The Tea Party

As I wait to hear back from Rizzoli publishing--the company behind the candy-pink tome that is Chef Felder's, "Patisserie: Mastering the Fundamentals of French Pastry"--about reprinting rights for this blog, I thought I'd provide a little back story on my obsession. 

I'm sure you all remember Jacque Torres' Dessert Circus. If you don't, it's a must see. Mr. Chocolate himself is an absolute genius, and I can still remember watching the show on PBS at some ungodly hour on Sunday mornings. I must've been in elementary school. Forget Spiderman cartoons; what kid wouldn't love watching pools of molten chocolate and sugar become the most mouth watering creations known to man? Unfortunately, I didn't have pounds of chocolate, off-set spatulas, or marble counter tops to work with back then. My candy creations came out of Wilton molds, and quite honestly...they tasted like paste. I was discouraged. So off I went to pursue education and employment far from the colorful, delicious world of pastry. But like many childhood dreams, the thought of creating delectable desserts always lingered in the back of my mind...

Fast forward to last year, when I found myself with more time on my hands--and less creative outlets--than I could bear. So I started cooking, and with cooking came baking, and with baking came scouring the blogosphere for tasty recipes that would keep me occupied. I became obsessed with G Bakes, The Fromagette, and Amy Glaze. I watched Kings of Pastry and swooned.

And then I had an idea: a tea party. I know, it's not a sugar show piece, but it was something manageable, something I could pull off without having to swing by the old stand-by, Amazon.com, when our local grocery store fails to provide the basics (which is always). This is when I knew my bubbling dessert addiction was going to be hard to control: the moment I got bored enough to host afternoon tea--ala scones, finger sandwiches, and petit fours of considerable quantity and variety. After two days of cleaning, prepping, and baking (with the help of my wonderfully supportive husband) I knew there was no going back. This was just the tip of the iceberg...