Tea Time Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Blend softened cream cheese and 1/2 cup butter or margarine. Stir in 1 cup flour and mix well.
• Shape 2 dozen-1 inch balls. Place in tiny ungreased muffin pans and press onto the bottom and sides of tins.
• To Make Filling: Beat egg, sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, salt, vanilla and nuts until smooth. Fill pastry cups and bake until filling is set, about 25 minutes.

Steps:

• For the Ice Ring:.
• In a small pan/tea pot heat 1 quart water to a boil. Add 4 black tea bags. Let steep 5 minutes. Remove tea bags. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Refrigerate until very cold.
• Fill mini cake molds with a small amount of chilled water. Layer in cracked cinnamon sticks, and feathered lemon peels spaced equally around the bottom of each mold. Let freeze for 1 hour or until frozen to hold inclusions in place. Fill with chilled tea to top of molds. Freeze overnight.
• For the Simple Syrup:.
• In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil and reduce to simmer until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Will keep refrigerated for one month.
• For the Punch:.
• Stir together punch ingredients in a punch bowl. Unmold ice ring by quickly dipping into warm water and inverting Float ice ring in punch.
• Ladle into tea cup. Garnish with channel peeler manicured orange wedges and serve.