Iced High Tea Time

About author / Lauren Braun Costello

The competent cook; food stylist; cooking instructor; graduate French Culinary Institute. To die for dish? Maple glazed bacon wrapped roast turkey. Yep, bacon wrapped.

There is something about that four o’clock hour. Hunger starts to kick in and a little pick-me-up seems to be in order. The English were on to something when they formalized the ritual of high tea. This civilized snack need not be limited to triangular finger sandwiches, clotted cream and hot Earl Grey tea, especially during these warm summer months. Consider a lighter and younger iced tea party for your next event.

Tea and Sympathy…for Other Beverages
If you are going to make an iced high tea, do not feel limited to the realm of tea alone by leaving out other iced favorites. There are so many iced summer drinks that would liven any iced tea party. Lemonade, iced coffee and fruit punch are not only a tasty medley, but colorful as well. Plus, these additional drink ideas give you the option to include a broader canon of food. Lemonade would be outstanding with ceviche, and tropical fruit punch would be so well paired with roasted fruit skewers. Who wouldn’t want to dunk a homemade cookie crisp in a glass of creamy iced coffee?

Garnishing these drinks is almost as fun as sampling them. Fill a pitcher of raspberry iced tea with raspberry ice cubes (place one raspberry in each section of the ice cube tray, fill with water and freeze. Lemon and lime slices make a clear glass pitcher of fresh lemonade ready for entertaining. Orange slices can jazz up an iced Orange Zinger. Frozen watermelon and cantaloupe balls are sure to be surprisingly fun ice cube replacements for fruit punch. Simple crushed mint always makes the most basic of teas refreshing and clean.

Beyond the British Empire
Once you decide to deviate from the traditional high tea menu of hot tea, take a journey all the way around the world with the food, too. Tea sandwiches, scones and petit fours are elegant and delicious indeed. But there are many other finger foods that would be perfectly paired with iced tea. Other cultures besides Great Britain share in the love of tea. All of Asia drinks tea, and we even have a great Southern tradition of tea consumption in America.

Sushi, summer rolls, dumplings and samosas all make for fun and inventive Asian iced high tea selections. Miniature corn muffins with apple butter and strawberry cream cheese are a nod to our Southern culinary tradition, and a perfect complement to a sweetened iced tea. Mini pecan and key lime pies are as cute as can be and would be washed down well with any iced drink.

Triangles, Rounds, Squares and Rectangles
The most classic finger sandwiches are made of a thin white bread without crusts cut into neat triangles. This is undoubtedly refined, orderly and proper. But it is not the only way to go. Use a cookie or biscuit cutter and make rounds for an avocado crab salad. Or cut turkey sandwiches into squares. Try slicing banana bread very thin, spreading it with walnut cream cheese, topping it with another thin slice, and then trimming it into rectangles. Miniature croissants with slices of apple, Brie and honey are divine for an outdoor iced tea.

When making tea sandwiches, no matter the shape, use the thinnest bread possible. When the bread is too thick, the tea sandwich’s proportions are distorted. Very thin white bread (most widely available through the Pepperidge Farm brand) is the best. The whole wheat option is more moist and therefore less durable; fillings make this bread soggy fairly quickly. When making tea sandwiches in advance, always stack them whole, one on top of the other, covered with a barely damp cloth. Trim and cut them only right before serving. This technique prolongs the life of the sandwiches while being held and once served.

While dipping in the pool this summer, take the plunge and try this old high tea tradition in a new and contemporary way. Everyone could use a bit of refueling in the late afternoon, and there is no better way than with an iced drink in one hand and finger food in another!