I've had this recipe for Block Island Orange Pecan Scones in my files since I tore the pages from a House Beautiful magazine in 1995. I made the scones for the first time yesterday. I will be making them again -- often.
I googled the recipe and found that these scones are now available for purchase as a packaged mix. I guess that would save a busy person time, but I never quite understand doing that. These scones go together so easily, especially if a food processor is used to combine ingredients. Scones are best eaten the day they are made.
adapted recipe from Pat Doyle
PREHEAT OVEN to 375˚F
For scones:
• 1 3/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• Grated zest of 1 orange
• 1/2 cup freshly-squeezed orange juice
• 1 large egg, beaten
For glaze:
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 12 pecan halves
1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Place flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse briefly just to combine. Add the butter and pulse until pea-size.
3. Transfer flour mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the chopped pecans and orange zest. Add the 1/2 cup orange juice and beaten egg. Using a fork, quickly mix the liquid ingredients into the dry until just-combined.
4. Drop 12 equal spoonfuls of batter, evenly spaced, onto the baking sheet. Slide baking sheet onto center rack of oven. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.
5. Prepare the glaze by mixing together confectioners' sugar and orange juice. Spread a small spoonful of glaze onto each scone and top with a pecan half.
TAKE a LOOK:
There has been little entertaining on my patio this summer. It's not because I haven't wanted to invite friends for dinner -- it's just been too hot! But with daytime temperatures cooling to the mid-70's this past weekend, it was finally time to plan an outdoor meal.
The dinner I hosted was a joint effort with my friend Kathy, who is also the architect that designed my kitchen. Our guests were Susan Gilmore and her husband John, who photographed my kitchen for Midwest Home and Real-Life Kitchens and Baths (coming out this fall?). It was also a stone fruit weekend. Saturday I made my favorite double-crust Cherry-Berry Pie. For dessert Sunday night we had fresh Peach Shortcake with Whiskey-Brown Sugar Cream.
SCONES:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 5 tablespoons heavy cream
• Additional whipping cream for brushing scones
• Additional granulated sugar, for sprinkling
PEACHES:
• 3 pounds peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
WHISKEY-BROWN SUGAR CREAM:
• 1 cup chilled heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons whiskey
TO MAKE THE SCONES:
1. Preheat oven to 425˚F. Line a small heavy baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. Pulse until blended. Add the butter and pulse again until the butter is the size of small peas.
2. In a large bowl gently whisk together by hand the egg, milk and 5 tablespoons heavy cream. Add the flour-butter mixture and stir together with a fork just until combined. Gather dough together and on a lightly-floured work surface, pat the dough into a round about 3/4 of an inch thick. Try to work the dough as little as possible. Using a 3-inch round biscuit cutter, cut 4 rounds and transfer to a parchment-lined heavy baking sheet. Gather together the remaining dough and cut 2 more rounds.
3. Brush the tops of the 6 scones with the 1 tablespoon heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in the middle of the oven for approximately 14 minutes or until golden. I found, the 2 times I baked these scones, that the bottoms will become quite dark. A heavy baking sheet is recommended. Cool the scones briefly on a wire rack before splitting and filling with the peaches.
TO MAKE THE PEACHES:
1. Gently stir together the peach slices, lemon juice, and brown sugar. Set aside at room temperature for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
TO MAKE THE WHISKEY-BROWN SUGAR CREAM:
1. Combine the heavy cream, brown sugar, and whiskey in a medium bowl. Whip until soft peaks form. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until filling the shortcakes.
TO SERVE:
To serve, slice the scones in half and spoon some of the peach juices onto the bottom halves; top with the sliced peaches, whipped cream and other half of the scones.
The scone are best eaten the day they are made.
TAKE a LOOK:
I'm a wimp. I don't like heat or humidity. We're still "up north" and it's the hottest 4th of July week we've ever experienced here. It's sweltering! No reading by the pool or lake for me.
