Queen's Diamond Jubilee

Oxford Street getting ready for the celebrations.

Windows for the Jubilee Celebration at Selfridges.

Love all the goodies from the food halls of Selfridges, Harrods, and Mark & Spencer.

Victoria Sandwich Union Jack decoration.

My Victoria Sandwich Cake.

Afternoon tea time with a view.

Taken in Rottingdean on my way to have cream tea at the Olde Cottage tea room.

Queen's Diamond Jubilee here at home in Florida. After coming from London few weeks ago I became more passionate for UK and having special feelings for England, It remained me of my student life in London and Brighton and therefore the great moments, parties, friends and the fantastic and lovely tea time at the countryside.

This is the Victoria Sandwich Cake, named in honor of Queen Victoria. Perfect for an afternoon tea or any celebration.

It's fast and easy to make.


Victoria Sandwich Cake

Ingredients:

175g butter

175g caster sugar

175g self raising flour

3 eggs

1 lemon zest grated

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling:

4 tbsps of strawberry jam

6 fresh strawberries  sliced

1 pint of whipping cream

Additional for decoration:

Icing sugar

Blueberries and raspberries

Butter and flour 2x20cm cake tins and line with parchment paper.

Beat together the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy,add the lemon zest. Gradually beat the eggs and flour and mix well until smooth.

Divide the mixture between the two cake tins and bake for about 20 minutes until cakes are golden and brown at 350ºF.

Allow to cool completely.

Mix the sliced strawberries with the jam.

Whip the cream.

Spoon about half of the whip cream on one of the cakes and spread the strawberries jams. Sandwich the cakes together.


For decoration have the option to dust with icing sugar or used the remaining cream on top with the berries.

Summer tea time mini sandwiches

These are some of my favorites tea time little sandwiches to have  at home, take it to a picnic or just to find an excuse to have a get together with my friends. These are turkey sandwiches with mango chutney, I just spread one slice of bread with mayo and in the other mango chutney and added slices of smoked turkey.

I always love the cucumber sandwiches, the secret is to peel and thinly slice the cucumbers, usually I do it with a potato peeler and  sprinkle them  with salt and little vinegar and leave to drain for a while about half an hour and place it on a sieve to remove any excess of juices from the cucumber. Spread the butter on thin bread slices, add layers of cucumber and close it  by pressing with your hands. Cover them with a lightly wet tea towel until you are ready to serve them.

I have many recipes for tuna sandwiches, but this one is very nice. I chopped a shallot in to very small dices, chopped a small bunch of parsley and grated a lemon peel. In a bowl I mixed the tuna all ready drained with  all the ingredients chopped and one spoon of  the tiny capers. In an other bowl I mixed mayo with a little olive tapenade ( you could make it or buy it already made) and  added salt and pepper. Now I mixed both mixture and placed it into the refrigerator until it's ready to use it.

For the egg salad sandwiches I also have many recipes that I keep changing depending in what I have when I am going to make it , yesterday a friend of mine called me from a tea room telling me what she was eating and how much she was enjoying it and thinking about the time she was living in England as I did while I was a student. So immediately after the telephone conversation I started preparing little sandwiches for a late snack follow with a cup of tea.

I boiled four eggs, chopped the shallot into tiny dices. The egg yolk I mixed with a little dijon mustard, olive oil, few drops of worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. I chop  very small the white of the boiled  egg  and mixed it with the chopped shallot, I added half a pickle and one cornichon  diced very small and added a few spoons of mayonnaise to mix  it all together. I spread onto thinly sliced buttered white bread and pressed the slices removing the crust. Everybody loves them! 

For the chicken sandwiches I cut in small cubes from a chicken breast all ready cooked and tossed with a thinly sliced celery and chopped walnuts. In an other bowl I stirred mayonnaise with a teaspoon of curry power, salt and pepper. I combined all and spreaded it on sliced  butted white bread, trimmed off  the crust and cut into triangles.

I just need to have scones with Devon cream & jam to remember the afternoon teas on summer at Brighton country side...

