A Museum-Quality Tea To celebrate its Mary Cassat show, the Museum of Fine Arts re-creates the artist's beloved afternoon ritual By Claire Hopley, Globe Correspondent, 03/10/99 The Museum of Fine Arts owns one of Mary Cassatt's most famous paintings. Called simply ''Tea,'' it shows Cassatt's substantial silver tea service - which the museum also owns - and two women. One is drinking tea, her genteel pinkie curved, her face buried in her cup as she downs the last drops. Another picture, also called ''Tea,'' catches a pink-gowned woman just as she lifts her cup from its saucer. If you are a tea drinker like me, both pictures are tremendously suggestive. They make a cup of tea seem like the perfect thing - and right now. The MFA is catering to such urges by offering a Cassatt-inspired tea in its Galleria Cafe. The set menu includes scones, tea sandwiches, and French pastries. You can also get tea with goodies made by the Ladies Committee and served in their gallery. For most people today, enjoying such teas is an occasional treat. But in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it was routine among middle-class families like Cassatt's. One reason is that dinner in America and Europe did not appear until 8 or 9 at night. To remedy ''that sinking feeling'' in the late afternoon, the Duchess of Bedford ordered her servants to bring sandwiches and cakes. Afternoon tea soon grew to be more than a way to stave off hunger pangs: It became a comfortable family custom and a fashionable way to entertain callers. In France, where the American Cassatt settled, the tea might be an infusion of lime, or perhaps one of the tasty teas imported from Asia by the fashionable Paris grocer Hediard. The Museum of Fine Arts has commissioned a special Mary Cassatt blend of tea from Harney and Sons of Salisbury, Conn. In creating the blend, Michael Harney says, ''We wanted something elegant like Earl Grey, so we chose nice Assams from northern India, some Ceylons from Sri Lanka, and also some Formosa oolong and China black, plus bergamot from Italy for the Earl Grey taste.'' In France, accompaniments for tea might be madeleines or gateaux from a patisserie. Similarly, in other European countries, the fancy pastries of the kind we serve as desserts are generally offered as midafternoon treats. England developed a whole teatime menu. You were supposed to start with bread and butter or savory sandwiches, then move on through crumpets, muffins, or scones to tarts and cakes. Sponge cakes, walnut cakes, fruitcakes, and gingerbread were favorites. Today, few English families maintain the tea ritual at home, but most hotels serve it and tea shops make it a specialty. A visit to a tea shop for a cream tea - scones and clotted cream with jam or berries - remains the crowning pleasure of a day of shopping or a summer outing for many English people. It seems unlikely that we will again find a way to shoehorn afternoon tea into our daily schedules, but it remains a lovely way to get together with friends. The typical offerings are easy to make (or buy), and the meal is less formal than dinner. The number of things you can serve is almost limitless, but it is important to make sure they work well with tea. Chocolate doesn't; its natural partner is coffee. Scones and cream and luscious pastries are ideal. Balance their sweetness and richness with assertively flavored items such as sandwiches filled with smoked fish or meat, and spicy or tangy treats such as gingerbread or lemon cakes or cookies. If your pastries are creamy or buttery, don't serve sandwiches containing cream cheese or mayonnaise. Balance soft food with something crisp, such as cookies with nuts. The menu by Jim Dodge, the MFA's director of food services, includes some examples. His sandwich fillings include smoked salmon with lemon mascarpone, watercress and toasted almonds with peppermint mayonnaise, and cucumber sandwiches with a butter made from rose petals. Among his pastries are the classic French madeleines, miniature palmiers, and an almond-plum tart. As for Cassatt, unlike her fellow painters Monet and Toulouse-Lautrec, she left no cache of recipes, but she did give a friend a recipe for caramels. Dodge has adjusted it for modern American ingredients. The Cassatt set tea is served in the Galleria Cafe from 2 to 4 p.m. daily. Tea is served in the Ladies Committee Gallery from 2:30 to 4 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays. For tea at home, here are some suggestions. SMOKED SALMON SANDWICHES WITH LEMON MASCARPONE This recipe by Jim Dodge, director of food services at the Museum of Fine Arts, is terrific on open-faced sourdough sandwiches, as well as on the more delicate tea sandwiches served in the Galleria Cafe. 6 ounces mascarpone cheese 2 tablespoons milk 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest Freshly cracked black pepper to taste 6 slices moist bread, such as egg or Portuguese bread 4 ounces cold-smoked