But when my husband asked me to go strawberry picking -- in the mid-day heat -- I was out the door. We loaded up with bottles of drinking water and headed to one of several berry farms in the fields surrounding Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
We walked the rows for about an hour, each of us picking a large bucketful of berries. Our next stop was the grocery store for several cartons of heavy cream. My husband requested strawberry shortcake, so I decided to double my favorite shortcake recipe -- tender, individual scones filled with sweetened berries, and topped with whipped heavy cream -- dessert for my family and our friends next door. Without the conveniences of my St. Paul kitchen I used serrated steak knives to cut the cold butter into the flour mixture, a very small whisk for whipping the 4 cups of heavy cream, and an empty beef broth can with both ends removed to create the shortcake rounds. It took me a little longer, but I think I appreciated the end result a little more. And the freshly-picked strawberries made this shortcake better than ever -- maybe the best ever.
TAKE a LOOK:
The weather so far this June has been incredible -- allowing many relaxed mornings in my garden. And while I wait for the majority of recently planted vegetables to start producing, I do have my rhubarb. And, I continue to search for different ways to use it.
With the Diamond Jubilee celebrations surrounding Queen Elizabeth this month, and the summer Olympics in London just around the corner, it seems like tea and scones are in order. Rhubarb Scones to be exact!
• Rhubarb Scones •
a recipe adapted from FOOD52
MAKES 12 SCONES
• 3 stalks of rhubarb
• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons COLD unsalted butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup vanilla sugar
• 2/3 to 3/4 cup heavy cream, plus additional for brushing onto scones
• Coarse sugar or Turbinado sugar for sprinkling
1. Preheat oven to 425˚F.
2. Slice the rhubarb stalks into 1/4-inch pieces. Toss with 3 tablespoons of the sugar.
3. Place flour, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine.
4. Add the cold butter and pulse until the size of small peas; then add the remaining sugar and pulse just until incorporated into the batter.
5. Transfer the flour mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the rhubarb pieces. Stir in the heavy cream, starting with 2/3 cup. Add additional cream (up to 3/4 cup total), until you have a slightly sticky dough. At this point, I knead the dough very briefly in the bowl; just until I feel that all of the dry and moist ingredients are evenly combined.
6. Divide the dough into two pieces. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, pat each mound of dough into a disk about 6-inches across. Brush the tops with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Using a sharp knife, cut each disk into 6 triangular pieces, separating them enough that they will not touch when baking.
7. Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake the scones for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove to a cooling rack.
TAKE a LOOK:
Mornings at my house... With a container of orange curd in my refrigerator, left-over from my daughter's birthday cake last weekend, what could be better than freshly-baked Chocolate Orange Scones spread with Orange Curd? adapted from a Gourmet | April 1996 recipe
• 4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar• 2 teaspoons baking powder• 2 teaspoons baking soda• 1/4 teaspoon salt• 1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk• 2 large eggs• 3 tablespoons orange zest, preferably organic• 1 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped• heavy cream• Raw sugar (Turbinado or Demerara)1. PREHEAT OVEN to 400˚F. Position oven racks in upper third and lower third of the oven.2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.3. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pulse briefly to combine.4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and orange zest. Set aside.5. Add the chilled butter to ingredients in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until butter is the size of small peas. Pour this mixture into the bowl containing buttermilk and eggs; stir quickly with wooden spoon just to combine and then stir in chocolate. Pour the mixture onto a work surface and knead briefly. Flatten the dough into a 3/4-inch thick rectangle. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough evenly into 12 squares. Transfer 6 squares to each of the baking sheets. Brush the top of each scone with heavy cream and sprinkle generously with the raw sugar.6. Place baking sheets on the upper and lower racks of the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, switching the position of baking sheets half-way through baking (10 minutes). 7. Transfer the scones to a cooling rack. Serve scones with Orange Curd.
TAKE a LOOK:
My mother, and my aunt who lived next door to us, had very large vegetable gardens. It was common in the Amana Colonies where I grew up for the German omas to tend large vegetable and flower gardens. I've been thinking lately about these gardens and the way our meals, throughout the summer months especially, revolved around what my mother and aunt grew. After watching an episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution this past weekend, which confirmed my sinking feeling that this country is in big trouble nutritionally, I've been thinking even more about my mother's garden and my smaller version, and the healthy eating a vegetable garden promotes. There was huge importance placed on all aspects of my mother's garden. The week before the soil was scheduled to be tilled was filled with great anticipation. It was viewed by my mother and aunt as a momentous event and because of that, we all came to see it that way.... what would we do if it rained?... and the man they hired to perform this task had to cancel?... and it could possibly be another week?.... I think my mother loved being in her garden more than anything else. After the soil was prepped she would be out there daily, usually doing most of her work before I woke up, while the air was still cool. Every meal throughout that summer was made up of some fruit or vegetable grown in our garden. We looked forward to certain foods because we knew we would only be eating these foods at that time, when they were in-season. Eggplant in February? Never... but in August we would eat it non-stop. It may not be possible for many to even consider planting a vegetable garden, but with the increase of farmers' markets nationally and the availability of many fruits and vegetables outside of our own growing season, why aren't we all eating healthier?
