It's tea time !

''Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.'' Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady.

Tea box handcrafted in nickel silver (Photo by Heinrich-Sanguinetti)

The traditional afternoon tea has also found its roots in South America, where it is usually drank at 5pm following classic conventions. Tea, coffer or Mate are accompanied with medialunas (croissants), sandwiches de miga (usually ham and cheese sandwiches with very thin bread), dulce de leche (a thick creamy caramel-like treat), marmalade and butter spread over bread and toasts, bizcochos and assorted masitas (cookies-like pastries), including alfajores (check a recipe to make them below). This light meal is usually called merienda.

Confiteria Las Violetas, Cafe La Ideal, Cafe Tortoni, Confiteria La Biela or Cafe de Los Angelitos are some of the traditional places where to drink tea in Buenos Aires.

How to make alfajores

Alfajores, a favorite South American pastry, are cookies filled with dulce de leche, ideal for an afternoon tea or an anytime snack.

Prep Time: 1 hour - Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 12 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons cognac
• 2 1/2 cups cornstarch (corn flour)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• Dulce de Leche

Preparation:

To make cookie dough:
Cream the butter and sugar together, then mix in the remaining ingredients (except the dulce de leche) until well blended. Knead on a floured work surface until the dough is smooth and let rest for 15 minutes.

To make the cookies:
Roll the dough out to a thickness of about 1/4 inch and cut into 2-inch rounds. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 300°F oven for 20 minutes. When cool, spread some dulce de leche on the bottom of half the cookies and press another cookie on top, allowing some of the dulce de leche to squeeze from the sides. Makes about 12 delicious, definitely non low calorie cookies!

To make dulce de leche:
Pour one can of sweetened condensed milk into 9-inch pie plate. Cover with aluminum foil. Place the pie plate in a in larger shallow pan filled with hot water. Do not allow the water to cover the smaller pan. Bake at 425 degrees F for one hour or until thick and caramel-colored. Beat until smooth.