Title:

Tea Party
(Clarkson Potter, Publishers, 2007) ISBN 978-0-307-34643-8 0-307-34643-9

Theme:

Tea Party features 20-themed tea parties with 75 recipes for engagements, baby showers, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day and other special occasions.

Tracy Stern encourages readers to drink more tea and celebrate life at tea parties without the traditional Victorian stuffiness.

Sample Recipes:

Black tea martinis. Lavender tea-scented crème brûlée. Tea-scented chocolate truffles. Chai tea pancakes. Rustic apple and pear tarts with fresh figs. Vanilla tea-infused sugar cookies. Sake and ginger tea cocktails. Homemade potato fries with Ceylon tea salt. Cream cheese and beet tea sandwiches. White bean shooters. White truffle rice-stuffed mushrooms.

Notable Elements:

The introduction discusses tea rituals and parties, tea etiquette and health benefits, how to store, brew, serve and taste teas. Sidebars provide information on tea traditions, different types of tea, tea sandwiches, petits fours, tea balls and diffusers.

Tone / Style:

Each chapter is a different theme party, with suggestions for the menu, invitations, decor, music and party favors. The sandwich, drink, salad and dessert recipes are simple and easy to follow. Tea Party tips provide advice on garnishes, alternative ingredients, advanced preparation and tea trivia.

Visuals:

Plentiful luscious, full-color and full-page images illustrate the recipes and Tea Party settings.

Contents:

• Introduction
• New Year's Day Brunch
• Proper Afternoon Tea
• Moroccan Valentine's Day Dinner
• Mad Hatter's Tea Party
• Mother's Day Tea
• Fashionable French Tea
• Garden Tea Party
• Chai Breakfast
• Gentlemen's Tea
• Easy Sweet Tea
• Bridal Shower
• Engagement Dinner
• Baby Shower Luncheon
• Children's Tea Party
• Summer Picnic
• Artist Tea
• Palm Beach Tea
• Fall Harvest Dinner
• Russian Tea
• Winter White Tea
• Resources
• Index

Author:

Tracy Stern and Christie Matheson

Claim to fame:

Tracy Stern runs a tea salon in Manhattan, New York, and arranges parties, banquets and bridal showers around the United States. She created product lines of teas and tea-based beauty products called Salontea and Beautea.

Christie Matheson is a food and lifestyle writer and coauthor of Vineyard Harvest and Confetti Cakes.

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