Tis the season for a tea party

Inspired by a tea at the Drake for a friend’s darling bridal shower last May (at which my lovely brim-filled photo was taken), I decided to experiment with tea-type foods. Findings below:

A take on Bon Appetit’s Blueberry Crumb Bars

Whisk together
2 c flour
1 c oats
1 c golden brown sugar
½ t salt
½ t cinnamon
Add 1 c chilled unsalted butter and meld together with your fingers making a nice crumb. Separate out 2 cups of the flour mixture and add ½ cup chopped almonds.
With your remaining crumbs, press into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 375 for 17 minutes.

While this is baking, gently stir together:
3 cups of fresh blueberries
1 cup of like preserves (could be blueberry, blackberry, boysenberry)
1 T flour
1 T lemon zest

Allow crust to cool for 7 minutes and top with your berry blend. Then top with almond-crumb topping and bake for another 40 minutes.

**I think this would work well with practically any berry/jam combination, just be cautious about the colors you’re mixing. I’m interested in trying: fresh raspberries/raspberry jam with chopped fresh mint…


Mini Quiche

Preheat oven to 350

¾ c diced red onion
¾ c shredded parmesan cheese
6 eggs
1 ½ c milk
2 T fresh thyme
3 pieces of sliced bread (whole wheat or white)
salt & pepper to taste

Remove crusts from bread and cut into quarters. Spray a cupcake pan well with cooking spray and press quartered bread slices into the bottom of each cup. Sauté red onion in a little olive oil until golden. While sautéing, Whisk together cheese, eggs, milk, thyme, salt and pepper. Spoon about 1 t of sautéed onions in each cup atop pressed bread and top with ½ c of the egg mixture. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.