EASY ENTERTAINING

Nothing says spring like an intimate tea party

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Kristina Morgan and Deandra Brooks

Special to the Plain Dealer

To celebrate our lovely spring weather, why not take the party outside for an intimate garden-party tea. The tea party is one of a hostess's most flexible entertaining tools. It requires substantially less food than an event with a meal, there's no need to provide liquor, and it's a flexible way to celebrate anything.

Decorations

You've suffered through winter, so move that party outside, preferably onto a yard or perhaps a corner of a patio. Think intimate tea party for eight people, seated at two round tables of four each. Although tea does not have to be stuffy, it is definitely more fun, not to mention more theme-appropriate, to dress it up a bit. That means real linens and real china. Set out the bud vases with fresh flowers, get out the tablecloths and fold those napkins!

As for the china, give your party something extra and go "shabby-chic." Use different but coordinating china pieces that you pick up at a consignment shop. Just make sure that you have one teapot, creamer and sugar bowl for each table and eight plates in a bread-plate size.

Menu

A trio of tea sandwiches in salmon, prosciutto and artichoke and a tea buffet. Serve the sandwiches on the bilevel server, two of each type per guest.

8-ounce container of light cream cheese

4 ounces of smoked salmon

4 slices of pumpernickel bread

4 ounces prosciutto

4 ounces very thin asparagus (fresh or frozen)

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice.

4 slices of hearty Italian sandwich bread.

12-ounce jar of marinated and quartered artichokes

4 rosemary ciabatta rolls

Tea sandwiches are generally crustless delights much smaller than an actual sandwich. The secret to creating them is the use of a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter to cut shapes out of the bread. Use a two-inch round biscuit cutter, but feel free to experiment with other shapes.

Starting with the salmon sandwiches, cut four rounds out of a full-size slice of pumpernickel. Once you have 16 rounds, spread eight with light cream cheese. Top the cream cheese with approximately a ½-ounce of smoked salmon. Top the salmon with a plain pumpernickel round.

Next for the prosciutto sandwiches: Steam asparagus until tender. Rinse with cold water. Cut tips and thin parts of stalk into bite-size pieces. Place pieces in a bowl, and toss with lemon and olive oil to taste. Cut 16 rounds out of the Italian sandwich bread. Place approximately a ½-ounce of thinly sliced prosciutto on eight rounds, folding prosciutto if necessary. Top prosciutto with a teaspoon of the asparagus mixture and spread evenly. Top with round of bread.

Finally, for something different, an open-faced tea sandwich--with crust! Take the four rosemary ciabatta rolls. Cut two even slices from the center of the rolls retaining the crust and bottom and discard the heels. After making eight slices, top each with artichoke pieces.

For the tea buffet, collect several varieties of herbal, green and other teas. Place the bags in a decorative box, one for each table. Provide each table with a pot full of hot water, and let your guests decide what kind of tea they care to sample

Prepare to sit back and enjoy the glories of spring, good conversation and light fare.

Morgan and Brooks are founders of The Society of Recovering Sorority Girls, an organization devoted to a life less ordinary. Check out more easy entertaining ideas at www.recoveringsororitygirls.com.