salmon In a medium bowl, blend the mascarpone and milk with a wooden spoon until they form a soft paste. Add the grated lemon zest and pepper to taste. Continue blending until incorporated. Spread the mixture evenly on 3 slices of bread. Arrange the smoked salmon on top. Cover with the remaining bread slices, then trim the crusts. Cut each sandwich into 3 rectangular pieces. If necessary, cover with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Makes 9 tea sandwiches. CHICKEN AND BACON SANDWICHES Pecans give crunch to this excellent sandwich. The recipe comes from the Ladies Committee of the Museum of Fine Arts. 1/2 cup pecans 4 slices bacon, crisply fried or broiled 2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken 3 tablespoons snipped chives 4 to 5 tablespoons mayonnaise Salt and pepper to taste 2 ounces cream cheese 4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature 12 slices white or wheat sandwich bread Set the oven to 300 degrees. Put the pecans in a shallow pan or dish and toast them for 5 minutes. Remove and chop them coarsely. In a bowl, combine the pecans with the bacon and chicken. (The chicken should be chopped, not processed or ground.) Add the chives and stir to mix. Add the mayonnaise a little at a time, using just enough to bind the mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix the cream cheese and butter until smooth and soft. Spread the bread slices lightly with the mixture. Fill 6 sandwiches with the chicken mixture. Trim the crusts and cut into triangles. Makes 12 tea sandwiches. CURRIED EGG AND CUCUMBER SANDWICHES For these sandwiches, spread the bread with chutney rather than butter for a spicy flavor. 1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion 2 teaspoons curry powder 4 hard-boiled eggs 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro or parsley plus sprigs for garnish Salt to taste 10 slices white or wheat sandwich bread About cup mango chutney 1/3 English cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced Melt the butter in a small pan and stir in the onion. Cover and let cook over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until the onion has softened. Stir in the curry powder and cook for 30 seconds. Chop the eggs in a food processor or by hand. Mix in the curry mixture and the chopped cilantro. Add salt to taste. Spread each slice of bread lightly with mango chutney. Top 5 slices with cucumber and then with the egg mixture. Place 2 to 3 more cucumber slices on top of the egg, then cover with the remaining slices of bread. Trim the crusts. Cut the sandwiches into triangles and arrange on a serving plate garnished with sprigs of cilantro. Makes 10 tea sandwiches or 20 mini sandwiches. SCONES WITH CLOTTED CREAM AND JAM Clotted cream differs from whipped cream in both flavor and texture. As it cooks, it develops a slightly caramel flavor and thickens to the consistency of a soft cream cheese. Whipped cream is like a cloud of mild foam. Note: Do not use ultrapasteurized cream. Use pasteurized cream and buy the richest you can find. For the clotted cream: 2 cups pasteurized heavy cream For the scones: About cup milk 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice 2 cups all-purpose flour 3 teaspoons baking powder Pinch of salt 6 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup currants or raisins 1 tablespoon cream or additional milk Strawberry, raspberry, or cherry jam for serving To make the clotted cream: Turn the oven to warm. Pour the cream into a shallow pan such as a 9-inch pie plate. Cover with foil, then place it in the oven and leave untouched for 8 hours. (You can leave it overnight if you like.) Carefully remove it and let cool. Take care not to shake the pan or move it while the cream is cooling. With a slotted spatula, skim the thick cream from the surface, leaving the thin residue behind. The cream will have a yellow skin and a slightly lumpy clotted texture. Smooth it by blending it with a teaspoon if you like. Store it in the refrigerator but serve at room temperature. Use the residue in baking or soups. Makes about 1 cup of clotted cream. To make the scones: Set the oven to 425 degrees and grease a large baking sheet. Mix the milk and lemon juice. (If you happen to have some sour milk, use this instead of the milk and lemon juice mixture.) In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into a dozen or so pieces and rub them into the flour mixture. Stir in all but 2 teaspoons of the sugar and then the currants. Make a well in the center and pour in a 1/2 cup of the milk. Stir to combine with the dry ingredients. Add the rest of the milk only if needed to make a soft but not sloppy dough. Form the dough into 12 rounds, either by shaping quickly with your hands or by patting it into a circle and cutting it with cookie cutters. Alternatively, form into 2 large rounds and use a knife blade to make 6 wedges in each. Lightly brush the surface with the