In addition to the vegetable garden, my mother also had a very large strawberry patch. Whenever I headed down to the garden to pick berries for my mother, I ended up eating more than I eventually brought back to the kitchen. Unfortunately, I have been unsuccessful at growing strawberries in my own garden; a problem that could possibly be solved by covering the plants with netting. Years ago my attempts at growing and harvesting strawberries were scuttled by hungry birds. More recently, it's because of my French Bulldog Pipi who eats anything and everything (heirloom tomatoes being her favorite). So how could I pass up these brilliant red strawberries at the grocery store? I know what a carton of strawberries will taste like in April. They will not come anywhere close in taste or sweetness to locally grown berries found at the markets in June and July. But tossed with some sugar and sandwiched along with freshly-whipped cream between sweet, flaky scones, they somehow tasted just fine. I think Pipi would even find them acceptable.
Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcakes
+ a recipe from In The Sweet Kitchen by Regan Daley +
SCONES:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 5 tablespoons heavy cream
• Additional whipping cream for brushing scones
• Additional granulated sugar, for sprinkling
BERRIES:
• 2 quarts fresh ripe strawberries, hulled
• 3 to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
WHIPPED CREAM:
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
The Scones:
1. Preheat oven to 425˚F. Line a small heavy baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. Pulse until blended. Add the butter and pulse again until the butter is the size of small peas.
2. In a large bowl gently whisk together by hand the egg, milk and 5 tablespoons heavy cream. Add the flour-butter mixture and stir together with a fork just until combined. Gather dough together and on a lightly-floured work surface, pat the dough into a round about 3/4 of an inch thick. Try to work the dough as little as possible. Using a 3-inch round biscuit cutter, cut 4 rounds and transfer to a parchment-lined heavy baking sheet. Gather together the remaining dough and cut 2 more rounds.
3. Brush the tops of the 6 scones with the 1 tablespoon heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in the middle of the oven for approximately 14 minutes or until golden. I found, the 2 times I baked these scones, that the bottoms will become quite dark. A heavy baking sheet is recommended. Cool the scones briefly on a wire rack before splitting and filling with the strawberries.
To Prepare The Berries:
1. Cut 1 quart of the strawberries in half and set aside. Cut the remaining quart of berries into rough pieces and sprinkle with 3 to 4 tablespoons of the sugar, stirring to coat. Let the berries macerate for about an hour. Right before serving crush the strawberries and sugar with a fork until you create a rough sauce.
To Prepare the Cream:
1. Combine the 2 cups cold, heavy cream with the 2 tablespoons sugar and whip until slightly thickened. Add the vanilla and continue to whip until thick. Refrigerate until needed.
2. To serve, slice the scones in half and spoon some of the strawberry sauce onto the bottom halves; top with the halved berries, whipped cream and other half of the scones.
• This dessert is best the day it is made, while the scones are still warm from the oven.
TAKE a LOOK:
I met two friends at my favorite coffee shop this past week. Kopplin's is the only place I'll go in Saint Paul to drink a cappuccino if I'm not making myself one at home. Kopplin's cappuccinos are what I use as a benchmark when I make espresso and steamed milk every morning at 6 a.m. And when I'm at Kopplin's, I'm probably also enjoying a pastry from Rustica, a bakery in Minneapolis that supplies Kopplin's with all of its delicious treats. This week I purchased a Chocolate and Ginger Scone that I ate long before my cappuccino was ready for pick-up at the counter. You could say I "wolfed-it-down" in lighting speed. This scone was so good it had me thinking about Chocolate and Ginger Scones all week. When I found this recipe by Nancy Silverton, I knew the scones I'd make would rival the one I had eaten from Rustica Bakery.
