Sweet Teatime in the Rose Garden

With the summertime starting in June is not only the best time of the year to have a picnic in a hidden backyard, balcony or garden it is also the month of cherry picking and the blossem of the queen of all flowers, the rose. A reminder of times long gone when friends where enjoying Afternoon Tea together with some sweet treats in a relaxing atmosphere.

We converted the Afternoon Tea into a picnic option making it perfectly suitable for an outdoor teatime. All recipes allow to be prepared in advance the evening before or even in the morning of the picnic. This is the best way to ensure that it will become a nice stressless activity and something quite nice to look forward to.

Rose Blossom Syrup

Ingredients:

• 500 ml water

• 100 g rose blossom

• 500 g raw cane sugar

• Juice from one lemon

Instructions:

Clean the petals, cover with the water and let them rest for 12 hours or best over night. Carefully drain the water also removing any remaining water from the petals. Bring the rosewater together with the sugar and lemon juice to the boil and let it simmer for at least 10 minutes until the liquid turns into a nice syrup. Fill the syrup into sterilised bottles and it will keep for at least one year.

5 Answers

from Simone : by-fraeuleinsonntag.com

A few words about my work

I am not the typical blogger as I don't have a real blog, but rather a portfolio page for my photography and travelling. To spread my philosophy and pictures I rather use Social Networks like Instagram, Facebook or Steller Stories.

Born in Hanover, I moved to Berlin almoste over 10 years ago and really love this city. I constantly think about ideas like "Slow Movement" – also in combination with food. People can come together over regional food, they can exchange opinions, develop ideas and enjoy life in the here and now with good food.

How it all began

I see myself as a visual story teller and that's how I started getting into photography. For a while now I got into the Slow Movement and notice how much it moves people who also yearn for deceleration and meaningfulness in life.

We can always be online, and yet we need the moments of retreat in order to recharge our batteries. Good and healthy food can help this recharging process.

The perfect dish for outside

A very difficult question, which depends on where the picnic takes place. For me a picnic basket has to be filled with fruit – unless there are a lot of wasps – then it is not so much fun of course. However picnic means pleasure and letting go all negative thoughts – I think you can always do that if a good bread or brioche is involved.

Why these recipes?

When I got the email from sisterMAG I immediately saw myself doing different kinds of recipes. I saw a picnic blanket in an enchanted park with wild flowers and old english roses. It was clear to me that I would go into the idea of an afternoon tea and I wanted to change it into a more modern and healthier version.

The recipes contain simple ingredients and can be prepared beforehand. Thus you can enjoy your picnic without exploiting yourself with preparations.

All recipes are so delicious that shortly after I had taken my pictures everything was already eaten! I have to admit that I am a fan of peanut butter and the combination with apricot fruits was just delicious. Spread out on freshly baked brioche as a sandwich – that's just awesome!

Favourite recipe

I've tried the Cold Brew method for the first time and was positively surprised by the delicate flavour of the white tea with rose petals. This will definitely be our summer drink for 2015.

Favourite picnic place

I definitely have to be able to relax and be enchanted in that place. Thus it could be anywhere from the city park, hidden in a Berlin backyard or on the pasture.

Cold Brew: White Tea with Rose Blossom

Ingredients:

• 4 tea bags »White Tea with Rose and Tea Blossom « (or any similiar type you can find)

• 500 ml cold water

Instructions:

Place the tea bags in a jar or bowl, cover with the cold water and let it rest in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Take out the tea bags and serve on the rocks with a mint leaf. You also can sweeten your tea using rose blossom syrup or agave syrup.

Chocolate Nut Pralinés

Vegan and gluten free

Ingredients:

• 100 g almonds

• 50 g cashews

• 125 g pitted dates

• 50 g + 20 g cacao powder for dusting

• 15 g puffed amaranth

• 1 tables spoon almond butter

• 1 table spoon agave syrup (optional)

• 50-80 ml unsweetened almond drink

• a pinch of sea salt

• 1 tea spoon ground vanilla

• 1/2 tea spoon ground cardamom or cinnamon

• 1 tea spoon rose water (optional)

Instructions:

Roast almonds in a frying pan, place in a bowl covering the almonds with water and ground vanilla, let the almonds rest in the fridge for about 4 hours or over night. After the resting time remove the almond skin and put almonds aside. In case your dates are rather solid soak in lukewarm water for about 2 hours so that they are easier to process.

