With the Royal Wedding only a few days away, I decided to host a Royal afternoon tea party for a few friends complete with traditional English scones, lemon curd and finger sandwiches. To make it even fancier, I baked elderflower sugar cookies decorated with edible flowers. They were a pretty addition to the tiered sandwich platters and each of my guests left with a little bag of them. I discovered these floral cookies on Instagram recently and couldn’t wait to make them myself. I think they turned out quite well and would make them again. Scroll to the end for the recipe.
For the scones and lemon curd, I’ve been using this recipe for years that my friend Christelle shared on her blog, Christelle is Flabbergasting.
For the jam, I wanted a rose jam like the one served at the Ritz-Carlton in Montreal for their afternoon tea service. I found this wild rose and raspberry confiture made by Quebec artisanal jam maker, Simon Turcotte. You can find it at Marché des Saveurs du Québec at the Jean Talon Market.
For the sandwiches, I usually make simple cucumber sandwiches with thinly sliced cucumbers, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. This time, I added a few slices of radish. These are so easy to make – just buy soft sliced bread and remove the crust.
The smoked salmon sandwiches are a little more complicated. I use the same soft bread, spread with mayo and then I place the salmon on top and use a cookie cutter to make them heart-shaped. Finally, I decorate them with a thin slice of lemon, fresh dill and capers.
Do you know what makes an afternoon tea royal? Champagne! We started with a bottle of Champagne Rosé Brut Premier Cru from a small family producer (Veuve Fourny & Fils) that I had bought in France last year. For a very good and affordable pink bubbly, try Louis Bouillot – a rosé crémant from Burgundy that my friend Jo brought to our tea party. We drank that, too!
I think it’s fun to ask my friends to dress up for my tea parties since I try to make it as glamorous as possible. I make sure the table is set with my best china, fresh cut flowers and even place cards so that each guest feels welcomed. It’s all in the details.
My friend Stephanie even brought a fascinator!
Dyan rocked a pair of Dorothy-esque Céline shoes with fishnet stockings.
Jo wore her mother’s string of pearls with a crown pendant.
I wore my floral D&G dress and my new lovely pair of shoes that were a recent gift from the Canadian footwear designer, Zvelle.
Even Dapper wore a royal-inspired scarf that I found in Europe last year.
What about you? Are you a royal watcher? If you want to catch the royal wedding this Saturday, turn on the telly early because the ceremony starts at 7am! If you feel like going to a Royal Wedding Viewing Party, you can make a reservation at Bar George to have a traditional British breakfast while watching Meghan & Harry exchange vows.
Hope to see you there and enjoy the rest of this Royal Week!
Elderflower cookies with edible flowers
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 4 tsp elderflower syrup (or, you can substitute St-Germain liqueur)
- 2 1/2-inch circle cookie cutter
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp white granulated sugar
- edible flowers (I used pansies)
- In a bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, blend butter and icing sugar. Mix in the egg, vanilla and elderflower syrup. Gradually stir in the flour mixture. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper (or grease a tray). On a floured surface, roll out cookie dough about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out circles and place on tray.
- Brush each cookie with egg white (optional: Add a dash of Elderflower Liqueur to the egg white). Snip the stem of an edible flower to make the flower as flat as possible and place on the cookie, gently pressing the petals flat. Carefully brush the top of the flower with egg white and sprinkle with a pinch of sugar.
- Bake until edges begin to brown, 10 to 12 minutes.
