Tag Archives: scones

Tal-Y-Tara Tea and Polo Shoppe, Richmond, San Francisco

Posted on by
Reply

We have enjoyed countless cups of coffee in Asian tea houses such as Cha-An and Hangawi however, love recounting our favorite childhood tea experiences at the Four Seasons Tea, after a Swan Boat ride in Boston Common and visiting a friend in London in our college days. We can remember our first taste of butter-like clotted cream at Fortnum and Mason and being hustled to the corner because we were not the average customer. We decided to drive over to Richmond and have tea at Tal-Y-Tara Tea and Polo Shoppe.

_MG_4620

A British couple founded the tea and polo shop and there were families and girlfiends enjoying tea.

_MG_4623_MG_4622

We enjoyed seeing all the saddles, dark wood, tea sets, as well as Hacking jackets, helmets, hats and equestrian boots.

_MG_4625

_MG_4624

We had a pot of tea for two and enjoyed Lindsay’s Teas in the Black tea passion fruit flavor. We enjoyed the fragrance and aroma of the tea and made sure we asked for a refill on the pot. The tea cozy was adorable and we made sure we strained the loose leaf tea with the tea strainer (well we learned the hard way!)

_MG_4627

We were intrigued by the story of motorloaf and have only had tea sandwiches with thin, white bread. The Motorloaf Bread was earthy and had nuts. We enjoyed all the varieties of tea sandwich varieties, including cream cheese and cucumber (BMH’s version of Cucumber Sandwiches), smoked turkey with watercress, black forest ham with a dijom mustard, lox with cream cheese and capers and egg salad with capers. Our favorite was the lox with cream cheese. We also could not help but devour all the fresh slices of juicy oranges, strawberries and blackberries along the sandwiches.

_MG_4628

While sipping tea and catching up, we contemplated which scone to try and scones were served with English Devonshire cream and choice of jam. There was black currant with vanilla, chocolate chip or lemon zest. We decided on what was fresh from the oven, and lemon zest was the winner.

_MG_4621

Honestly, if you went to Tara y Tal for a cup of tea and something else. The something else is the lemon zest scone fresh from the oven and with the jam and with cream cheeselike devonshire cream.

_MG_4630

This flakey and tender scone was one of the best ever eaten, fresh, light and nicey crusted with sugar on the top. Yes, the motorloaf with Devonshire cream and marmalade was lovely, but the flavor of the lemon scone with the jam was the perfect combination and we wanted more.
_MG_4631

We have made savory scones, Cheddar Scallion Scones, which turned out a success, but would love to replicate these lemon zest ones. Perhaps we’ll reinterpret this recipe from Bon Appetit or this one from William Sonoma?

Tal-y-Tara Tea & Polo Shoppe on Urbanspoon

Guest Post: Hungry Games: Summertime Fruit Picking: Homestead Farms

Posted on by
Reply

Love the photos Hungry Games! Will have to try the scones recipe sometime.

One of the best parts of summer is that this is the time of year when the sweetest fruits are in season—strawberries, blackberries, peaches! Since I moved to DC, one of my favorite summertime activities is fruit picking at Homestead Farms, located in Poolesville, Maryland.  It’s a beautiful drive from the city and a great weekend activity.

The farm has seasonal fruit and flower picking, as well as a farm stand, which sells their fresh produce (vegetables and fruit), a food stand, and some adorable farm animals.

I went with some friends this July for some peach and blackberry picking.  The peaches needed a few days to ripen once picked, but the blackberries were sweet and delicious immediately (Many did not make it into my carton because they accidently found their way into my belly.  Don’t tell!)

Homestead Farms also had beautiful zinnias and sunflowers to pick for $4 a bag (as many as you could fit in the bag).

I ate the peaches once they ripened, but with all the lovely blackberries I had, I decided I needed to bake something tasty.  I found a recipe for raspberry scones on Smitten Kitchen (recipe below), and substituted in my sweet, delicious blackberries instead.  Yummy!

I’ll revisit Homestead Farms again when the apples are ripe so I can bake my famous apple cranberry pie.  I guess I’ll have to post that recipe in the fall!

