MY FAVORITE TEA ROOM

When Steve & I pulled into Wooster, at 5:00 AM on that cold Fall morning of 1994, I felt like I was coming home to a place I’d never been to before.  I really wanted to visit for one thing.  I collected Cat’s Meow Village pieces … those beautiful little painted wood buildings that I had sitting all around our home.   They were invented by Faline Fry Jones, who kept the factory right there in her home town of Wooster.    

The Roosevelt Home - Hyde Park

The Lillian Gish Home

My sister Frankie had just passed away and I had recently suffered a miscarriage.  On top of everything else, my Mom was slowly recovering from a stroke she had after losing my sister.  1994 had been a terrible year so far and Steve & I needed a weekend get-away so badly at that moment.  Wooster proved to be even  more than we had dreamed of. 

Wooster, Ohio

We toured the Cat’s  Meow factory, met Faline Fry Jones, shopped at many of the antiques shoppes, used book stores and specialty gift shopes (my favorite was A Country Tradition) and discovered the most wonderful place to eat called Abigail’s Tea Room.  When we got home, we told Mom and Linda all about it, promising that if she got better by the Spring, we would take her to visit our  new favorite town over Easter break.

Mom  did get better and we kept our promise.  And Wooster turned out to be even better on our second trip!  We discovered a great Bible book store, The Yum Yum Tree candy store and a unbelievable Christmas store which was open all year through.  .  All surrounded by the most spectacular farmland and the Amish communities of Berlin, Sugar Creek, Shreve, Apple Creek and Walnut Creek.  We even visited Orrville, where we got to tour the Smuckers jelly company!

We loved the home cooking at Amish restaurants such as Der Dutchman and The Berlin House, but the favorite for all four of us was always Abigail’s Tea Room!  A cozy, quiet restaurant right in the heart of downtown Wooster.  With it’s tall wooden booths and tea pots and tea cups decorating the interior, the ambiance was priceless!  The menu consisted of their specialties, and we put their cheese coup at the very top of our list.  We ordered it every time we were there. 

Linda & Mom at Abigail's Tea Room

Inside Abigail's Tea Room

We visited Wooster and the other towns of Wayne and Holmes Counties many, many times.  Usually each Spring and again each Fall.  One year we we nt a little later and got caught in  the worst snow storm!  Called a “white squall”, the towns were  nearly closed down and we were held up in our motel rooms.  As always, I had brought games to play in our rooms at night, so we just rode out the storm and ate at the motel’s restaurant.  What an adventure!

I still take trips to Wooster.  In my mind now, but I loved the town so much that if I close my eyes I have it all memorized a d I can go as often as I like!

Here are some recipes of Abigail’s specialties.  I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as we did!

CHEESE SOUP

1 onion, chopped                 

1 (10 oz) can chicken broth

1/4 c. butter                           

8 oz. Cheez Whiz (or 1 lb. Velveeta)

1/2 c. flour                   

A little water

Salt & Pepper, to taste                  

Cooked vegetables:  green beans, diced carrots, broccoli, peas & corn)

2 c. milk                       

1 tsp. mustard

Fry chopped onion in butter.  Add flour, salt & pepper.  Add milk; bring to a boil; boil for 1 minute.  Add chicken broth, cheese, water, vegetables & mustard.  Heat through; serve immediately.

BEST EVER SCONES

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 cup whipping cream, divided

Wax paper

Preheat oven to 450. Stir together first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender until crumbly and mixture resembles small peas. Freeze 5 minutes. Add 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. cream, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Turn dough out onto wax paper; gently press or pat dough into a 7-inch round (mixture will be crumbly). Cut round into 8 wedges. Place wedges 2 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush tops of wedges with remaining 2 Tbsp. cream just until moistened.

Bake at 450° for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden.

Variations:

Chocolate-Cherry Scones: Stir in 1/4 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped, and 2 oz.coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate with the cream.

Cranberry-Pistachio Scones: Stir in 1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries and 1/4 cup coarsely chopped roasted salted pistachios with the cream.

Brown Sugar-Pecan Scones: Substitute brown sugar for granulated sugar. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans with the cream.

CARAMEL SCONES

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsalted or salted butter (or margerine)

3/4 cup half and half or light whipping cream

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt (if unsalted butter is used)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup milk (for best results use whole milk)

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup butterscotch baking chips

Topping:

1/3 cup butterscotch baking chips, fine chopped (use food processor)

1 egg white, slightly beaten

Confectioner's (powdered) sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 425.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place flour and butter in a medium mixing bowl, combine with your fingers to a coarse meal consistency. Add sugar, baking powder and salt (if used) combine well. Stir in cream, vanilla and egg, blending well to form a soft dough.

Scoop mixture onto baking sheet. Brush tops with beaten egg white; sprinkle ground butterscotch chips over top. Bake until browned - 16-18 minutes. Dust with confectioner's sugar when cool.

CHOCOLITE CHIP & BUTTERSCOTCH SCONES

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup (8 Tbsp) chilled salted butter, diced small
1/3 cup butterscotch chips
1/3 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp milk or cream for brushing on scones
raw sugar for sprinkling on scones (optional)

Preheat oven to 375.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper unless using a baking stone.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend the flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda.  Mix in the pieces of butter and blend at the 1st or 2nd setting of the mixer until the flour mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add the butterscotch and chocolate chips. Stir in the buttermilk and vanilla extract just until the dough come together.  Do not over mix!

Drop heaping spoonfuls of dough onto parchment lined baking sheet, or baking stone.  Gently form the dough and press the tops down a tiny tiny bit (seriously, a TINY bit).  :)  Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with raw sugar.

Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

LEMON SCONES

Ingredients for Lemon Scones:

1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cold salted butter
1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk

1 large or extra large egg

Ingredients for Lemon Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice


This recipe makes 8 large scones or 16 small scones. You can also use all unbleached all-purpose flour instead of the white whole wheat flour. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. Scones freeze well, up to one month.

reheat oven to 350. In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In another bowl, combine lemon zest, lemon juice, buttermilk, vanilla and egg. Create a well in the center of the dry mixture and add the egg mixture all at once. Combine just until dough starts to form. Dough will be sticky.

Pile dough on a lightly floured surface. Gently knead a few times, just until the dough holds together.

Press dough into a circle, about an inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges for large scones or 16 for smaller scones.

Place wedges on a baking sheet and bake at 350(F) for 20-25 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and let rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes.

Prepare Lemon Glaze by whisking powdered sugar and lemon juice. Place scones on a wire rack. For a more penetrating glaze, drizzle glaze over scones while warm. For a more pronounced, decorative glaze, drizzle after scones have cooled.

DEVONSHIRE CRE M

4 ounces mascarpone

1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 or 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar

Zest of lemon (optional)

Mix ingredients until thick and smooth.  Makes about 1-1/2 cups.