Tweaking a recipe for the better--savory scones

Happy Sunday everyone. I am writing this feeling quite happy with myself and also enjoying a rather dry mimosa.

I'd taken it into my head to make savory scones. Partly because they sounded delicious (if not traditional. My British friends are probably screaming), and partly because I need quick and easy breakfasts in the morning. 

So after some searching, I found this recipe, but the more I looked at it, the more I felt the need to tweak. Here's the ingredients, my tweaks, as usual, are italics.

• 3 Cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt (I reduced this slightly. There's bacon and onions involved, so there's plenty of sodium going on already)
• 1 Tablespoon freshly ground black pepper. (The recipe suggests reducing to a teaspoon if you want a strong peppery taste, which is what I did. Next time, I think I'll try two, the pepper got lost in the cheese)
• 1.5 Cups grated cheddar cheese (I always go for sharp. Aged if I can afford it)
• 10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped into 1-inch pieces (I used 8 slices of a rather thick bacon and it worked out fine. Cook it until it's crispy--taste it as you cook)
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced (I went with a cup of caramelized onions, which was about 2.5 onions the size of softballs or small grapefruit)
• .75 to 1.5 Cups Buttermilk
• heavy cream (optional. Can be substituted for half of the buttermilk)
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons of water

I found this recipe appealing because bacon, cheese, and onions go very well together. In omelettes, in sandwiches, mixed with pasta. 

One of the things I noticed in the picture, was there was more filling than scone. The scone dough was used as a binder and not much else. That, in my opinion, is cheating yourself out of some deliciousness, and not being very nice to the concept of the buttery, crumbly scone. I think mine look a little better.

I followed the directions otherwise:

• Preheat oven to 400 (if you live in an apartment, you might want to consider opening windows or turning on the a/c to get some air circulating). Grab your peppermill and start grinding - use a full tablespoon for a wonderfully peppery background or reduce by 1 tsp for less pepper flavor.
• Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl on low speed. With mixer running, gradually add cubes of butter until the mixture is crumbly and studded with flour - butter bits about the size of small peas. Add grated cheese and mix just until blended. (This can also be done by hand: In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Gradually cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles small peas. Stir in cheese.) I went with the manual method. I use a whisk to blend the dry ingredients, then a large fork to smash the butter to bits (I have to release those violent thoughts somehow)
• Add green onions, bacon and 3/4 cup of the buttermilk to flour and cheese mixture. Mix by hand just until all ingredients are incorporated. If dough is too dry to hold together, use remaining buttermilk, adding 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough is pliable and can be formed into a ball. (I needed a lot more buttermilk that 3/4 Cup to get this into a ball. I'd start with a cup and add from there next time). Stir as lightly and as little as possible to ensure a lighter-textured scone (I agree this is important). Remove dough from bowl and place it on a lightly floured flat surface. Pat dough into a ball. Using a well-floured rolling pin, flatten dough into a circle about 8 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Cut dough into 8 to 10 equal wedges, depending on size scone you prefer.
• Whisk egg and water in a small mixing bowl to combine. Brush each wedge with egg wash. Place scones on a Silpat-lined baking sheet and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and no longer sticky in the middle. Serve warm.

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I actually have a scone pan that will do 16 mini scones. I ended up having to make four drop scones because I filled the pan quite nicely. I didn't do the egg wash either. Instead I brushed them with cream.

They came out delicious. I'm not sure they will last very long, but if they do, I plan to freeze them individually in sandwich-sized bags so they will be easy to toss into the microwave for breakfast.

Thank you for reading. Comments always welcome!

Scarborough Fair Part One--Rosemary Scones

Before I get into today's entry, I thought I'd give you a quick preview of what's coming up in future entries. If you recognize the song title above, you'll have correctly inferred there will by thyme (potato salad), parsely (linguine with clams) and sage (I have no flipping idea) coming up in the next several weeks. We'll also have a treat in which I will play photojournalist and take pics of my sweetie as he creates a creme brulee or two.

Today's dessert intrigued me and it's all my friend Mike's fault. Mike lives in Athens, Georgia, which is towards the northeast part of the state. It is home to UGA and some of the most fabulous food I've had. We went to a restaurant called the Farm, who grow as much as they serve as possible and source the rest locally. I remember an omelette with lemon-infused tomatoes that still makes my mouth water, and for dessert, we had an olive oil-rosemary pound cake. It was my first foray into combining a normally savory spice into something sweet and I was hooked.

Like most Americans, we'll be at a cookout on Memorial Day--does anyone do parades and read "In Flander's Field" anymore? We were asked to bring a salad, and then also dessert. The salad will be, I hope, a replica of one I had in a restaurant/club a couple weeks ago. Avocados and black pepper are involved, but I'll save the rest for the upcoming posts. After driving myself nuts about dessert, Ken said he'd make the creme brulee, but I kept browsing for desserts that didn't involve an ice cream maker.

Today's recipe comes from Giada De Laurentis of the Food Network. I like this recipe and the layout because it was accurate with the timing, and had some good hints about what the mix should look like before adding liquid. I also appreciated that it did not insist on a food processor--anyone with a fork can cut butter into dry ingredients, it just takes a little longer. Anyway, copyright is Food Network, if they're paying attention. Here's our ingredient list:

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary leaves

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into small pieces (I was really tempted to switch out a tablespoon or two for olive oil. Maybe next time)

1 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup strawberry jam
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups confectioner's sugar

I really love my half-moon chopper for cutting up herbs. I also saved myself a little time by cutting off a lot of the rosemary with scissors. My fingers still smelled like the fragrant herb, but I can deal with that.

For the scones: Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with asilpat or parchment paper. Set aside. (I used aluminum foil lightly greased with olive oil. I don't know where my parchment paper is)

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, baking powder, rosemary, salt, and butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. (I used the cook's note below) Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Gradually stir in the cream until the mixture forms a dough.

 On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 1/2-inch thick, 10-inch circle.

I ran into a small problem here. I don't own a rolling pin. I don't do an awful lot of baking, so it's never come up as a need. Instead, I used an iced-tea glass that came from Tea Forte (delicious stuff, but I digress, and they're not paying me to endorse)

 Using a 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out heart-shaped pieces of dough and put on the prepared baking sheet. (I used a round juice glass, though at the end, I rather liked the lumpy hand-shaped one. I may go with that the next time) Gently kneadtogether any leftover pieces of dough and roll out to 1/2-inch thick. Cut the dough into more heart shapes and add to the baking sheet. Using an index finger or a small, round measuring spoon, gently make an indentation in the center of each pastry heart. Spoon a heaped 1/2 teaspoon of jam into each indentation. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Transfer the cooked scones onto a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes.

For the glaze: In a medium bowl, mix together the lemon juice and powdered sugar until smooth. Gradually add the water until the mixture is thin enough to spread. Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the scones. Let the glaze set for about 30 minutes. Serve or store in an airtight plastic container for 2 days.

I had a bit of a problem with the glaze. I don't know if I made it too thin or if 30 minutes wasn't enough time, but it just ran right off the scones, leaving only a taste behind. Didn't take away from the deliciousness, though.

Cook's Note: The dough can also be made by hand by stirring together the flour, sugar, baking powder,rosemary, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter. Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Gradually stir in the cream until the mixture forms a dough.

Overall, I was really pleased with the results. They're not too sweet, the lemon in the glaze is a nice finishing touch and I find them good for breakfast or dessert. The finished product: