TEA WITH JANE AUSTEN...A VIRTUAL BOOK CLUB AFTERNOON

You are invited to come in and join
our Virtual Book Club afternoon!
As we are all prevented from an actual
"in-person gathering", it might be
fun to participate in Book Club, virtual style!
I have invited The Divine Miss M, along with
my sister, Miss Judy, to participate in this three
part Book Club, and we want each of you to please
be our guest as we set the stage with a tablescape,
delicious foods and tell you all about the book we have chosen! 

The book I have selected is Tea with Jane Austen,

authored by Pen Vogler.....

A precious little cookbook with recipes inspired

by Jane Austen's novels and letters!

I am setting the stage for an afternoon tea.......

In Jane Austen's day, tea and cakes were usually served
after dinner, or to evening guests, but the rolls, buns, tarts and cookies
would be welcomed at breakfast with morning coffee or afternoon tea!
The time period would have been the late 1700's or early 1800's!

There are twenty-one recipes featured in this little book
from English Muffins, Sally Lunns, Butter Buns, Plum Cake,
Buttered Apple Tart, Mince Pies to instructions on
how to prepare a good hot cocoa, circa, 1806.

All afternoon teas must feature small sandwiches
and I chose to serve Benedictine Sandwiches.

There are very interesting little stories told throughout this book..
for instance when Fanny Price leaves Mansfield Park to 
stay with her parents, she found their house to be filled with
male boarders...these gentlemen would often request 
"toasted cheese" for their supper....
A salamander was an iron disc with a wooden handle'
heated in the coals until it glowed red'
and then held over dishes to broil or grill the food. Circa 1750.

In Sense and Sensibility, when Willoughby rejects Marianne
in favor of the wealthy Miss Grey, a well-meaning
Miss Jennings seeks to cure her broken heart with olives and 
dried cherries. The recipe is called, CHERRIES EN CHEMISE....
the cherries make an uplifting gift for a friend,
whether broken hearted or not!

Traditionally the hostess or daughters would brew the tea,
a ritual that enabled the hostess to display her silver urns'
pots, cream jugs, sugar bowls and delicate china cups.......
tea was also heavily taxed and hugely expensive....
Green Tea was pricier and considered more elegant than Black Tea!

For a cozy fireside tea, people would toast and lavish butter
on "Butter Buns" which we know as TEA CAKES today!
Mrs. Rundell suggests flavoring them with nutmeg, allspice,
caraway or rosewater!

Each guest may leave with a handmade bookmark

and a selected recipe from the book,
which has been beautifully written on a lovely
uniquely made recipe card......

I have collected cookbooks since I was 
eighteen years old, and I am over the moon happy
that this little cookbook is now included
among my treasured collection!