Tea in a Neighboring Garden
Apr 9th, 2008 by Marilyn
It’s bad enough, the way I peek at their pink bricks and the tall windows.
Now I also want to have tea in their garden.
I live just a block away but we haven’t met, so I walk past their magnificent house every day with my dog and her pretty red leash – who knows? It’s spring, and Cleo is very shiny in the light. One morning they could step outside, wave and say “my, that’s a sweet dog.”
Cleo blinks like a baby seal.
“You wait there,” friendly brick-lady will say. “I’ll just bring out some tea.”
Then I will play it cool.
“Me – wow, okay! Can you wait like 45 minutes?” I start jogging backwards. “I’ll go home and bake some madeleines…be right back!”
I am a cool customer. “Can I make a centerpiece? Some daffodils?”
Isn’t there always a place we’d like to be invited, but wind up invited somewhere else? Tea in a neighboring garden is where I’d like to be.
Everyone has a happy go-to image – one you summon when you are where you’d rather not be. I have my breezy would-be tea under the trees – two wire chairs in the grass, a plate of cookies on the table, a kind neighbor and the first hours of spring.
Ooh, that is a thought. Time to butter those shell-shaped tins.
Madeleines do make fine introductions. Carry these and every door is open!
Madeleines
Beautiful scalloped madeleine tins are traditionally used for these French cake-like tea cookies, but try shallow mini-muffin pans for a similar effect.
yield: 2 dozen cookies
2/3 cup superfine sugar (granulated sugar is fine)
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
juice of 1/2 lemon
pinch of salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350ยบ F and butter or spray 24 madeleine molds.
Beat the sugar, whole eggs, egg yolk, lemon juice, and salt in an electric mixer bowl on low speed until well-blended. Fold in the flour until well-combined. Slowly add the melted butter to the mixture, and stir to blend.
Spoon the batter into the molds, filling no more than 2/3 full.
Bake the cookies for 20-25 minutes, or until slightly golden. Unmold cookies and cool on wire racks. Sift powdered sugar lightly over madeleines and serve, preferably warm.
from The Charms of Tea, Reminiscences and Recipes
are the pictures all tilty because you’re taking them on the sly?
Yeah, they’re not the best – an amateur stalker can only do so much
So pretty. I am always doing this….gesh, someday someone is going to yell at me.
I like the tilted pics. ///\\\///
It looks like Spring has sprung in Lawrence! The flowers look so pretty! My daffodils are only three inches high right now wondering where the warm Spring weather is.
The new layout looks great!