Tea Bar

Ingredients

• Mint, and Earl Grey teas
• Amaretto liqueur
• Simple syrup, recipe follows
• Candied lemon peel, recipe follows
• Whipped cream, recipe follows

Directions

On a large serving tray, arrange the teapots alongside the bottle of liqueur, a small pitcher of simple syrup, the bowl of whipped cream, and a plate of the candied lemon peel.

Invite guests to sample different teas and flavor them as they desire.

Mint Tea:

3 cups water

1 cup fresh mint, bruised with the back of a spoon

Bring water to a boil. Turn off heat. Add bruised mint leaves and allow to steep.

Yield: 3 to 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Inactive Prep Time:

Simple Syrup:

1/2 cup water

1 cup sugar

In a saucepan combine water and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved. Take pan off heat and cool the syrup. Any extra cooled syrup can be saved in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Cook's note: For the afternoon tea, make a double batch of simple syrup. Reserve half for the tea bar and use the other half to make the candied lemon peel.

Yield: 1 cup

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Inactive Prep Time:

Candied Lemon Peel:

2 lemons

1 cup simple syrup, recipe above

Using a vegetable peeler cut the yellow part of the lemon from the stem end down to the navel end, forming long 3/4 to 1-inch strips. Bring a heavy small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the peels and cook for 1 minute. Drain and then rinse the peels under cold water. Repeat cooking the peels, 2 more times, in the saucepan with fresh boiling water and rinsing under cold water.

In the same pan combine the peels with 1 cup of simple syrup. Simmer over medium-low heat until the peels are soft, about 15 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the peels to parchment paper to dry slightly, about 1 hour.

Yield: 12 to 16 strips

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Inactive Prep Time:

Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy cream, chilled

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Using an electric mixer, whip the cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and the vanilla and beat to combine. Transfer the whipped cream to a serving bowl. (The whipped cream can be made up to 2 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Yield: 2 1/2 cups

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time:

Inactive Prep Time: