The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 74

F2 Food The Boston Globe Wednesday, December 26, 2007 A British director screens Boston's tea options i By Peter Hewitt GLOBE CORRESPONDENT One of my hobbies when on lo-, cation I was in Boston to direct the comedy The Lonely Maiden" is to search for the best traditional afternoon tea, an apt passion for an Englishman. Fortunately, I didn't have to dredge up tea from the harbor and anyway, Bostonians and Brits have long since made up. As pre-production commenced (I was here with Christopher Wal-ken, Morgan Freeman, William H. Macy, and Marcia Gay Harden), I began my quest. But first, some-, thing about the brew itself.

Tea to the British is what coffee ij is to Americans. Yes, there is a Starbucks on every corner in Lon-I don too, but it is tea that wakes and refreshes the nation. Tea is the fast and furious beverage of the masses. My wife, Sophie, and I wake up to a lovely cup of tea, then will probably drink six to eight more throughout the day. For the most part, the English drink one of four brands: PG tips, Tetley, Ty.phoo, and Barry's Tea; about 35 million cups of PG tips alone are brewed daily.

Everyday tea is a quick and easy thing, more akin to the cup of joe served in the diners of America, not precious or i 'j 7 4 Si- 'If' IP" GLOBE PHOTOS BY DOMINIC CHAVEZ While in Boston filming "The Lonely Maiden," British director Peter Hewitt (above right) and members of the cast and crew including cinematographer Ueii Steiger (above left), production designer Chris Roope (above center), and actor Christopher Walken (below) have tea at the Ritz-Carlton. "discerning, just hot and plenty. And the taking of tea is not the chichi, pinky-twirling ritual that some think it is. Oh no. On the "contrary, a tea bag is slammed into a mug, assaulted immediately with boiling water (has to be boiling, I would make tea with steam -if I could), then bashed around with a spoon until the right color achieved.

Milk and sugar are and there you have it. In FG tips launched a pyramid tea bag more than lOyears ago ior manual woricers to more easily pluck the bag from the wa-. ter without a spoon. The only other decision is Scones AfaAes21 Barefoot Contessa TV personality Ina Garten writes that the secret to good scones is the butter, which should not be completely incorporated into the dough. "When the heat of the oven hits the butter," she says, "the water in the butter evaporates, creating steam and making the scones light and flaky." SCONES when to add milk.

Milk in before the tea or after the tea is a hot de-u bate in Blighty a debate I indulge in frequently with my production designer, Chris Roope, an Englishman who insists that it is milk in last and reminds me that a popular postwar putdown was, "She'sabitmilk-in-first!" I am a milk-in-first man, so it is with some glee that I can report on the recent findings of the Royal V. V-" the United States seems to be taken almost wholly by women. I often find myself the only man in the room. But that's fine by me; I have always loved the company of women. I married a rather lovely one and we made three more small ones, Molly, Elsie, and Dora.

Molly and Elsie love tea. Dora's only six and prefers hot chocolate, but time will tell. Back to my quest. Once every week here, I took tea with cast and crew members in order to find the winning venue for our end-of-shoot tea party. There were ups, there were downs, there was the Taj, there was the Plaza.

The Four Seasons was very pleasant but when the food (supposedly for two) arrived, I was tempted to ask, "Where's mine?" One Sunday turned ugly when a large black uuiege 01 unemistry, wno ten us that, chemically speaking, milk in first is best Through some experi-mentation by a Dr. Stapley, it was found that when exposing milk to high temperatures, as one would do when pouring the milk into boiling water, the milk tends to break down and as a result ac quires a stale taste. On set my assistant Rachel Okerman now makes a good "cuppa," with the uncanny ability of 1 I I I $100FF All Styles Exp. 11308 I AA-EE 5- Men Women -Exc. Sale Shoes EDWIN 'COMFORT SHOES1 i Beacon St.

Brookline 617-277-6577 1 15' producing a steaming cup at just the right moment. Looking back I remember endless Sunday afternoons of my childhood, when Mom and Dad would take us to the wonderful tea shops of Southern England. I always half expected to find David Niven and Deborah Kerr sipping tea in the corner. It was here that my thirst for afternoon tea began. In strict contrast to everyday tea, afternoon tea does involve a bit of pinky twirling.

Created to fill the void between breakfast and a hearty evening meal, the ritual has since evolved into a modern social event with small sandwiches, cakes, and an assortment of scones with jam and cream. It's a cross between a small dinner party, coffee with friends, and a picnic And I love it. Afternoon tea in hair was discovered in a scone; the less said about that the better. Almost all places had trouble with the precise procedure for making loose leaf tea: they suffered from far too many leaves. The rule of thumb being one teaspoon for each person, then one for the pot The pot must be warmed.

Pot to the kettle, never kettle to the pot (so you pour the water when it's hottest). The Ritz-Carlton inaugurated afternoon tea on Nov. 11. Actor Breckin Meyer and I were the first (and only) visitors that day, but try getting a table now. On a recent Sunday we descended on the hotel lobby: Producer Rob Paris; his wife, Claudia; producer Jonathan McCoy; cinematographer Ueli Steiger; make-up artist Thomas Nellen; production designer Chris Roope; Christopher Walken; and I.

Seven men and one woman, for a change. Most were virgins to the delights of afternoon tea, but the Ritz didn't let us down. This is how it should be. Excellent service 4. In a bowl combine the eggs and cream.

With the mixer set on low speed, add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix just until blended. The dough will look lumpy. 5. Add the cranberry mixture. Mix on low speed until they are blended.

6. Turn the dough out onto a floured counter and knead it into a smooth flat cake. Roll the dough until it is -inch thick. You should see small pieces of butter in the dough; that's OK. Keep moving the dqugh on the counter so it doesn't stick.

Flour the cutter and cut circles of dough. Reshape the scraps and stamp out more circles. 7. Transfer the scones to the baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops are browned and the scones are firm to the touch. 8. Let the scones cool for 15 minutes. GLAZE a mixture that is pourable. 2.

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