"scone" news and stories

When it comes to afternoon coffee or tea, scones are a classic accompaniment. Rather than the heavy and dry creations that so many American coffee shops like to sell to unsuspecting consumers, a real British scone is a bit more like a (US) biscuit, light and somewhat fluffy. They are not particularly sweet, hence the need for jam and cream to be served with them, but they do have a worryingly addictive buttery flavor that will make you reach for a second or third if they are on the small side. These scones were baked up by UK food blogger Jam Faced. They have currants and a bit of orange zest in them, which really provides flavor boost, and they were served with clotted cream and black cherry jam.

Read on for a recipe if you want to try making these at home.

Indira, who blogs at Mahanandi, makes many beautiful dishes, but her Strawberry Mango Scones really sparked my interest. Not only are the scones mouthwatering to look at, but the combination of fresh strawberries and mango sounds like it is too good to pass up. If you bake frequently, you know that having too many wet ingredients, like berries and other fruits, can make a dish soggy. Strawberries and mango are both fairly wet fruits and Indira averted any potential problems by pairing dried mango instead of fresh with the berries, adding mango flavor to the scones without compromising their crumbly, soft texture or crisp crust. She served them for dessert, but I can't help think that they would make an outstanding breakfast on a clear, summer morning. You can get her recipe here.

Source

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that the movie version of Dan Brown's mega-seller The Da Vinci Code arrives in theatres today.

What you don't know, however, is that the success of Dan Brown's novel has inspired me to write a pastry-related religion/art history/murder thriller, The Da Vinci Scone. An excerpt is below and a real scone (like our Pumpkin-Cranberry, Dried Fruit or White Chocolate Buttermilk recipes) might help set the mood:


What did it mean, this baked good in the Grand Gallery of the Louvre?

The security doors were slammed shut. There had been no way out for whoever had left the scone in front of the Caravaggio painting.

"Is this some sort of biscuit?" Sofie asked.

"It's what we call a scone," Langdorn replied.  "A scone is bread product made with baking powder as a leavening agent. It's a component of the ancient English ceremony of high tea. "

Langdorn stared at the currants flecking the scone. They formed a strange shape. A star? A pentagram? An asterisk?

What message was contained within the elaborate pattern of the currants?

What sinister truth did this scone hold?

My refrigerator is always full of buttermilk. You see, I'm a thrifty soul, and if I need buttermilk for a recipe I can't bear to buy the pint-sized cartons. Did you even see the price per fluid ounce? No, I must go for the economical two-quart-sized container. Thing is: there is no recipe on the whole earth that calls for a half gallon of buttermilk.* Instead, I measure out 1/2 cup or five tablespoons or some other amazingly tiny quantity. And then, every time I pick up a recipe, I think, how can I use buttermilk in this?

So when I was looking for a recipe for scones the other day, I was terrifically happy to find this one on Nicole's blog. I made it, with great success, and then started scheming. How could I use even more of the ingredients slowly turning from "non-perishable" to "perished" in my pantry shelves? I emailed Nicole, I rummaged to find white chocolate chips and dried blueberries and I made these fantastic drop scones. [click through for recipe]

*portions of this post may be highly exaggerated.