Now place all ingredients except for the the puffed amaranth in the food processor and mix, maybe you need to stir a couple o times ensuring that all ingredients are combing well together. Once you get to a smooth consistency add the puffed amaranth whisking with a spoon and shaping 20-30 bliss balls, finally role each ball in cocoa powder and store in the fridge till you need them, they keep fresh for about four days.

Trifle with Cherries and Almonds

Ingredients:

• 100 g -120 g Spelt-Biscotti with almonds or

• 100 g -120 g roasted und roughly chopped almonds (gluten free und vegan option)

Almond Custard

• 40 g ground rice (use a mortar or coffee grinder)

• 15 g rice flour

• 25 g raw cane sugar

• 500 ml unsweetened almond drink

• 1/2 tea spoon ground lemon peel

Cherry layer

• 1 glass (360 g) sour cherries

• 50 ml water

• 1 table spoon rose blossom syrup or agave syrup

• 1 tea spoon corn starch

Instructions:

The trifle got it’s name as it consists of a minimum of three different fillings or layers.

Fill the bottom of two glasses or jars with 2-3 roughly chopped biscotti (alternatively roasted und chopped almonds) each and sprinkle with a tea spoon of cherry juice.

Now place the cherries in a cooking pot keeping a bit of fluid aside for preparing the corn starch. Bring cherries, cherry juice, water and rose blossom syrup or agave syrup to the boil. Meanwhile dissolve the corn starch with the cherry juice and add to the simmering cherries. Bring it all once more to a boil and let it cool down. After is has cooled down add 1-2 table spoons of cherry layer each to the jars and let it cool.

You need to get started on the almond pudding in order to by the bring the almond milk to a boil, before doing so take 3 table spoons of cold almond drink aside. You combine the cold almond milk with the remaining ingredients until you get it to a paste like sub-stance. Once the almond milk is boiling add the paste and keep whisking until you get to a rich semolina like consistency as you need it to be firm rather than runny. Allow the almond pudding to cool down for about 5-10 minutes.

It is time to get your jars with the cherry layer out of the fridge to sprinkle a fine layer of chopped biscotti (or chopped almonds) over them before adding a layer of 2-3 table spoons of almond pudding on top of the cherry layer. Put the trifle back in the fridge to allow it cool down before adding the final layer of cherries. Before serving the trifle add 1-2 roughly chopped biscotti or chopped almonds to each jar.

Brioche Sandwiches & Sweet Tea Swirls

Ingredients:

Brioche

• 250 g spelt flower

• 25 g raw cane sugar

• 5 g dried yeast

• one big pinch of salt

• 100 ml milk

• 125 g butter at room temperature

• 1 large egg and 1 egg yolk

Brioche spreads

• 1-2 table spoons peanut butter

• 1-2 table spoons apricot fruit spread

• 1-2 table spoons cherry fruit spread

• 1-2 table spoons raspberry with agave syrup fruit spread

Instructions:

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl using an electric whisk, adding milk, egg and egg yolk whisking for 5 minutes until you get a smooth and elastic dough.

Continue by adding the butter piece by piece whisking for another 5 minutes until you will get to an elastic dough once more.

Now cover your bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let rest in the fridge over night or at least for 4 hours.

After the resting time tip your dough onto a lightly dusted surface and knead for a couple of minutes, shape it so that it fits into a loaf tin. Cover our loaf tin with parchment paper and tip our dough into the tin. Cover the loaf tin with a damp kitchen towel and let it rest in a warm place for about 60 minutes.

Just before the resting time comes to an end preheat the oven to 180C, brush the top of the loaf with some milk and bake the brioche loaf in the oven for approx. 30 minutes. Allow the loaf to cool down before getting started on your sandwiches or swirls.

Sandwiches

For the sandwiches you need 4 slices of thick cut brioche,

In terms of the sweat spread there are no limits to your imagination. Two of my favorite spreads are peanut butter with apricot fruit spread or butter your brioche slice adding some cherry fruit spread. Finally cut your sandwiches into four halves and wrap up nicely.

Tee Swirls

For your sweet tea swirls you you need five slices of thin cut brioche.

Cut off the edges of your slices and carefully flatten your slices with a rolling pin or empty glas one by one. Butter the slices or just spread fruit spread on them and role into little swirls. Cover each swirl with cling film and place into the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Once you get the out of the fridge cut them into 2-3 pieces each and place on the nicely decorated stick or toothpick.