'Downton Abbey' fans feed their fantasies
Daisy Mason, assistant cook and former kitchen maid in the PBS series “Downton Abbey,” just turned down the invitation for an exciting move to the United States. Maybe she knew she would not find a nice clotted cream here for a proper afternoon tea.
But that's changing due to British dairy exports and sophisticated tea blends right in our backyard.
Forty people recently gathered for a “Downton Abbey” tea and cheese pairing session at McGinnis Sisters in Adams Township.
“Everyone wants all things English,” said Karen Novak, cheese team leader at McGinnis Sisters in Monroeville and organizer for the event.
Adrian Hurrell, general manager USA for the British dairy exporter Coombe Castle International, and Gryphon Saldin, owner of Gryphon's Tea in Lawrenceville, shared knowledge and samples with the group. Both companies have products at McGinnis Sisters.
According to Hurrell, the American version of “high tea” is more like the British “afternoon tea.”
Also called a “cream tea,” Hurell said afternoon tea at the show's Highclere Castle might include tea and scones with clotted cream and preserves or jams.
Participants tasted clotted cream and double Devon cream now available in the U.S. Hurrell said clotted cream is used more on cakes and scones. It is very thick and dense.
Double Devon cream is ideal for topping fruit. It is lighter and not as thick as clotted cream. Both creams taste very mild and have decadent textures.
What a cow eats influences the flavor of the cream from its milk and the cheese made from its milk.
“Devon and Cornwall, that's where the cream really comes from,” said Hurrell. “There is no other area where the grass is right.
“When they open that jar, that's like tasting a little bit of England,” said Hurrell.
Susan Selby, the cheese team leader for the McGinnis Sisters store in Adams Township, also likes these creams on omelets, baked potatoes and French toast.
Tasting clotted cream on a scone, Joan Perquin of Seven Fields said, “I like that it's not too sweet and it's smooth.”
Hurrell offered Collier's Welsh Cheddar, made in North Wales, to taste with Gryphon's Berkshire Black tea blend.
Saldin drew attention to the smokiness of this English-style tea and said cheeses with stronger flavors should be paired with teas that also have strong flavors.
Hurrell said this cheddar is very flavorful.“It's what Americans would classify as a sharp, but it is very different,” he said. “You get that lovely creamy taste.”This cheese is aged 15-16 months and consequently contains tiny crunchy bits of lactate crystals — a sign of very good quality cheddar.People came to the event for various reasons.“It's something different,” said Rosemary Mozes of Mars.Judy Fischer of Castle Shannon came to meet up with friends for a women's night out. Her favorite cheeses of the evening were Collier's cheddar and Royal Blue Stilton.“I never order blue cheese dressing, but I liked this,” said Fischer.“Downton Abbey” fan Diana Stoughton of Gryphon's Tea served tea wearing a long Battenburg lace apron over a long blue skirt and period shoes.Stoughton is studying the culinary uses of tea. She said that a good ratio of tea to water is 1 teaspoon of loose tea to an English tea cup, or 6 ounces, of water.Saldin gave other tips on brewing tea.“Make sure the tea has room to expand,” he said.He recommends a fine mesh for brewing, for example, a mesh basket that fits in a cup or pot. Novak is enthusiastic about the tea basket she uses.She said, “The leaves unfurl in all their glory into the cup.”Saldin said the best water temperature for brewing varies. In general, the water should be just below boiling, about 200 degrees.“You need to be delicate with white teas, green teas and oolongs,” said Saldin. For these he recommends 170-180 degrees and brewing the tea for about 3 minutes.“Otherwise, the leaves begin to cook,” he said.Saldin, who is studying to be a tea master with the Canadian, American and Australian Tea Associations, said black tea will keep about two years and green tea one to two years. He said to store it away from light and air, for example, in a jar in a closet or in an airtight plastic container or tin.Joan Perquin of Seven Fields was surprised when she tasted Gryphon's Quiet Shire tea, a blend of camomile, lavender and red rose petals with lemongrass and mint, with cheeses called Sticky Toffee and Chocolate and Orange.“I didn't think I'd like them. I'd definitely use them as part of a dessert tray with a pot of this lovely tea,” said Perquin.Novak likes the relaxation of tea time.“You can turn your own tea environment into a parlor simply by using a nice china cup and spoiling yourself. Go buy a scone or make one. They only take four ingredients,” she said.“I thought this was great,” said Sharon Stiller of Seven Fields as the tasting ended.“Downton Abbey” fans miss the show but they can practice making scones and elegant and unusual teas until the next season begins. Then they can enjoy them as they watch Lord Grantham, the Countess of Grantham and the rest of the Crawley family and their guests having a cream tea in the library at Highclere Castle.
