The Gothic House Tea & Eatery December 28, 2008

What a delight!  I had lunch at a Tea room in St. Joseph with my friend Ellen, Wednesday.  We had read a review in the St. Joseph News Press and decided to visit.  Our meal started with Cranberry Scones and Lemon Curd.  I had never had lemon curd, it was delicious. Our gracious hostess Pat Mc Naughton in her interview with the St. Joseph News Press graciously gave her recipe for the Scones and Lemon curd and she allowed me to reprint them here.

Recipe from: The Gothic Tea and Eatery   
Classic Cream Scones

2 C flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

¼ C sugar

1 large egg

1 ½ tsp vanilla

½ C heavy Cream

1/3 C cold butter

Dried cranberries

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. In a small bowl, whisk egg vanilla and ½ cup of heavy cream. Set aside. With pastry blender, cut 1/3 cup cold better into dry ingredients until coarse and mealy. Make a well in center of dry ingredients and add cream mixture. Mix with fork just until blended. Add dried cranberries to taste. Do not overwork. On lightly floured surface, pat dough out to ½ inch thickness and cut with biscuit cutter. Brush tops with heavy cream and bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes. Serve with Devonshire cream and jam or lemon curd.

Lemon Curd

 

3 eggs

 1 C sugar

½ C fresh lemon juice

¼ C butter

1 ½ Tsp lemon zest

In a heavy saucepan, beat eggs and sugar for one minute on high with hand mixer. Stir in lemon juice and butter. Cook and stir over medium low heat until mixture reaches 160 degrees. Add zest and cool, Cover and store in refrigerator for up to one week. Best when served at room temperature.

The inside was decorated with antiques, and period Christmas trees, and vintage linens, even our napkins were vintage handkerchiefs.  On each table were vintage linen table clothes, some embroidered, some cut work, with unique oil lamps.  Every where you looked there was something to catch your eye!

The spiral staircase was decorated, and this is what you saw as you entered the establishment,.

Antique oil lamps were on each table, some were painted.  I asked if she had any Aladdin lamps since Harvey and I collect them. Pat said she had those upstairs in her quarters, I would have loved to see them, but we had a good conversation about them.

In the brochure about the Tea House, it says that it is a National Register Historic site from 1869 and is the only surviving example of Gothic Revival Style residential architechture executed in brick. Originally constructed  for businessman John Burnside, a senior partner of the Burnside,Crowder, & Rogers Foundry who also served as a city councilman for the fourth ward.

Pat also has given an interview with The Regular Joe Vol. 2, Issue 5, where she told the writer that she purchased the building in 2000. It was scheduled for the wrecking ball, she convinced the city to let her save it and meticulously restored the Gothic detailing which had been removed in the 1920’s. It has definintly been a labor of love for Pat and her husband restoring the home to it’s former beauty, and now she applies that same love to her menu with everything made from scratch. She says she has to wake up around 3AM to prepare each days meal. The Gothic House Tea and Eatery is located at 720 South 10th, Saint Joseph, MO. They are open from 10:30 to 2:30 daily except Tuesdays. Reservations can be made by calling (816) 232-8115. You may want to send Pat and email at patmcnaughton@sbcglobal.net, but please do not make reservations by email, phone only. She is so busy it is sometimes several days before she gets to check her email.
I will definintly be back many times. As Alton Brown says “Good Eats”.
Still enjoying the holidays,
Margaret