Tea, Books, and the Trinity: TeaTime Magazine Cucumber Canapés with Lemon-Basil Butter

Back in 2020, some friends and I started a Tea Party/Bible Study/Book Club. We met every Wednesday and worked our way through the Chronicles of Narnia and are currently working through The Chronicles of Prydain. When we started I resolved to share all the recipes, but I couldn’t keep up and that’s why I’m still three years behind (but I’m getting there!) All recipes are now going to be titled Books, Tea, and the Trinity.

After we finished The Magician’s Nephew, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; A Horse and His Boy,Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: the next book in the series was The Silver Chair.

The first week we had: Cheese and Basil Scones, TeaTime Magazine Cucumber Canapés with Lemon-Basil Butter, teatime magazine Egg Salad and Watercress Sandwiches, and yogurt fruit bark; along with Winter Grey tea.

This recipe comes from TeaTime Magazine, a wonderful gift from a friend that keeps on giving! 🙂 I love anything with radishes or another way to use up the lemons and lemon juice from our tree that never stops being full of fruit.

Ingredients:

• 1 English cucumber
• 3 slices white sandwich bread, frozen
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
• ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons finely minced fresh basil
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• Garnish: radishes, sliced

Directions:

1. Using a fork, scrape the sides of the cucumber lengthwise to create lines.
2. Using a sharp knife or a mandoline, slice the cucumber into 12 thin rounds. Place cucumber rounds on paper towels to absorb liquid.
3. Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut 12 rounds from frozen bread slices, discarding scraps.
4. In a small bowl, stir together butter, lemon zest and juice, basil, and salt until combined.
5. Spread a thin, even layer of butter mixture onto each bread round.
6. Top each with a cucumber slice. Serve immediately, or cover with damp paper towels, place in a covered container, and refrigerate for a few hours until ready to serve.
7. Just before serving, garnish each canapé with a radish half, if desired.

Delicious!

Yum!

For more canapé recipes, go to Radish-Dill Canapés

For more cucumber recipes, go to Salmon, Cucumber, and Radish Canapés

For more from our Books, Tea, and the Trinity tea times, go to Cheese and Basil Scones

For more recipes, go to Glazed Cinnamon Scones

For more tea posts, go to Tea for Me, Tea For YouTea for Me, Tea For You

Tea, Books, and the Trinity: Cheese and Basil Scones

Back in 2020, some friends and I started a Tea Party/Bible Study/Book Club. We met every Wednesday and worked our way through the Chronicles of Narnia and are currently working through The Chronicles of Prydain. When we started I resolved to share all the recipes, but I couldn’t keep up and that’s why I’m still three years behind (but I’m catching up!) All recipes are now going to be titled Books, Tea, and the Trinity.

After we finished The Magician’s Nephew, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; A Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: the next book in the series was The Silver Chair.

The first week we had: Cheese and Basil Scones, teatime magazine Lemon-Basil Butter Cucumber Sandwiches, teatime magazine Egg Salad and Watercress Sandwiches, and yogurt fruit bark; along with Winter Grey tea.

The first recipe, the scones, I actually came up using an old recipe as a base.

Ingredients:

• 8 Tbsps (1 Stick) of Cold, Unsalted Butter, Cut into Small Pieces, Plus Extra for Baking Sheets
• 3.5 Cups of All-Purpose Flour, Plus Extra for Later
• 2 Tsp of Baking Soda
• 1/2 Tsp of Salt
• 2 Cups of Grated Cheddar Cheese
• 1 Tbsp of Fresh Basil, Chopped
• 1.5 Cups of Sour Cream, heavy cream, or Buttermilk
• 1 Egg, Beaten, or Milk for Brushing Scones

Directions:

1. Preheat the Oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Coat two baking sheets with butter.
3. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl.
4. Add butter, using fingertips to combine until mixture takes on texture of fine cornmeal.
5. Stir in 1.5 cups of grated Cheddar cheese and 1 Tbsp of chopped fresh basil into mixture.
6. Add sour cream, buttermilk or heavy cream and stir until flour mixture is just moist and dough begins to stick together.
7. Gather dough into a ball and knead lightly until fully integrated.
8. Place dough on floured work surface and roll with a floured rolling pin to 3/4 inch thick.
9. Dip a 2-inch cutter into flour and cut out scones as close to one another as possible or roll out and cut into wedges.
10. Place on prepared baking sheets with space in between. Let stand ten minutes, then brush the tops with egg or milk.
11. (Optional Sprinkle tops with an additional 1/2 cup of Cheddar cheese before baking.)
12. Bake until golden brown, 10-12 mins

These were absolutely delicious! For for anyone’s table.

Emma (1996)

For more scone recipes, go to Glazed Cinnamon Scones

For more from our Books, Tea, and the Trinity tea times, go to Pepper Teigen’s Thai Sweet Chili Tea Sandwiches

For more recipes, go to Marilla’s Raspberry Cordial

For more tea posts, go to Tea for Me, Tea For You

Glazed Cinnamon Scones

When we had our Anne of Green Gables book discussion we had raspberry cordial and of course we had to have scones.

This recipe comes from Money Saving Moms.

And eat scones!

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup butter very cold, cut into small pieces
• 1 egg separated
• 3 Tbsp honey
• ⅓ cup buttermilk or ⅓ cup milk mixed with ½ tsp lemon juice

For the Crumb Topping

• 2 Tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon

For the Icing

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1-3 tsp milk
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.
4. Separate the egg white and yolk. Set the egg white aside.
5. In a smaller bowl, mix egg yolk, honey, and buttermilk (or milk/lemon juice mixture).
6. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
7. On a floured work surface, form the dough into a ball.
8. Roll or pat the ball into a half-inch-thick disc, roughly 8 inches in diameter.
9. Cut dough into eight equally-sized pieces.
10. Transfer the dough to a greased baking sheet (a pie spatula makes this very easy).
11. Whisk the egg white until froth forms and brush over the tops of the scones.
12. Mix sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over egg-white-topped scones.
13. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes.
14. While scones bake, mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until a thin glaze forms.
15. Drizzle glaze over scones after they come out of the oven.