Whole Wheat Raspberry (Blackberry) Ricotta Scones (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

  • 1 cup (120 grams) whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder, preferably aluminum-free
  • 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 6 tablespoons (85 grams) cold unsalted butter
  • 1 cup (136 grams or 4 3/4 ounces) fresh raspberries (blackberries)
  • 3/4 cup (189 grams) whole milk ricotta
  • 1/3 cup (79 ml) heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In the bottom of a large, wide-ish bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, sugar and salt together.

With a pastry blender: Add the butter (no need to chop it first) and use the blender to both cut the butter into the flour mixture until the biggest pieces are the size of small peas. Toss in raspberries (blackberries) and use the blender again to break them into halves and quarter berry sized chunks.

Without a pastry blender: Cut the butter into small pieces with a knife and work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Roughly chop the raspberries (blackberries) on a cutting board and stir them into the butter-flour mixture.

Both methods: Add the ricotta and heavy cream together and stir them in to form a dough with a flexible spatula.  Using your hands, gently knead dough into an even mass, right in the bottom of the bowl. Don’t fret if the raspberries (blackberries) get muddled and smudge up the dough. This is a pretty thing.

With as few movements as possible, transfer the dough to a well-floured counter, flour the top of the dough and pat it into a 7-inch square about 1-inch tall. With a large knife, divide the dough into 9 even squares. Transfer the scones to prepared baking sheet with a spatula. Bake the scones for about 15 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges. Cool in pan for a minute, then transfer to a cooling rack. It’s best to cool them about halfway before eating them, so they can set a bit more. I know, way to be a big meanie, right?

Do ahead: Scones are always best the day they are baked. However, if you wish to get a lead on them, you can make them, arrange them on your parchment-lined sheet and freeze them. If you’re prepping just one day in advance, cover the tray with plastic wrap and bake them the day you need them. If you’re preparing them more than one day in advance, once they are frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag or container. Bring them back to a parchment-lined sheet when you’re ready to bake them. No need to defrost the frozen, unbaked scones, just add 2 to 3 minutes to your baking time.

Cheddar Scallion Scones

Posted on by
Reply

After two unreal scone experiences at Cha-An and Le Pain Quotidien, we were moved to make cheddar scallion scones at home. The additional cornmeal provided a great crunch and texture on the exterior and the interior had a nice crumb.

What I loved the most about this recipe was as the cheddar scallion scones were baking in the oven, the aroma that permeated the room reminded us of the smell of Chinese scallion pancakes.

We wanted to test half the recipe with scallions and the other half with chives. So we used 1/4 cup scallions and for the other half of the batch 1/8 cup freeze dried chives and 1/8 cup chives.

After taste testing both, we highly suggest using scallions in the entire recipe versus chives. Scallions provide a more savory, fuller flavor. The chives are more delicate.

Adapted from Flour Bakery and Gourmet

Makes 8 scones

  • 1 and 3/4 cup ap flour
  • 1/2 cup cornmeal (we used corn grits)
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 5 ounces extra sharp white cheddar cheese (approximately 3/4 cups)
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh scallions (we did half the recipe 1/4 scallions and the other batch a combination of 1/4 cup freeze dried and fresh chives)
  • 1/2 cup  (1 stick) unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces
  • 3/4 cup of heavy cream
  • 1 cold egg

* If do not have buttermilk or creme fraiche use under a 1 cup heavy cream or whole milk

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt and butter. Add chives and cheddar, tossing to combine. Stir in cream with a fork until a sticky dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 8 times with floured hands. Halve dough and form each half into a 7-inch round. Brush tops of rounds with additional cream and cut each into 4 wedges.

Arrange wedges about 1/2 inch apart on an ungreased large baking sheet and bake in middle of oven until golden brown, about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool on a rack for 30 minutes and cut into prescored wedges (the cuts will be visible but will have baked together) and serve.

Le Pain Quotidien, East Village, New York

Posted on by
Reply

Le Pain Quotidien (The Daily Bread) is a 150 store global franchise which originated in Brussels. Within the US, it is centralized in pods of California, New York and DC.

Le Pain Quotidien faintly reminds me of a refined version of Au Bon Pain, with the large repurposed communal tables, great lighting, tea pots, freshly baked breads and signature tartines.

