Tea Party 2007

Two weeks ago Sunday was the annual tea party for all the girls in my family. We did have two boys in attendance: Will and the new nephew. We tried to ignore them (we didn't succeed so well with the baby).

The party meant two days of shopping, baking, and cleaning for me--which is probably not the best idea at the end of the semester, but oh well. It was worth it.

While I was baking tarts, Will hovered in the kitchen. Every time something came out of the oven, he got in my face like a little puppy: Can I have some, can I, can I? Even though I was letting him taste one of everything and I let him finish off the bowl of chocolate mousse, he got cranky with me for only letting him have one piece of shortbread. He says there is a lot on the line with the tarts. Despite all his whining, he probably got more tarts than a man needs in a day.
This year's menu: lavender lemonade, hot chocolate (no real tea, but the party isn't about tea--it's about the tarts), lavender shortbread, lemon madeleines, chocolate mousse tarts, blood orange tarts, asparagus tarts, cucumber sandwiches, and goat cheese watercress sandwiches.

Lavender Lemonade

Mix 2 cups sugar with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil for five minutes. Add 1 1/2 Tablespoons lavender. Remove from heat, cover, and steep for 20 minutes. Strain syrup through fine-meshed sieve (may need to line with cheesecloth to remove all lavender). Chill syrup. Add 5 cups cold water and 2 cups fresh lemon juice. Makes about 1/2 gallon.