must be what Ivey sells in her teashop in the "Last of the Summerwine " ---TV series set in Yorkshire! (I really am an armchair traveler...!)




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