There are tons of Mother’s Day recipe ideas for breakfast in bed, brunch, lunch, dinner.
How about doing something different, classy and special this year? Surprise Mom with an authentic Afternoon Tea at home. Cute berry tartlets, dainty blueberry scones, pretty macarons, beautiful tablecloth, fine china, flowers or mini herb plants will make for an elegant setting.
To help you, I’ve put together some of my amazing easy to make recipes, most of which can be prepared in advance. To learn how to steep the perfect pot of tea, view my video here: https://youtu.be/ryBWcBajrvM
Teas, Blueberry Scones, Berry Tartlets, French Vanilla-Cinnamon Macarons.
A little note on traditional Afternoon Tea.
Typically, Afternoon Tea is served at around 4pm and can consist of 3 courses: scones with butter and jam or marmalade, small tea sandwiches, cakes and sweets. It’s not uncommon to serve champagne on special occasions too. During my travels to London I had a formal afternoon tea at Harrods. It was quite an experience that left me feeling spoiled and pampered. I’m sure your mom will feel the same.
Blueberry Scones
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ cup (4 tablespoons) cold butter, cubed
1 1/2 cups dried wild blueberries
½ cup milk, plus more for glazing, room temperature
1 egg, room temperature
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and baking powder. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
Stir in the dried blueberries.
Beat milk and egg then add to the dry ingredients mixture. Stir lightly to combine.
On a lightly floured board roll dough to 1-inch thickness. Cut into circles with a 2½ inch biscuit cutter or cut into triangles.
Place on baking sheets. Brush lightly with milk.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Transfer to cooling rack and brush the tops with milk.
Drizzle with almond icing if desired.
French Vanilla Cinnamon Macarons
Berry Tartlets
Ingredients:
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups almond flour
1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup granulated sugar
Filling:
4 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
Additional ground cinnamon
Directions:
1. Place the egg whites in a bowl, uncovered at room temperature for 6-8 hours. (This step removes the moisture in the egg whites to create the macaron shell)
2. Sift the almond flour, 1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon and cream of tartar together twice. (This is to make sure there are no lumps from the almond flour and confectioner’s sugar)
3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Place the egg whites in a stand mixer or use a hand mixer to beat them on medium speed, until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue beating on high until stiff peaks form. You'll notice the meringue start to fill the whisk when you're getting close to the right stage.
5. Using a spatula, gently fold in the almond flour mixture by hand.
6. Scrape the mixture into a piping bag with a round tip and pipe 1-inch diameter cookies, placing them 2-inches apart on the parchment lined baking sheets.
When you are finishing the piping motion stop squeezing the bag and pull up with a circular motion.
8. Bake until lightly browned and firm to the touch, 9 - 11minutes. Remove from the oven.
9. Keeping the cookies on the parchment sheet, transfer to cooling racks and cool completely. Repeat process for remaining mixture.
10. For the filling: Place the cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Add the vanilla and mix. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and mix until fluffy.
11. Refrigerate the mixture to firm up, about 10 minutes.
12. Spread ¼ teaspoon filling on the bottom of each of half of the cookies then top with remaining cookies. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon.
13. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Chef’s Tip: If you don’t have a piping bag and icing tip, use a food safe plastic bag. Place the mixture in it, cut a small hole in a corner and pipe the cookies.
To create a perfectly smooth top on your macaroons, dip a finger into a bowl of water and gently smooth out any peaks (feet).
Very Berry Tartlets Recipe, as seen on my WBTV segment.
Copyright © 2020 Renate Moore | Let’s Cook & Just Eat Cooking Class