Gastronome

BY NANCY DAVIDSON

STEEPED IN TRADITION

Afternoon tea at Charleston
Place HotelIndependent Americans continue to enjoy this British-style afternoon custom.

In 1773, the Sons of Liberty boarded three ships in Boston Harbor and dumped 342 crates of Darjeeling tea overboard to protest unfair taxation, sparking the American Revolution. Other cities followed suit: In Philadelphia and New York, ships carrying tea were turned away, and in Charleston, SC, the tea was confiscated, hidden in a warehouse, and later sold to help pay for the Revolutionary War.

But there was another way to get tea into the US—by growing it here. In 1799, French botanist André Michaux planted cuttings and seeds at Middleton Place Gardens, just 25 miles southwest of Charleston. Though the crop was only intermittently successful, today a commercial tea plantation is located on the same site. Now owned by Bigelow (www.bigelowtea.com/act), it produces fine quality teas.

Ironically, in spite of American independence, the British custom of afternoon tea took hold in 19th-century America and is still popular today. Often attributed to Anna Maria Stanhope, Duchess of Bedford, who craved a light repast between lunch and supper, the practice evolved into an elegant service of small treats—crustless sandwiches of cucumber, egg or smoked salmon, scones and clotted cream—and, of course, tea.

At Charleston Place Hotel (www.charlestonplace.com; 843-722-4900), the tradition remains alive. Afternoon tea includes Charleston Breakfast and Plantation Peach flavors from the Charleston Tea Plantation, as well as sandwiches, scones, house-made lemon curd, jams and other bite-sized sweets.

On Saturday afternoons at St. Julien Hotel & Spa (www.stjulien.com; 720-406-9696) in Boulder, CO, you’ll find a different take on the tradition. Sip flavors like White Ambrosia and Oasis from supplier Tea Forte with untraditional sandwiches like lemon cardamom crab salad on fried fennel crêpes and shrimp po’boys on a toasted baguette with fried capers. Traditional homemade scones, complete with crème fraîche, lemon curd and jam, are also offered.

In Wellesley Hills, MA, just 15 miles from the site of the original Boston tea party, sisters Sally and Sue Khudairi have created a contemporary, stylish place, Dorset Tea & Coffee (www.dorsetcafe.com; 781-239-8988), which manages to be both luxurious and casual at the same time. It offers a well-edited selection of high-quality teas and choices of “tea sets,” including a menu that pays tribute to the Duchess of Bedford, with sandwiches, scones and clotted cream imported from England.

If you’re looking for a special way to celebrate Mother’s Day (May 11), you might consider spending the afternoon sharing a pot of tea.

SCONES

INGREDIENTS:

2 3/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1/3 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 stick butter, cut into cubes
2 eggs
1 pound dried fruit
1 2/3 cups heavy cream pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS: Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. Add butter and stir for 1 minute until the butter is lightly mixed with dry ingredients. Add the cream and eggs all at once. Add dry fruit and mix lightly. Do not over mix! Roll into thumb-sized balls and place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake in 350º oven for approximately 30 min.

Makes 20 scones — courtesy of Charleston Place Hotel