Entertaining
Add some grace to your day with a cup of tea, a few friends

If you think about it, that simple, cozy "cuppa" tea has been the object of much desire and adventure in its day. Harmless as tea seems, when Queen Victoria was growing up her nanny forbade her to so much as touch the stuff. So practically right after the willful 18-year-old was crowned queen of England in 1837, she ordered a cup - or so the story goes.

There are three types of tea - green, black and oolong. Studies have shown that tea may help reduce chances of getting cancer. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

In fact, in the 5,000 or so years since the brew was discovered by a Chinese emperor, it has been steeped in intrigue, politics and lore. Tea was carried from China to Japan by a Buddhist priest, and soon an elaborate tea ceremony grew up around it.

In the 1560s, Dutch and Portuguese explorers and traders brought tea back to Europe, and by the 18th century it was the rage among aristocrats. During the period of the China Trade, everything Chinese was desired, from silks and brocades to inlaid lacquer furniture and china tea sets. And how can we forget our own Boston Tea Party that set the American revolution in motion - all because a cup of tea cost a lot more in the New World than in England.

By the way, Americans drink a whole lot of iced tea. In fact, 80 percent of the tea consumed in the United States is iced, unlike the rest of the world, which prefers the hot, steeped version. Iced tea is purely an American invention created at the World’s Fair in St. Louis in 1904 when a tea vendor dumped ice into hot tea during a heat wave. It became the rage of the fair and a mainstay at our tables.

Recent studies have shown that tea contains natural antioxidants that may help lower cholesterol and our chances of getting certain types of cancer. Green tea has been singled out as well, because it contains 10 times more of these cancer-fighting properties. It also has less caffeine than oolong or black tea, and is said also to aid in preventing cavities.

All three types of tea come from the same plant. The differences come in the processing. Green tea is just that: green. After being hand-picked, tea is spread on trays and dried, then broken up into pieces. This is "green" tea. Both oolong and black tea are then oxidized to develop flavor and aroma. Oolong is only partly oxidized, while black tea receives the full treatment.

Green tea has much less caffeine than black tea. Of course, the stronger the brew, the more caffeine. The most popular black teas today are English Breakfast and Earl Grey (a blend of black tea and bergamot). The connoisseur of teas usually prefers loose tea made separately in a teapot. While most of us simply enjoy the convenience of tea bags.

You’re asking just what all this has to do with entertaining? Well, while we’re not our mothers, and most of us would hardly think of having our lady friends over to tea and serving them with white gloves and a silver service, it’s still a nice respite in the afternoon.

On a day when you’re not working, you could ask a few friends to tea at one of Honolulu’s tea spots - the lanai of the Moana or Kahala Mandarin hotels - or have them stop by the house and serve them from that inherited china gathering dust on the top shelf. Slice up nice, thick pieces of freshly made pound cake and tiny sandwiches of cream cheese and olives or ham (oh, go ahead, trim those nasty crusts off the bread!).

Share books, talk about your kids, consider getting together Saturday mornings for a healthy walk. Having a cup of tea together is about slowing down your day and adding some grace to your hours. As with all entertaining, it doesn’t have to be elaborate or spectacular. The real beauty is in the effort and the asking.

Brewing tea

First get a real teapot and some loose tea. Fill a tea kettle with cold water and bring it to a full boil. Add a little of the hot water into the teapot and whirl it around to warm up the pot. Measure in one teaspoon of loose tea per cup and toss in "one for the pot." Allow the pot to steep for about five minutes in a warm spot.

In Australia, they often just leave the brewed tea leaves in the bottom of the teapot all day, adding more loose tea and hot water as the day goes along. The last brew is called "good ole post and nails" - potent stuff by any standards.

A word on sugar, milk and lemon. It’s milk or lemon, never both. Sugar can be plain white, honey, or the cubes made especially for hot beverages. The English pour cold whole milk (not cream or half-and-half) into the bottom of a tea cup first. Then they pour the tea on top and swear it tastes better that way. Pour the tea from the pot through a small tea strainer.

Here’s a recipe for pound cake, if you’re not planning to rely on Sara Lee.

Basic Pound Cake

1/4 pound (2 sticks) butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan. In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar and beat until fluffy. Sift the flour and add to the butter mixture. Stir just to blend. Add the lemon juice and vanilla and stir. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing as you go. Pour into the bundt pan and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes; after 30 minutes, cover the cake with aluminum foil and continue to bake. It is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely. Cut into thick slices and serve alone or with freshly whipped cream and berries or other fruit. Serves 8 to 10.

These traditional cookies ("biscuits," the English would say) have an Island flavor. They’re crisp and delicious.

Coconut Shortbread

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1/2 pound (2 sticks) margarine
2 cups sugar
3 cups grated coconut (fresh is best)
4 cups flour

In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Mix in half the coconut and flour until blended. Then mix in the second half. Save the butter box and with a spoon, stuff the dough into the box until it is full. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 days. when you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Slice the cookies about 1/4-inch thick and place on a cookie sheet that has been covered with a sheet of waxed paper. Bake for about 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Remove cookie sheet and cool cookies on the sheet. Peel off the waxed paper and keep in an airtight container. Makes about 18 cookies.

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