For All Things Afternoon Tea and Other Refined Experiences
Friday, May 17, 2013 
An outtake from my AmorePacific post yesterday. Adorable plant (orchid?) in the little nook area of the facial room. I want one! Although it's probably not a good idea since no plant has live longer than two weeks in my apartment...including succulents.
Thursday, May 16, 2013 A little while back, when I stopped in at the AmorePacific Soho shop to pick up their color control cushion compact, I noticed the spa in the back of the shop. Actually, it's more like a spa with a small shop in the front. I made a note to return for a facial, and I did last week.
I happened to be in Soho so I stopped in to see if I could get a facial without an appointment.
I was greeted right away with a smile as soon as I walked in through the door. It's very serene and calm inside. The front of the space is the shop and the rest is used for the spa.
Yes! They had a facialist available and as a walk-in, I just waited about 10 minutes for them to set up for me. I took a seat in their lounge area and got to enjoy a lovely green tea. (The green tea served is the same tea used in their products.)
After a few sips, they led me to a cozy treatment room.
The room feels luxurious and everything was laid out neatly.
Love this little nook where you can get prepared for the facial in the room.
I went with the Moisture Bound Age Delay Facial ($150 for 45 minutes) and Sylvia, my facialist, went to work on my face. The 45 minutes flew by with me going in and out of sleep. So relaxing and the best part? The facial massage. Sylvia worked her magic hands to give my face a gentle massage and found areas on my face that I didn't even know had tension. It felt amazing. No upsells from Sylvia either, which I was really happy about. I hate upsells.
After the facial, Sylvia asked if I wanted to put on some of their cushion compact on since I didn't have any makeup on me. I did! She applied the foundation on me and I was good to go.
The customer service here is superb. Everyone, from Jessica at the front desk to Sylvia, made my facial a wonderful one; I felt like they genuinely cared about making sure I had a fantastic spa experience.
INFO: AmorePacific Soho Spa | 114 Spring Street btw. Mercer St. & Greene St. | 212.966.0400
Wednesday, May 15, 2013 
Love the bright colors of these Bensimon sneakers I picked up from Madewell. I couldn't decide between the lemon and the coral so, naturally, I got both. They run a size small, so I got the next size up. Easy to slip on and comfortable, these Bensimon sneakers are my favorite.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013 
In the kitchen with Queenie again and this time, she made this decadent Yuzu & Berry Mille-feuille (pronounced meel foy). Light and rich all at the same time with a touch of spring and summer with yuzu (Japanese citrus fruit) and berries.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/3 cup whole milk
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons yuzu juice
1 teaspoon gelatin
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 package thawed pastry puff
2–3 pints of raspberries or blueberries
powdered sugar for dusting
1. Put whole milk (1 1/3 cup) in a pot and slowly bring to a simmer.
2. In a separate bowl, combine egg yolks (3), corn starch (2 tablespoons), flour (1 tablespoon), and sugar (2 ½ tablespoons). Mix well.
3. Slowly pour the hot milk into the into the egg/starch mixture while whisking until the milk has been fully incorporated.
4. Pour the milk/egg mixture back to the pot and using a whisk, continue to mix until it starts to thicken.
5. Remove the pot off the stove and continue to whisk till all the lumps (if any) are gone.
6. Take a piece of plastic wrap and directly place on top of the pastry cream. Place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.
7. In a saucepan, pour in 1/4 cup of water and sprinkle 1 teaspoon of gelatin on top. Let sit for 5 minutes.
8. After 5 minutes, heat up the gelatin and water.
9. Meanwhile, take out the chilled pastry cream from the refridgerator and mix in the heavy cream (1 ½ cup) and yuzu juice (2 tablespoons).
10. Slowly add in the liquid gelatin while whisking.
11. Whisk to a soft whipped cream consistency. Keep it in the refridgerater to firm up the yuzu cream.
12. Preheat the oven to 400F. Take a third of thawed puff pastry. Roll out the dough to 9 x 12 inch rectangle and 1/4 inch thick.
13. Place the puff pastry on a sheet tray and poke holes using a fork. Fill the entire pastry puff with holes. This prevents the pastry puff from puffing up too much.
14. Bake for 5 – 10 minutes until golden brown (Check at the 5 minute mark to see how much longer it should be in the oven.) Let it cool before cutting it into 12 rectangles, each sized to approximately 2.5"x 3". Make two more puff pastries to get 36 pieces of puff pastries cut into rectangles.