Vintage cake stand

http://shop.lolalobato.com/products/Vintage-Cake-stand-with-a-6%22-Pedestal.html

MINI SANDWICH DE PEPINO

Un bocado ligero para comer en la tarde acompañado de un té antes de la cena

INGREDIENTES:
pan de sandwich
1 pepino
1 cucharada de nueces trituradas
1 puñado de alfalfa
sal
(para la mantequilla de eneldo)
1/2 taza de mantequilla
1/4 taza de queso crema
1 cuchararadita de piel de limón rallada
1 cuchararadita de jugo de limón
2 cucharadas de perejil
3 cucharadas de eneldo
sal

PREPARACION
Se mezclan todos los ingredientes de la mantequilla de eneldo. colocar la mezcla sobre papel encerado haciendo un rollito, refrigerar hasta el momento de usar.
Con un rebanador de queso se pela el pepino y se corta en laminas muy finas, secarlas con papel absorbente y agregar un puntico de sal.
Untar las rebanadas de pan con la mantequilla de eneldo. Rellenar con varias lonjas de pepino, la alfalfa y las nueces picaditas.
( también se pueden preparar con mantequilla sola, el pepino, sal y unas góticas de limón. cortando el pan el triángulos)

SANDUCHITOS DE POLLO & CURRY

INGREDIENTES
pan de sandwich rebanado
1 pechuga de pollo cocinada y desmenuzada
2 tallos de celery
nueces picadas
mayonesa
mantequilla
curry en polvo
sal

PREPARACION
Mezclar el pollo con el celery, la mayonesa, las nueces, la sal y el curry a el gusto.
Untar cada rebanada de pan con mantequilla, agregarle un poco de la mezcla de pollo, tapando luego con otra rebanada de pan.
Cortar los sanduchitos diagonalmente.

Deliciosos para un brunch, una merienda o la hora del té.

TORTA DE MANZANA

Deliciosa para incorporarla en una merienda acompañada de una taza de café.
Tanto en la tarde como en el desayuno es una perfecta "coffee" cake.
Muy fácil de preparar, solo mezclar, hornear y el éxito asegurado al probar.
Es la torta que ha petición preparo para todos los eventos familiares y recibida en casa de mi Abuela como una gran reina en su trono.
Al probarla pareciera ser complicada en su elaboración y es una de las tortas más sabrosas y sencillas de hacer.

Ingredientes
3 tazas de harina todo uso
3 manzanas tipo Granny Smith (verdes) peladas y cortadas en lonjas irregularmente
3 huevos
1 1/2 taza de azúcar morena
1 taza de aceite vegetal
1/2 taza de jugo de naranja
1/2 taza de nueces picadas
1 cda de ralladura de naranja
1 cdta de extracto de vainilla o las semillas de la vaina
1 cdta de canela en polvo
1 cdta de bicarbonato de sodio
Una  pizca de sal

Para el glaseado
1/2 taza de crema de leche
1/4 taza de azúcar
2 cdas de mantequilla sin sal
1/2 cdta de bicarbonato de sodio

Preparación
A mano o con la batidora electrica, mezclar en un bowl el jugo, los huevos, el aceite, el azucar, la harina, la ralladura de la naranja, la canela, el bicarbonato, la sal y las semillas o el extracto de vainilla. Agregar las mazanas  y nueces, poner la mezcla en un molde de aro enmantequillado y hornear por aproximadamente una hora a una temperatura de 350 grados F.

Syrup
Introducir la mantequilla, la crema de leche, el azucar y el bicarbonato en una ollita, y cocinar hasta llevar a ebullición.

Verter sobre la torta mientras este caliente, para que lo absorba.

El molde de aro es el mas recomendable en esta receta, pues permite que la torta se cocine desde adentro

Scones de Rennay

Ingredientes

32 oz de harina leudante
12 oz de mantequilla
4 oz de azúcar morena
12oz de pasitas
1 ½ taza de leche
Puntico de sal

Preparación

En un envase cernir la harina, mezclar la sal, mantequilla, unir todo y agregarle el azúcar, pasitas, la leche.Extiéndala, amasar con un rodillo enharinado hasta que te ponga un espesor aproximadamente de 2cm.
Cortarla en círculos con un cortador o vaso.
Hornear a 350º C por 15 a 20 min. hasta que estén dorados.