cream and sprinkle with the reserved sugar. Bake for about 18 minutes or until golden. To serve, split in two, spread with the clotted cream and top with jam. In season, raspberries or sliced strawberries are an excellent substitute for jam. (If you like, you can substitute chopped crystallized cherries or dried cranberries for the currants or raisins. Or you can make plain scones without any fruit.) Makes 12 medium scones. ALMOND AND RASPBERRY BARS This recipe comes from the Ladies Committee of the Museum of Fine Arts. For the base: cup all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 6 tablespoons melted butter 2 tablespoons chopped almonds 1 teaspoon almond extract 2/3 cup raspberry jam For the top: 4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) butter 7 tablespoons confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup chopped almonds 1 egg, beaten Set the oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour an 8-inch square pan. For the base: In a large bowl, mix the flour and sugar, then blend in the melted butter, 2 tablespoons of chopped almonds, and almond extract. Form the base by pressing this mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the raspberry jam on top. For the top: In a bowl, cream together the butter and confectioners' sugar. Mix in the 1/2 cup of chopped almonds and the egg. Drop teaspoons of this mixture over the jam. Spread gently with a knife or spatula. (If some of the jam peeks through, that's fine.) Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue to bake for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the surface is firm to the touch. Let cool in the pan before cutting. Makes 16 squares. FROSTED GINGER CAKE If you prefer, you don't have to frost this cake. Simply sift confectioners' sugar over it or serve with whipped or clotted cream. For the cake: 1 stick butter 1/3 cup molasses 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 tablespoon powdered ginger 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon cup light brown sugar 2 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup ginger marmalade or preserves cup milk For the frosting: 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened 2 ounces softened cream cheese About 1 box (16 ounces) sifted confectioners' sugar 2 teaspoons lemon juice Strands of lemon peel from 1 lemon Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8-inch square cake pan. Line the bottom with wax or parchment paper. For the cake: In a small pan, melt the butter over low heat and stir in the molasses. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool to lukewarm. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, and sugar. Stir the beaten eggs into the molasses mixture. Make a well in the center of the mixed dry ingredients and pour the molasses mixture into it. Add the ginger marmalade and the milk, then beat briskly to combine thoroughly. Turn into the prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 4 to 5 minutes, then invert the pan and remove the cake, stripping the wax paper from the bottom. For the frosting: Combine the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer or by hand in a mixing bowl. Mix until soft and thoroughly blended. Mix in the confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. When you have a soft spreading consistency, stop adding the sugar, then mix in the lemon juice. Frost the cake. Scrape strands of lemon zest, using a lemon zester, and scatter them on the cake. Cut into rectangles or squares for serving. Makes 12 to 16 servings. MARY CASSATT'S CARAMELS Jim Dodge reformulated Mary Cassatt's caramel recipe, explaining that our butter has more water and our cream is not as thick as in her day. 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 cup honey 1 cup heavy cream cup Dutch cocoa (for dusting) Lightly oil a marble surface, granite surface, or cookie sheet. (Do not use Teflon or similar coated cookie sheet.) Grate the chocolate, using a large-hole grater, into a medium bowl or pie pan. Combine the chocolate, sugar, butter, honey, and cream in a heavy medium-size saucepan. Stirring occasionally, heat to a boil over moderately high heat and continue cooking until the mixture reaches 238 degrees on a sugar thermometer. (This is the soft-ball stage. Another way of testing is to drop a little dollop into a bowl of water with ice cubes. It should form a soft ball.) Immediately remove from the heat and carefully pour the hot mixture onto the prepared surface. Do not spread. Allow to cool. Gather into a ball and dust lightly with cocoa powder. Roll into a log about 1 inch thick. Dust again with cocoa, place on a cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight until firm. Unwrap and cut into 1-inch pieces. Place in a cookie tin or candy box and cover. Makes 48 pieces. This story ran on page E01 of the Boston Globe on 03/10/99. Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company.