15. Take the yuzu cream and put it in a pastry bag with a round tip. Take a puff pastry and place pipe.
16. Start assembling the mille-feuille. Take a puff pastry and place pipe 8 dollops of the yuzu pastry cream. Place another puff pastry on top. Place raspberries or blueberries and dab a small amount at the bottom of the fruit to ensure it will sit securely on the second layer of the puff pastry. Place a third puff pastry on top of the fruit and sprinkle the top with powdered sugar.
Optional: Reverse yuzu cream and berry layers.
YUZU & BERRY MILLE-FEUILLE
Makes 12
INGREDIENTS
1 1/3 cup whole milk
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons yuzu juice
1 teaspoon gelatin
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 package thawed pastry puff
2–3 pints of raspberries or blueberries
powdered sugar for dusting
DIRECTIONS
1. Put whole milk (1 1/3 cup) in a pot and slowly bring to a simmer.
2. In a separate bowl, combine egg yolks (3), corn starch (2 tablespoons), flour (1 tablespoon), and sugar (2 ½ tablespoons). Mix well.
3. Slowly pour the hot milk into the into the egg/starch mixture while whisking until the milk has been fully incorporated.
4. Pour the milk/egg mixture back to the pot and using a whisk, continue to mix until it starts to thicken.
5. Remove the pot off the stove and continue to whisk till all the lumps (if any) are gone.
6. Take a piece of plastic wrap and directly place on top of the pastry cream. Place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.
7. In a saucepan, pour in 1/4 cup of water and sprinkle 1 teaspoon of gelatin on top. Let sit for 5 minutes.
8. After 5 minutes, heat up the gelatin and water.
9. Meanwhile, take out the chilled pastry cream from the refridgerator and mix in the heavy cream (1 ½ cup) and yuzu juice (2 tablespoons).
10. Slowly add in the liquid gelatin while whisking.
11. Whisk to a soft whipped cream consistency. Keep it in the refridgerater to firm up the yuzu cream.
12. Preheat the oven to 400F. Take a third of thawed puff pastry. Roll out the dough to 9 x 12 inch rectangle and 1/4 inch thick.
13. Place the puff pastry on a sheet tray and poke holes using a fork. Fill the entire pastry puff with holes. This prevents the pastry puff from puffing up too much.
14. Bake for 5 – 10 minutes until golden brown (Check at the 5 minute mark to see how much longer it should be in the oven.) Let it cool before cutting it into 12 rectangles, each sized to approximately 2.5"x 3". Make two more puff pastries to get 36 pieces of puff pastries cut into rectangles.
15. Take the yuzu cream and put it in a pastry bag with a round tip. Take a puff pastry and place pipe.
16. Start assembling the mille-feuille. Take a puff pastry and place pipe 8 dollops of the yuzu pastry cream. Place another puff pastry on top. Place raspberries or blueberries and dab a small amount at the bottom of the fruit to ensure it will sit securely on the second layer of the puff pastry. Place a third puff pastry on top of the fruit and sprinkle the top with powdered sugar. Optional: Reverse yuzu cream and berry layers.
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2 Comments | Share Article | Labels: blueberry, mille-feuille, pastry puff, raspberry, recipe, step-by-step, yuzu 
Monday, May 13, 2013 
A proper afternoon tea isn't complete without scones served with cream (either clotted or Devonshire) and jam. What's the difference between the two creams? Devonshire is clotted cream made specifically in Devon, England.
Clotted cream is traditionally made by heating fresh cow's milk, then setting and cooling it for hours in a shallow pan followed by a reheating. During the reheating process, the top layer forms 'clots' which gets skimmed off to create clotted cream. This thick cream has at least 55% butterfat.
Now, if you're in Devon, you'll most likely spread the cream first on a scone, then the jam. BUT, if you're in Cornwall, the reverse with jam first, then the cream. See how to eat a scone properly.
// By the way, how adorable is that illustration? Uh, VERY. I ran across Lana's site and reached out to her for this collaboration and I love how it turned out. Check out her work and her Etsy shop to see her fantastic illustrations, all with a touch of whimsy. If you're looking for pretty custom work (wedding invites, greeting cards, etc.) go to Lana. I'm so tempted to get some custom correspondence cards. //
Illustration: Lana's Shop for Oh, How Civilized.
4 Comments | Share Article | Labels: 101, afternoon tea, clotted cream, lanasshop, personalized service 
