Afternoon tea, with friends or family, is a wonderful treat at any time of year, but it seems all the more special in spring. Create your own at home but with a Sicilian twist and send out the invites. Bring a little sunshine into your weekend, whatever the weather.

Pretty plates, cups and saucers. Dainty sandwiches, scones served with clotted cream and preserves, tasty cakes and pastries piled high. All washed down with lashings of hot tea – and a glass of something sparkling, if you’re very lucky. But how about adding a little Mediterranean charm to this British classic? Private chef Sabrina Damiani has prepared delicacies for royalty, ambassadors and celebrities alike and loves nothing more than bringing Sicilian sunshine to her colourful fare. Here she shares her recipes for Sicilian Orange Pots, and Parmesan & Herb Shortbread…

Parmesan & Herb Shortbread

Ingredients

150g plain flour, plus extra to dust

100g cold unsalted butter, diced

100g Parmigiano, finely grated

¼ tsp fine sea salt

1 large organic egg

A few rosemary, sage and thyme leaves

Method
~ Set aside a few herbs for decoration. Place the rest of the ingredients in a food processor. Blend until the mixture comes together, then use your hands to bring the dough into a ball.

~ Roll the dough into a log shape, about 5cm diameter. Wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 1 hour until firm.

~ Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4.

~ Remove dough from the fridge and slice into 1cm-thick discs. Use a cookie cutter for uniformity if you wish.

~ Place on lined baking trays, spaced slightly apart.

~ Use a brush and milk or egg white to stick sage, rosemary and thyme to the shortbread. Press the herbs firmly in place.

~ Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Leave to cool on the trays for 5 minutes to firm up then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Sicilian Orange Pots

Ingredients

~ 1 litre freshly squeezed orange juice

~ 180g caster sugar

~ 24g of leaf gelatine

~ 1 blood orange, well washed

Method

~ Strain the blood orange juice through a couple of layers of cheesecloth to catch the ‘bits’.

~ Place the gelatine into ice-cold water for 5 minutes until soft.
~ Pour the now smooth orange juice into a stainless steel saucepan with the caster sugar and bring to boil.

~ Remove from the heat and stir until sugar has dissolved.

~ Give the gelatine a good squeeze to remove excess water and whisk it into warm blood orange and sugar mixture to dissolve fully.

~ Let cool slightly then serve equally in 8 glasses. Slice a blood orange into wedges, remove seeds and distribute in setting jelly. Place in refrigerator for at least 5 hours or overnight.

To make even better you can replace 100ml of the juice with Campari or Gin to make it perfect as as dinner party pudding!

Create the Perfect Sicilian-style Afternoon Tea

Parmesan & Herb Shortbread

Sicilian Orange Pots