The last time I was here I met a friend and we chatted for quite some time, enjoying tartines and tea. Everyone seems so relaxed, maybe its the carbohydrates or soothing tea, but I could sit for hours.

The repurposed wood table has jars of hazelnut spread and jams to sample and a recipebook Le Pain Quotidien -Alain Coumont’s Communal Table – Memories and Recipes.

My friend had a large latte ($4.95) and the seasonal special, a chive and cheddar scone with a bit of ricotta and a slice of smoked salmon. The scone had a nice chive flavor, but went exceptionally well with the creamy ricotta and lox.

I had my daily pot of green tea in an adorable ceramic mugs. The tea selection includes brussels breakfast, chamomile, lapsang souchong, earl grey, red fruit and fresh mint tea, all for $3.60.

Every tartine comes with thinly sliced radish, cucumbers and this tartine came with  a few cornichons and cantaloupe. The Grilled Chicken & Smoked Mozzarella tartine with arugula and basil pesto for $11.25 was presented with artistry. My only wish was that the bread was lightly toasted.

I have been eyeing the Belgian Waffle for $4.95 and the Aged Goat Cheese & Arugula tartine with pine nuts, parmesan, organic olive oil and lemon for $13.50. Looking forward to my next visit.
Le Pain Quotidien on Urbanspoon

Cha-An, East Village, New York City Revisited

Posted on by
Reply

After a highly memorable and zen experience at Cha-An Tea House, it was only a matter of time I would revisit the modern, yet traditional oasis in the city.

The tea house was completely packed. Our total wait was only five minutes because we arrived right after the afternoon tea tasting.

My friend who is an avid green tea drinker converted me a long while back. She even has her own personal Zojirushi water boiler. Cha-An has two of them.

The shelf was filled with with various tea cups, ceramics and tea varieties offered at the teahouse. The tiny ikebana was breath taking.

Makinohara Sencha from Japan ($7) is a traditional Japanese green tea characterized as grassy and bittersweet. According to Cha-An, Makinohara City is in Shizuoka Prefecture (the largest tea product region in Japan.)

Intensive steaming of the first flush of the Makinohara tea plants produces a sencha traditional quality. The liquor is a sparkling translucent green, with an assertive vegetal flavor and fresh aroma.

The flower craft tea was sold out that evening, so I tried the Uji Kabusecha. Kabusecha literally means “covered tea”, a type of Japanese sencha.

A week before the tea leaf buds are picked in the spring, the planation is covered with a screen to cut out the direct sunlight. This shading procedure produces a milder tea than standard sencha. Kabusecha is a mellower flavor and more subtle color then Sencha grown in direct sunlight.

The Afternoon Tea Set $18 (Until 7pm) has two kinds of mini sandwiches, freshly baked scones, Cha-An’s Sweets and tea. The Cha-An Set B today’s soup & vegetable, soy milk quiche, tea smoked salmon, 15 grain rice, chef’s dessert and tea.

The soy milk quiche with mushrooms & scallions was earthy and had a nice onion aroma. I loved the light crust as well.

The two hot and fresh mini bagel sandwiches were delicious on their own. The left was filled with tea smoked salmon with watercress and a mustard sauce. The sweet bagel had strawberry butter and cream. 

Set B had a kimchi  soup, beef tendon, carrots and potatoes in the beef jus, two slices of tea smoked salmon on watercress, 15 grain rice and sweet corn, cabbage and vegetables.

My favorites of the set was the braised beef tendon because my mother would love it. The rice was also fantastic because it was properly prepared and nutty.

The afternoon tea sweets was so good. There was pound cake, a macaron, strawberry muffin, chocolate chip scone and berry scone with blueberry jam and cream.

The macaron and berry scone were the best items I have ever had to date. The macaron was filled with this jade green tea filling and it was absolutely refreshing.

The scones were freshly baked, warm in the center and so fluffy. I will remember these scones for ever.

I rarely eat scones because I associate them with dense and dry biscuits. I have had afternoon tea at London’s Fortnum and Mason’s and the scones needed a generous amount of clotted cream. The Cha-An scones were perfect on their own and with the jam and cream.

The sugar dusted crispy napoleon layers with tea and lemon infused cream and berries was light and a nice ending to the meal.

Cha-An on Urbanspoon