In fact, right now my husband is having his morning cappuccino with one of the Chocolate Ginger Scones and said, "these are too good ". He never raves about anything he's eating while drinking coffee and attempting to wake-up. A comment like that is rare indeed. That alone, tells you how good these scones taste. I've made a few changes to the original recipe, reducing slightly the amount of crystallized ginger and adding chocolate chips. Also, the dough seemed a bit dry to me after adding the 3/4 cup whipping cream so I added an additional 1 tablespoon cream. The crystallized ginger was purchased at Whole Foods and I chopped it into a fine dice, then tossed with a sprinkling of sugar to help avoid clumping of the moist, sticky ginger before adding to the dough.
• Chocolate AndGingerScones •
adapted from a recipe by Nancy Silverton
Bon Appétit | January 2000
Yield: Makes 12 Scones
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 11 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon whipping (heavy) cream
• 1/2 cup finely diced crystallized ginger
• 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons whipping (heavy) cream, additional for brushing on top of scones before baking
1. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper.
2. Blend flour, sugar, baking powder and lemon peel in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Make well in the center; add the 3/4 cup cream. Using a fork, stir until just moist. If the dough seems dry, add the additional 1 tablespoon whipping cream. Mix in the crystallized ginger and chocolate chips. Gather the dough together and gently knead until smooth. About 8 turns. Divide dough in half; pat each portion into a 3/4-inch-think round. Cut each round into 6 wedges and transfer to prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart. Brush tops with remaining 2 tablespoons cream.
3. Bake scones until light brown, about 18 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Rewarm in 350˚F oven before serving.)
This is one delicious scone recipe from King Arthur Flour. It calls for fresh blueberries but I substituted dried and I can't imagine making them any other way. The sweet, intense taste of the dried blueberry paired with the lemon zest are a great combination. I sprinkled the tops of my scones with Hagel Zucker (coarse sugar) from Germany, but sliced almonds would be equally delicous. Bake some scones this week and invite a friend for coffee!
DriedBlueberryScones
adapted from a recipe by King Arthur Flour
• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup dried blueberries
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup vanilla yogurt (I like Cultural Revolution Organic Vanilla Yogurt)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon grated organic lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 tablespoons coarse sugar, for sprinkling on top
1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the eggs, yogurt, vanilla extract, lemon zest and almond extract. Set aside.
3. Whisk the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until coarse and crumbly. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the moist ingredients and add the dried blueberries. Stir very gently, just until combined. The dough will be moist. With floured hands, knead the dough in the bowl 4 or 5 times.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and with a large knife, divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a flattened, round disc and with a floured knife cut each disc into 8 wedges. Carefully transfer each wedge onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle each scone with coarse sugar, pressing lightly on the sugar if necessary to adhere to the scones.
5. Bake the scones for 20 to 24 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven, and cool briefly on a cooling rack. Serve warm.
I woke up this morning craving cranberry almond scones. I decided to bake myself some for breakfast... if, that is, you still consider it breakfast, having gotten up at 6 a.m. and it was now 11:00. Point is, I wasn't going to rest until I ate a homemade scone. When I reached into my cupboard for the dried cranberries, I pulled an empty jar from the shelf. O.k... I'd have to redirect my craving. I did have a full box of currants, so currant scones it was. If at all possible, I like my currant scones with crème fraîche and strawberry preserves, but unfortunately, neither was in my refrigerator this morning. They were pretty good, nonetheless.
Buttermilk Currant Scones
adapted from a recipe in The New York Time Cookbook
• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup currants
• cinnamon, for dusting, optional
1. Preheat the oven to 425˚F.
2. Whisk the egg and buttermilk in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times. Add the butter and pulse until butter is the size of peas.
4. Combine the flour mixture with the egg and buttermilk. Add the currants and stir, quickly and lightly, until no flour shows. Flour your hands, and gently knead the mixture in the bowl, about 10-15 times. Cut the dough in half, and place on a parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet. With lightly floured hands, pat each halve into a disc about 1/2-inch thick. Cut each disc into 4 wedges, and with the blade of the knife, move each wedge so the sides do not touch. Sprinkle scones lightly with cinnamon.
5. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for approximately 16 minutes, or until a deep golden brown.
6. Remove from oven and place scones on a cooling rack.
7. Serve scones with crème fraîche and strawberry preserves.
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