This recipe was delicious and one that since that time my mom loves make again and again whenever she wants scones.

For more scone recipes, go to Dragon Cheddar and Tomato Scones

For more recipes, go to Marilla’s Raspberry Cordial

For more cinnamon scone recipes go to, Apple Cinnamon Scones

For more Anne of Green Gables, go to Which Austen Characters are Kindred Spirits to Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe?

Books, Tea, and the Trinity: Apple Buttermilk Cake

Back in 2020, some friends and I started a Tea Party/Bible Study/Book Club. We met every Wednesday and worked our way through the Chronicles of Narnia and are currently working through The Chronicles of Prydain. When we started I resolved to share all the recipes, we have made-but I haven’t gone through them as quickly as I hoped.

When we completed The Magician’s Nephew,The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; and A Horse and His Boy; we moved on to book four, Prince Caspian. This book is one of my favorites in the series as I love Prince Caspian (although the Disney film version is horrible). Like A Horse and His Boy, this book did not mention a lot of specific foods, so we planned whatever we wanted to make.

As I wasn’t in charge of this book, there will be no discussion questions, just recipes. 

The first week we had Apple Cinnamon Scones: Salmon Radish Cucumber Canapés, Cinnamon Bread-Honey-Cheese-Apple and Ham Sandwiches, Kellogg’s Cheese Potato Crisps, and Applesauce Cake; all paired with Caroline’s Coffee Roaster Princess Earl Grey (as we needed to have some royal-tea).

The next week we had lavender flowering tea, Irish Soda Bread, Tuna Salad, Twice Baked Potatoes, carrot soup, and Quaker Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips.

For our final discussion of Prince Caspian we had Earl Grey Lavender Scones, Salmon and Cucumber Sandwiches, Radish-Dill Canapés, Cheese Potato Crisps, and Buttermilk Apple Cake.

Today’s recipe is the Buttermilk Apple Cake from two peas & their pod. I first came across this recipe when I was looking for something to make with the leftover buttermilk from my Irish Soda Bread.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
• Pinch of fresh nutmeg
• ½ stick unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup shaken buttermilk
• 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, and sliced 
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• Turbinado sugar (to sprinkle on top of cake) [I didn’t have any so I used brown sugar instead)
• Powdered Sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ½ teaspoon of the cinnamon, and nutmeg. 
3. Beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy.
4. Beat in vanilla. Add egg and beat until combined.
5. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.
6. In a small bowl, combine the apple slices with the brown sugar and other ½ teaspoon cinnamon.
7. Stir until apples are coated.
8. Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Place sliced apples evenly over top and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
9. Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
10. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more.
11. Invert onto a plate. Serve with vanilla ice cream if you wish or add powdered sugar on top.

This was delicious and is a wonderful way to use up the leftover buttermilk if you are looking for something different to try. It looked a little plain so I added the powdered sugar, next time I make it I am contemplating forgoing sugar on top and maybe adding a glaze? But yes, it was absolutely delicious and I recommend it.

For more from our Books, Tea, and the Trinity tea times, go to Radish-Dill Canapés

For more cake recipes, go to Applesauce Cake

For more dessert recipes, go to Brown Butter Matcha Brownies

For more recipes, go to Dark Chocolate Peppermint Scones

For more tea posts, go to Spill the Tea: Alley Cat Cafe

The Magician’s Nephew: Melt-in-Your-Mouth Buttermilk Chocolate Cookies

So every Wednesday, starting in October, I have been a part of a Tea Party/Bible Study/Book Club on The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis. This is different from my book club and the Book Club Picks I have been reviewing (and desperately need to catch up on). This week we had Cinnamon Bun Scones, Curry Egg Salad Triple Stack Sandwiches, Savory Beef Hand Pies, Cranberry Feta Pinwheels, and Melt-in-Your-Mouth Buttermilk Chocolate Cookies.

I though it would be able to post these faster, but I have really fallen behind and I’m trying hard to catch up though!

And food to go with.

I had made something and I had all this buttermilk left over and nothing I could think of to do with it. So I started looking around online for a recipe. The only thing I could find that wasn’t too time consuming and I had all the ingredients for was Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen’s Melt-in-Your-Mouth Buttermilk Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup dark chocolate baking chips (or another cup of chocolate chips)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Line a baking sheet. (I used foil).
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.
4. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter.
5. While the butter is still warm, add the cocoa powder to the butter and whisk until smooth.
6. Then whisk in sugar, vanilla extract, and buttermilk.
7. Gradually add the flour mixture and stir until no streaks of flour remain.
8. Gently stir in the chocolate chips.
9. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving a few inches in between each cookie to allow for spread.
10. Bake for 10-14 minutes, or until cookies are set around the edges.
11. Cool for 3-5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

These were delicious and I just know I’ll be making them again when I have leftover buttermilk; such as after I make my Irish Soda Bread.

For more from The Magician’s Nephew Tea Party/Book Club, go to Savory Beef Hand Pies

For more recipes, go to Cinnamon Bun Scones

For more cookie recipes, go to The Picture of Earl Grey Tea Cookies

For more desserts, go to Easy Fruit Tarts

For more tea posts, go to Brisket and Slaw Roulades